The Northwestern standard., 1886-04-10
THE: LONG -VVllNDE] LORDS.
Mr.. LabQuohere's Motion in the British
House Of Commons The Hereditary
Principle Discussed.
BANEFul INFLUENCE or PEERS.
What They Are Worth and What They Cost
"A Brewers First Step on Being
Promoted to the Peerage.

1 In the Imperial House OF Commons
recently, Mr Labouchers introduced
his motion, Of which due notice had
been given, dealing with the question
/ OF hereditary principle in the House Of
Lords.
Mr.. Labouchere moved, THAT in the
opiniln of this House it is Inconsistent
with the principle of representative
1 government that any member Of either
House of the Legislature should derive
| his title to legislate by hereditary de-
scent.' He trusted that this would be
/ left an open question by the Govern
| Inent. because he was sure there We're
many gentlemen on the Treasury Dench
who were delighted to see the motion
on the paper and would be glad TO have
1 the opportunity Of voting for it.
! laughter He reminded the House
that the English members had grievan-
ces rs well as the Irish members, and it
the Irish members desired the repeal Of
/ the Union. there were others who de-
sired the repeal of any species OF union
| between the elected representatives of
| the country and the hereditary legisla-
| tors in the other House. 1t was said
| by the late Lord Beaconsfield that the
House Of Lords represented 26 millions
/ of people who had nO6 the vote; but
| the electorate had been taken away
| from them, and then practically the de-
| cision of the House of Commons was
| the decision Of the whole nation.
Hereditary legislators were an anach-
ronism in q democratic country. Hear
hear) The term Liberia. was some
what vague one at the present moment.
Laughter, He Himself WAS a
Radical. Ii any gentleman told
him he was q Radical, and
took All opposite view on this ques-
ton, he could only say-with the great
est respectthat he regarded him as a
humbug. daughter He believed
there was no Radical OF Liberal meet
Ing held during the late election at
which the present motion would not
have been carried almost unanimously.
Hear, hear. He himself was in favor
Of one Chamber, out the motion did
not go SO far; and he did
not think the House had formed an
opinion as to Whethar there ought to
be one or two. There was high author
ority in favour Of one. Lord Beacons-
field had said, Nobody wants a Second
Chamber except a few disreputable in
dividvals. 1t is q valuable institution
for any man who has no distinction
either Of character or taient.' Minis
terial laughter. and Opposition cries of
When?n Oh, it was in one of his
early works. Laughter) He had
never heard that Lord Beaconsfeld had
changed that opinion. [Hear, hear.)
An hereditary assembly was not such
an innocuous affair as some gentlemen
seemed TO imagine. AT the present
moment there was q permanent antag
onism between the two Houses. CHEERS
and cries of .'No."9 AS matter of
fact, clever men had not always clever
sons, although the Prime Minister had
contested that assertion; but even che
most august persons had mothers as well
as fathers. They did not spring like Mi1-
ervia from the heads of their fathers,
and mother had just as much to do
with the intellectual qualities of the son
as the father 4 Voice And more. 2
Doctors, painters and poets did not oc-
cupy hereditary offices. In order to be
consistent, we ought to discover the
most intelligent persons in the country |
to take them young to bring them up TO
be legislators, and when they arrived at
their minority to marry them to Girton
girls. Great laughter.l Then probably
we might hope for good results. When
these hereditary Legislators had condes-
cended to be born, was their training
and education such as was likely to
quality them for their stationf IL the
House Of Lords there were 217 Peers
connected with the services, bHt no one /
could assert that the training of a sol |
der went to make good legislator. |
Again the mass of Peers did not attend |
regularly TO learn their business There |
were some Who devoted themselves to |
politics, and we were SO exceedingly |
grateful to them that we at once gave /
them some office and salary. and felt /
proud Of their goodness in eondescend-
ing TO take to their charge some por- I
tion of the affairs Of this great Empire. |
There were exceptions were
some exceedingly able men in the
House of Lords, but then there were /
.Albinos in Africa. But the system was
bad. They might as well take lady's
lap-dog, bring it up in the dTa wing
room, and expect it to become a good
We were told the House Of
Lords was recruited from the cream of |
the nation. Hear, hear. Was it2
Who were the gentlemen ordinarily /
made Peersg There were some politi-
cians-Who had been bores and nuisances |
i ~