The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-10-01
DIFFICULT DUTY or TIT: SI'E\i<C:R
is ILL STR &rrD.
the TACT AND DISCRETION REQUISITE.
DANIEL. O'COA NEI.I.'S RElERENt'E no
THE QUEENS SPEECH.


tary Expressions" Michael McDonough
contributes a somewhat scrappy but al
together interesting paper to the cur
rent Nineteenth Century. which We sum
Marie as follows:
There is no definite rule to guide the
speaker of the house Of commons in de-
Gliding whether an offensive personal AL
fusion to an honorable member in the
course of debate is OF is not Il breach
of the parliamentary moprietics The
decision is left entirely to his good taste
and discretion. But there has always
been rather curious distinction be-
tween remarks that reflect adversely on
an honorable member as a man, and on
the same member as "A politician. Ac-
all cases considered out of order. while
the latter rarely meet with rcprimand
from the chair. In the session of 1896
two Illustrations of the workings of the
rule occurred OH the same evening
Somebody declared that one of the lead
crs of the opposition had been n mun,-
mental instance of Inconsistency
throughout his life The speaker ruled
that the expression was not unparlia-
mentary. Later in the debate some
body on the opposition side declared
that the leader of the house was "by a
snbtcrfuge going to palm upon the house
ii resolution" The speaker characterize
ed the term "subtcrfugc" as hardly
proper language to use" and the of
fender. 1t must be as unpleasant for a
man to be called n monument of poll
tical inconsistency" as to be informed
that his conduct is a "subterfusc," but
from tho parliamentary point Of view the
two statements arc of an altogether diff
fcrent complexion. Mr.. Mcl)onough gives
some instances OF tho use of cOntcmp-
tncus language on the floor Of the house
of commons and the rulings of the
speaker.
The first member OF the reformed par
liamcnt reprovcd by the chair for un-
sccm]y language was Daniel O'Con-
nell, the great Irish agitator. Tho Incl
dent, which occurred in the first week of
the meeting of the house of commons, is
also remarkable for having evoked from
the speaker Il definite ruling on an in
tcresting constitutional point. The
Speech from the Throne" called atten-
tion. amongst other things, to the in
and asked for coerri"r measures for the
repression of crime. In the course of the
debate O'Conncll characterized the
speech from the throne AS brutal and
bloody. Lord John Russell at once
moved that the words he taken down
"Oh!" exclaimed OConnrll, "whcn we
speak OF ireland and her wrGnss il must
be
In hondsman's key.
With batcd breath ANA Whispering hum
blcncss"
Lord John Russell objected to the word
'bloody' being applied to Il speech
which had only few days previously,
been delivered by the king William the
fourth in person in the house Of lords
O'ConnclI insisted that il was not the
speech Of the king, but the speech of
the ministers. The speaker agreed with
the honorable and learned member ON
the constitutional point. but informed
l. III,
cd to preserve the order anu dcrcncy of
debate The "bloGdy and brutal Wings"
subsequently became a popular phrase
in ireland, and indeed is not unknown
today in Irish political controversies
On the 4th OF March following the CO.
crcion bill was before the house. Sir
Robert I'atcson described the Irish mem
bcrs as the mere slaves Of faction; the
representatives of the mob; and the Or
gans of a bigotcd priesthood" 81 have
never in any assembly heard such OPP
prObiOus language" exclaimed an Irish
representative named Finn But he
only got snllbhcd by the speaker for
this natural expression of his ndgna-
ton. 81 hope the honorable member will
sec" said Charles Manners Sutton, that
there is IL difference between what he
considers out of order Mr.. Finn was
a hOt-tcmpcred man, and as great an
adept as O'Conncll in the use of I'M
parliamentary expressions; but on this
occasion he seems to have been render
cd dumb by the cens,rc of the speaker,
and the words of Sir Robert Batcson arc
probably the most disordcrly that stand
unrcproved by the chair.
Mr. Parnel ON the 10th of April,
characterized a statement made by MIR.
Henry James as "a legal bubble"
worthy of the honorable and learned
member from whom it proceeded. 81
must inform the honorable member"
said the speaker, that an expression of
that kind is understandable and must be
withdrawn" Mr.. Parncll apolOgized for
having used the expression. II will
say" he added, chat the statement was
more worthy OF the ingenuity of a petty
session attorney than of a lawyer of the
ability nf tho honOrah1n and learned