The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-02-10

lnStOn ana was thus end Dleu 10 make
comparison between the methods of our
own arisrocratic senate and the august
body with which he is officially con-
nected.
How do the methods of conducting
business in the house of lords compare
with those of the American senator
he was asked.
4 "Well, in reality" said the clerk to
the ritish peers. there isn't as much
difference as you would imagine. 1t
doubtless will surprise most Americans,
a. 1 know it would most Englishmen,
+ to know that the two houses get
through their work in the same way,
! to a large extent.
DISAPPOINTED WITH SENATE.
II will confess that was little dis
/ appointed in your senate. L expected
| to find fire, eloquence, animated de-
| bate, and l didn't get it. Perhaps it
was because there was no great ques-
/ ton on for consideration at the time of
my visit AS l saw it, the chamber was
! certainly very quiet, and there was no
lack of dignity and decorum in its con-
duct. l did not see any drawn revolv-
ers, bowie knives or fist fights, such as
we have sometimes heard about in
England. Perhaps some of those were
myths.
I have admitted that l didn't find
the American senate altogether as L
had fancied it, and 1 dare say that you
would be even more disappointed when
you came to look into the house of
lords
But isn't there much more ceremony
in the work of the peers?"
Ordinarily, no; on certain occasions,
yes" replied Mr.. mcdonnell. There
seems to be notion more or less prev
alent over here that the members of
! the lords sit about on separate thrones,
clad in robes of state, and with coro-
nets on their heads. In reality the
peers usually sit in morning dress. and
not always very correct dress at that
The members wear their hats in the
chamber, though nobody else is per-
mitted 20 remain covered there.
Most of the regular attendants are
buried in papers, and they speak as
your senators do, like barristers, try
ing to bring out their points clearly,
rather than with any attempt at elo-
quence. The numbers in attendance
seem to be very nearly the same,
though, OF course, the membership of
the house of lords is much greater.
There are about $50 eligible voters now,
but the largest vote that has been re-
corded in recent years was about 800. 1
think. That was on Mr.. Gladstone's
marily thrown out by a great majority
THE QUEENS ASSENT.
"Of course the peers have certain
offices and certain formal functions
which are inherited, and some of these
require great deal of ceremony. For
example, the formal notification of the
royal assent is one of these, and when
the assent of the crown to any list of
measures IS to be formally expressed,
the lord commissioners attend the
chamber in state-that is to say, in
their robes-and sit together at one
side OF the room. The speaker of tbe
commons and his attendants are also
present in the space reserved for them
At a table midway between these TWO
are the clerk of parliament and the
clerk Of the crown. The latter holds in
his hand a list of bills and before read
ing each title he bows 9irst to ore and
then the other of these groups, so thar
if his list is long one, he gets a good
bit of exercise out of the performance.
After each title he repeats the words.
lie reyne lie veult' (the queen assents).
The words, and, in fact. the whole GER
emony, are given exactly as they We're
in the first parliaments.
Two years ago an attempt was made
to modify this ceremony. to the extent
OF having the words pronounced in
English, but it was not done, ard the
sentence is still spoken in its Norman
French form.
Another occasion which is attended
With forms.i iemony the creating CT
a ;lew PEE. Tho new msI1b"r Is con-
O. cted into he chamb ~ clad in his !.
robes, and rrece ded by the 2arter-l king /
alarms. e a baron, he sits down on (
what is known as the barons bench: if 1
viscount at the viscount's bench, and |
so on. After moment he rises ana /
bows TO the lord chancellor, who re- /
turns the bow. removing the cocl-e6 hat [
which he wears for the occasion The /
distinction between the various benches
by the way, is kept up only on the in
PRODUCTION of new members; at other |
times the peers sit wherever it Is; most I
convenient, except the lords spiritual, /
who still occupy a particular section, as
they have from time immemori Il.
HOW THE PEERS DO BUSINESS. !
There are certain peculiarities in the .
manner os conducting debate in the
house Of lords not found in most legis- /
lative chambers. For instance, a mem |
Der on rising to speak does not address /
the chair, but invariably begins: My /
lords" Thus, if two members wish to
speak at the same time. the lori chan
cellor does not decide which shall have
the floor. One gives way Of his own ac-
cord. or else some other member calls /
out which shall continue. IN body like /
the commons or your own congress. this /.
ARRANGEMENT might rot WORK well. Tut |
among the peers there is never any diff /
hculty over ii.
Another popularity of the lords is
that the sitti,es are very brief, COM
pared with those of other houses. the |
peers DO .Ot convene until ais IL the I
afternoon. and rise in time for dinner at |
8. This is because the lords have a |
small amount Of business To consider, |
compared with the vast bulk that /
passes through the hands of the COM
mons.
When the lord chancellor himself ;
wishes to speak, he steps aside from his
accustomed place during his address.
There is 4 curious reason for this. 1t is
that the woolsack is technically cousid-
cred aa outside the house ~ lords. II
has happened on one or two occasions
that it has been occupied by one who
was not peer"
ABOUT THE 'WOOLSACK."
What is the woolsack.."
The woo,sack IS the rame given to
the lord chancellor's seat. X is Grim
son cushion, with no side O. back sup
port, and not especially comfortable 20
sit U7Oa. The name comes from The
fact that the longest and INST finei'-
combed fleece in England WIS on'-9 USED
for its covering. There are several other
terms peculiar to the house OF lords
which are not generally understood
For instance, the painted chamber is
net picture gallery. 1t is the room
where the peers and commons are sup
posed to meet when they come together
In conference As these conferences
&c