The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-18
WHEN CANADIANS MAKE LAWS.
CY. wARMAN WATCHES THE COLO
NAL PARLIAMENT AT WORK.

Naik-a heIOfmeu PreSDs terrain
Minister Who Asked the Choir
TO Protect Him From Being Adj
dressed as 1.-THE Reverend" and an
Irishman Who Dropped Like "A
Nightingale with the Group be-
cause He Was No Longer With the
OpDosifion-HOw the Canadian
Minister of the Interior Might
Take Lessons to Advantage From
Our Own senator Vest.
New York. June 16-Parlament meets
in the afternoon at Ottawa, takes recess
| for supper, reassembles and sits far into
| the night, unless someone gets tired Just
| at the opening Of the House the scene
! Is the least bit stately and imposing but
only for one moment, when the sergeant
alarms enters bearing the great mace
the emblem of authority, followed by Sir
James Edger, author and poet. who is the
! digmhed speaker of the Canadian com
| mons. When the mace lis placed upon
the green cloth covered table, Sir James
takes the chair, the high-backed, hand
carved chair, that will never be occupied
| by any other speaker. Not that the pres
ent incumbent has a life job but because
| when he goes he takes the chair away
1 with him. His successor will have a new
| one. That is one of the rules of the
House.
The moment the House settles down
10 business it becomes simplicity itself
| IL the people of a staid Canadian town
We're assembled to discuss ways and means
for the purchase Of a new cart, the par
Elephants could not be less self-conscious,
or more at ease than are these far-called
members of Parliament
The chamber ia which the lower House
sits IS very like that of the House of
representatives at Washington. The
speaker sits in the same position at one
side, but the seats do not circle; they
stand in rows parallel with the speaker s
glance as he looks out over the level
space where the secretaries and short
hand men, called Hansard men here, do
their work.
The seats all have desks in front of
them, where the members write letters
nome explaining why, when they ought
TO be listening to the opposition goading
the government The Canadian law-mak-
ers lounge in their seats with their hats
on and neckues up behind, as carelessly
and eadaverishly as the NJ. T. lounge in
London.
But | like the way they run the show.
It's all open, every minister must be a
member and be on hand to explain things
| away. In this way they keep their scan
dals pretty wen cleared up, instead or
keeping them suppressed until the cans
begin 70 explode.
The first six seats in the front row to
the right and TO the left of the speaker
are handsomely upholstered These are
Tor the ministers, the ms and the outs
the ms TO the right and the outs to the
left Always in the sixth seat from the
end the premier, who is the leader, sits
and directly opposite Sir Wilfrd sits the
eX-premier, the venerable Sir Charles Tup-
per, Bart, G: G. M. g., the leader of tho
opposition, his fine old English face con-
tradicting the story that ne is an old man.
Directly behind the ex-premier his son.
Sir Charles Hilbert Topper, sits. He
comes from far Vancouver 10 twit the
government about the Klondike.
Now. as we sit in the gallery and my
Scottish friend, who has kindly consented
TO be my guide and Interpreter, points
out the different members, and where they
come from, L begin TO realize that these
men rule vaster empire chan has
been. That big man there, with one
| end of his collar at large, comes from the
| far corner of Nova Scotia, and the short
man with careless hair is from Edmon-
| ton; away out where the road ends and
| the narrow trail leads away into the lana
| OF gold, and of the midnight sun. The
| neat, smooth-faced little Englishman liz
evening dress comes from British Column
| bia. II took him eighteen months to can
| vass his district, and cost (my friend said)
$4,000. You would not notice it in his
| walk" the Scotchman added, but one
| of his legs is longer than the other now
u object! object? said blonde man,
| and he looked il.
What is il the honorable gentleman OBJ
| jects TOP asked the speaker
II object TO the honorable gentleman's
| constant reference TO me as the Rev-erent
| Dir. Blank"
The man who had committed the breach
| looked puzzled. He cousd not understand
| why an eX-minister of the gospel should
object 10 being called The Reverent Mr.
| Blank, but the chair ruled that the laN-
euage was parliamentary, ordered il an
rubbed out and Instructed the offending
| member TO conline himself to the ordinary
| term THE Honora BILE Gentleman" and the
| incident was closed
THAT man walking away now Is the
| wit of the house,, said my friend. He's
| Irish of course. Unfortunately he's with
| the government now, poor chap. He's as
| dropping and morose as a nightingale with
| the Group All you should see him on the
| left, when he's 'aSin the government
| his righteous wrath over the doings of the
| conservatives is magnificent TO behold
| But tell me, Mae" said /, why did the
| honorable gentleman ON the left call the
honorable genleman on the right the Rev
"Oh, he's a reformed PRESBYTERIAN
! preacher. But you cane blame him. Tie
| had a little flock away out on the Pacific
coast and this opportunity came, he was
competent and knew it, so he stood FOR
| Parliament Ohey run over the border and
was Elected Now he comes over here,
ESQ miles,, c.. 2. r; pass, perhaps. 10
| for the sitting, long or short does the
| same $500 mikes going home at the same
rate, cleaning up $500, $1,000 of which he
Now the Hon. MIR. Foster, ex-min.ster
| of finance, and one of the ablest and most
| polished speakers in the House. takes the
| lead. in the temporary absence of Sir
| Charles Topper, Bart, and asks the min
| ister of the interior why he has employed
| n new man IN a certain department al a
| salary of 100 year, when there were
| twenty-siX old employees in that depart
| ment waiting for promotion.
| The question seemed impertinent 10 me,
but the Hon. MT. Sifton rose and eX-
planned. Ii was an Greek to me. but l
could see 10y he quiet gaze of the minis
| ter that he understood, and thought Mr.
| Foster would apologize and subside But
he did nothing of the sort. He spoke il
length, declaring that the honorable min
lister OF the interiors explanation did not
explain. and the minister tried again. but
TO no purpose. He wanted to know why
this man got the job. Senator Vest of
| Missouri could have explained IL all in a
breath. " Cause he's our kind Of folks -
he would have said, but Mr.. Sifton seemed
never to think of that, il that was the
| rea son.
Now Mr. Fosters question becomes al
most exasperaung to me, and Mr. Sif-
tons replies equally so. but they were as
calm and polite IS could be, never so
much as moving hand toward their hip
pockets.
Seven times he got the minister up ana
| 4 md han gosI