Omaha daily bee., 1889-06-23
PROCESS OF SUPPLY.
The Manner of Voting the British
Governments Money.
SOME PECULIAR PROCEEDINGS.
How the House Of Commons Acts
on Financial Questions.
GROSS ABUSES SNEEZED AT.
Members in Favor of Reform Desig-
mated as Obstructionists.
THE SIDE WORK OF THE WHIP.
Certain Speeches Suppressed and
Others Printed-,A Sad Commen-
tary on the Methods of the
English Press.
Disposing of English Funds.

LONDON, June SS-lNeW 1OrK beTalu
Cable-Special to THE BEE. THE process
of voting away the nations money in the
house of commons is OF a very curious nature
as placed upon paper by the government, to
the effect that supply" will be taken in
committee questions to n minister and pre-
cede all other business, and while they are
being put the house is probably fairly well
filled, perhaps crowded. There is always
chance for a scene, and anything of that
kind is acceptable as lending little variety
to the proceedings. In the hue and cry after
the Irish secretary or some other minister,
it is very likely that one of tho pursuers gets
upset, the minister scores at his expense and
everybody is satisfied. 1t does not matter
which side wins so long as a little fun is pro-
vided. The house of commons is the most
impartial body In the world and,
gives everybody fair play. The only
things 1T will not stand is bumptiousness
concet, side or swagger sentimentalism, or
obvious insincerity. The house of commons
may have some humbug IN it, but it will not
be humbugged itself.
Well, then, after the questions the real
business of the day begins. The clerk calls
out supply" the speaker descends with dig
nifty from the chair, and Mr.. Courtney, chair
man of the committee, takes his seat at the
table below What happens nexts The
great body of members troops out of the
house. They fly as fast as If the Prince of
Wales leper had suddenly taken his seat
among them. While Courtney is reading the
first vote ON the list the house empties When
the rush is over there are perhaps fifteen or
twenty members left, including the secretary
and under secretary, one or BOTH who will
be required to defend the vote. There are
probably the gravest reasons why the vote
should not pass. It's discussion affords the
only opportunity which can occur all
through the session of bringing to
light some gross abuse. There may be very
obvious mismanagement in some department
of the government, or an official may have
proyed himself totally Incompetent for his
post. When the money for that department
or that official is to be voted, then, and then
only can lawful occasion be supplied Cor
bringing out all the facts. Somebody, we
will suppose, puts himself to the trouble
of bringing them out. He has taken great
pains to make himself acquainted with the
circumstances. He explains them carefully
to the rows of deserted benches. The min
lister, conscious that his majority is waiting
ambush outside, gets up, pooh-poohs the
whole case, seizes adrotly on the weakest
link in the chain of evidence, and twists and
worries that; ridicules the idea that any
thing can be wrong in his department, and
sits down with an indignant outburst against
the wickedness of attacking public servants
who are not there to defend themselves.
Official dement, Is always blocked out on the
same pattern, and what would be the
use of changing it when it
answers it's purposes so well, no matter who
presents it or what party is in power. Then
comes the decision of the house, whi ch has
not heard either side. The minister smiles,
for he knows that on the other side of tho
door stand TIVE or three gentlemen known as
''whips," who will marshal their forces in
the proper direction without explanation
beig asked or given. Perhaps some member
may inquire, apologetically:
'What is this division about?"
"Oh," replies the whip, "that fellow Brown,
Jones or Robinson is moving an amendment
to the supply"
'Confound the fellows impudence. What
does he want to obstruct like this fora What
business has he to criticise the government
his own governments The fellow is nothing
but a beastly radical in disguise"
Poor Brown or Jones is speedily done for
In the early part of Frinay afternoon, last,
| Mr.. Montague, member for the Whitechapel
| division, brought forward motion ON the
war office vote for throwing open
| certain part of the tower walk
facing the river to the people. do not enter
into the merits of the question, but here is a
| fact illustrative of the discussion IN supply.
| While Montague was speaking / counted the
| houss. There were Just twenty of US pres
| ent, including two members of the ministry.
ba for IN, f.,.,
for the numbers were made up to 2S6, and
the whole body proceeded without question to
pronounce judgment of Montague's appeal,
though 266 of them had not listened to sin.
| gle word of it. AYE" say the ministers,
but all discussion in supply is useless 1t is
always waste of public time and 1t never
leaves public money.
| deny these assertions that time is never
| wasted. will not, indeed undertake To
| prove it. But am ready TO prove beyond all
shadow of doubt that much money has re-
peatedly been saved by these discussions !;
that many abuses have been exposed and
corrected; that many officials have been
| brought TO proper sense of their duties.
That is the position which can be most thor
oughly established in the house or
out of it, and IN spite of the min
ister OF the exchequer, who had
condemned all who discuss the supply as
faddists and sentimentalists. The press
takes up the cry. 1t is easy for any govern
ment to guide the course Of the press ON all
questions relating to the business of the
house. So the word is passed around to ridi.
cule these discussions in supply. "Don't re-
port them. Denounce the members who get
them up They are either obstructionists or
traitors. A traitor, in an official sense, is q
man who will not always vote that black il
white at the bidding of the ministry" He
has no right 70 exercise his private Judgment.
The newspapers do not call him traitor, but
they probably suppress his remarks in the
house and give the official reply TO them In