Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-08-26
THE BADGERS ABROAD
MADISONIANS ENJOY A DAY IN
PARLIAMENT.
INTERESTING DISCUS IONS
Colonial Policy Of England Credited
With Being the Secret of That Ma
lions GreatneSs-A Hint Thrown
Out With Relations to Cuba and
Hawaii.

L
Carlsbad, Germany, July 22.-The
, parliament house in London is an inn
mense, elegant building, but owing to
| its prosaic location on the Thames in
the lowest section Of the city, it does
not make the pleasing impression that
| the capitol in Washington does, and l
doubt whether its appearance would
equal Uncle Sans legislative temple
even if as favorably located. However,
the exterior matters little. 1t is
what proceeds from the building and
not with the building itself or its To-
cation that the world is concerned.
The chambers of the commons is only
large enough to accommodate the mem
| bers, officers and attendants and COM
paratively few spectators. Instead of
having seats with desks as with us, it
| has benches for the members, the
| benches being arranged ON each side
with space in the center for the speak
er and clerks. The rows of benches
are raised toward the rear so that the
rear bench is perhaps four feet higher
| than the front bench. The members
can thus easily see and hear. But they
have no desks or facilities for writing.
The members sit with hats on though
it is net againCt the rules to remove
the hat. The custom does look little
odd to us, but no harm seems to result
from it.
It takes a little maneuvering to gain
admission to the houses of parliament,
though it is by no means difficult task
as a rule. But as the galleries have
room but for a few, when burning
questions are up admission is not read
lily obtained. Each member of parlia-
ment has the right to issue two admis-
sion tickets to the galleries at a time;
but there may not be room in the gal
leries for half the applicants, so one
must await his turn. We thought we
would go straight to the mark and so
applied directly to the door keepers,
and, on the strength of our good looks,
| suppose, we got admission tickets to
the gallery of the commons from a
member Of the cabinet who was pres
ent in the house To the house Of
lords we obtained tickets through the
American legation; but the legation
also has the privilege of but two ad-
missions at a time, and one must wait
his turn and then may have to wait for
room.
We were fortunate in not having &c
wait anyWhere; we're also fortunate
both in the house of commons and in
the house Of lords in being present
when there were interesting and i'm
portant debates by leading men. In
the commons it was stated by the OPP
position that it was reported that in
Zanzibar fugitive slaves were being
returned to their masters by British Of
ticials contrary to the provisions of
law, and the government was closely
questioned by Sir Charles Dixie, Mr..
Dillon and other prominent liberals.
They were answered by the under sec
rotary for foreign affairs, Mr.. Curzon,
Sir Ashmead Bartlett, the leader of the
house, Mr.. Balfour, Attorney General
Webster, Mr.. Chamberlain and others.
1t was denied that fugitive slaves were
being returned by government author
ity. Possibly fugitive slave guilty Of
crime might have been arrested by gov
eminent officials and returned for trial
for his crime, but not otherwise. To
test the question Mr.. Dillon moved to
reduce the appropriation asked for by
the government for the Zanzibar ai
ministration, but the government was
sustained by about its party majority.
In the house Of lords the Sunday
question was the theme. There is IN
old law that prohibits Sunday lectures
or entertainments for which admission
is charged. 1t was sought to so amend
the law as to permit Sunday lectures
for which admission might be charged.
The discussion was taken part i'll by
Lord HObhouse. LORD Herschel and
others in favor of the amendment by
Earl Cowper, the bishop Of Winchester,
the archbishop of Canterbury, the earl
Of Portsmouth, the lord chancellor and
others against It. The amendment YES
defeated, so the law remains as it SC. 1t
was not party question.
In the British parliament is conferred
incomparably greater power than in
any other body of men or any single
man. 1t is hampered by no written
constitution or letters of any kind 1t
rules three hundred and fifty millions
Of people composed of the most incon-
gruous elements, from the most en-
fghtened to the lowest savagcs gld
scattered through all quarters ct he
globe, ard it rules them we'll; aua as to
the less advanced, infinitely betta~ tna
they could rule themselves. 1t gives
law TO all, it interprets law Tor all as
the house of lords is the supreme Ill
dicial tribunal for all these pe0p!a In
India alone it has an army OF two hun
dTed and forty thousand men, 0rl: lne-
third of whom are Europeans. the two
thirds being natives, yet all az obedi-
ent to the power emanating frGl these
parliamentary chambers. 1t commands
by far the greatest naval force Above
all and beyond all it's fina 1c2l 1e-
sources are infinitely greater than these
of any other people. We may talk C
their national debt, whicn = dise,
though being gradually reduced, Yet
British subjects own it all themselves
and own great blocks of the o5li gators
| of other nations besides.
And in the main British power IS
wisely and humanely exerci ;ed. When
British colonies show that they are
| capable of self-goveri ment as Canada |