The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-07-26
A LIVELY DEBATE.
The Proposed Royal Grants Dissected by Mr..
Labouchcre in the House of Commons.
SneciaI to the IndianapOljs Journal

ually large attendance of members in the
House of Commons to-day, and many whose
faces are rarely seen within the chamber,
took pains to grace the occasion with their
presence. The interest in to-day's debate,
on the part of the outside public, was also
made manifest by the crowded condition
of the galleries, where every available
inch of space was occupied. The great
attraction was, of course, the expected
debate on the subject of the royal grants,
which Mr.. Smith, the government leader in
the House of Commons. announced on Mon
day would come up to-day. The routine
business of the House, which had to be dis
posed of before the grants came mp, con-
sumed much time, and these proceedings
had no interest for the majority OF those
present, who gave unmistakable evidence
of their impatience. When, however. Mr.
Smith arose in his place to move the adop-
tion of the report of the special committee
on royal grants every eye was directed to-
ward him, and every ear strained to eaten
his words.
When the First Lord of the Treasury had
formally offered the governments motion,
he was promptly questioned by members OF
the Opposition as TO the present condition
OF the Queens finances. They demanded
TO know what savings the Queen had made
out of the allowances already made for the
support of the royal family. Mr.. Smith de-
clined to reply to these ques-
tions, which he claimed were entirely
irrelevant to the subject in hand. 1t was
for the royal family. The government
could not believe there existed any impor-
tant class among the loyal people of the
British empire who grudged to royalty the
very moderate provision necessary tOmain-
alone that of the royal family. but of the
empire as well. If the systems of other
civilized countries were examined, 1t
would be found that the English
was, by all odds, the most economical,
pense which the support of royal family
entails, that stability which is so essential
to government, and which obtains for Eng
land the respect of every people on the
globe. He could not believe that the people
OF England were prepared to sacrifice for
the paltry considerations here presented
the benefits of stable government which
they so largely owed to their royal family.
Nor could he believe that for the same con-
siderations the nation wasprepared TO sac
ritice the dignity of their rulers sand the
dignity of the great British empire.
MIR. LabOuchere moved his substitute for
the committees report. This substitute is
in the form of an address to the Queen,
her Majesty ought to provide for her grand
children out of her present income. Mr..
LabOuchere stated that it was his opinion,
and the opinion OF those who stood with
him on this question, that the sums
out of the public treasury We're
quite sufficient for all proper purposes with
which the people had any concern. He
ridiculed the statement that the English
system was the most economical in the
IL and tod
across the water, which paid its President
a yearly salary of s1O.OO0 rs against the
f700.0O0 which the Queen and herifamily al
ready cost the people of England every year.
He was determined to oppose all further
grants to Junior royalties. and he spoke not
only for himself but for many othors who
acted with him in support of this substi-
tute for the committees report. NOtwith-
standing the refusal of the honorable gen.
tleman TO reply to the inquiries as to the
ready on record as admitting that large
of the allowances heretofore grant
ed the Queen for her. civil
list Her savings he understood, were
well invested, and if it was true. as it had
been stated. that the Queen had. out of
these savings given various sums to sever
al of her grandchildren, he had no doubt
there was enough left to provide for others.
He insisted that the extreme limit which
royalty was reached when a proper pro-
vision was made for the children of the
sovereign. To extend the principle of
royal grants beyond this limit was
to treat with injustice the people from
whom the sums so expended must be wrung
in taxes. The country ought not to be
asked to submit to the burden of support
for an inundati0n of innumerable grand
children. If it were found that the present
wasteful extravaganza on the part of the
roy-al family, xvorl1 poaI xo L.. lou< -
bounds in the absence of further allowances
he should hardly consider this q calamity
The Liberals understood Mr.. Gladstone's
peculiar and exceptional position. and were
not surprised at his action. Mr.. Labouchere
proceeded to explain how q reduction of tho
Queens household would produce the sum
necessary to provide for junior royalties.
If the useless Office of lord chamberlain
lord steward, master of the horse, master of
the buckhounds, eight lords in wait
esquires and number of others
were abolished, surplus would be left for
the proposed pensions. There were gentle
men who would be glad to do what work
these officers did for nothing-Mr. Cham
berlaIn. for instance. [Laughter.l He
trusted that the House. having regard for
the growing sense of the people that these
grants ought not to be tolerated, would
support the amendment.
Mr.. Samuel Storey, Radical. seconded
the amendment.
Mr. Gladstone briefly said he was averse
to all measures of economy that impaired
the dignity and splendor of the crown.
Therefore. he supported the government.
He rej0iced that an occasion was given him
to testify in his old age that he did not
forget the services he had borne for many
years in connection with his Office as rep
resentative of the crown.
MIR. John Morley attributed the fever
that had been excited by the question of
the royal grants to the governments want
of frankness. Their original proposals
were stupefying, and they had withdrawn
from an impossible and impracticable posi-
tion in agreeing to a grant of f36, 900 in or
der TO prevent mischievous friction be-
tween Parliament and the crown. He
feared that he strained the pledge given by
him at his election. but he said so on the
understandings that nothing would be left for
future claims. Moreover, he was anxious
to avoid parting company with leader to
whom he was bound by ties of gratitude
and esteem. The extravaGant grants of
former reigns furnished no excuse for q
repetition of them now. He could not srp-
port Mr.. Lebohchere, because that gentle
man implied that the message from
the Queen ought never to have
been presented. and he [Morleyl
desired to uphold the good forms and tradi-
tions of Parliament. but on Monday he
would move an amendment raising the
whole question in the broadest possible
form.
Sir John Gorst. defending the govern
ment. contended that there was no actual