The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1901-04-05
RULES THE COMMONS.
THE SPEAKER ONE OF THE MOST
POWERFUL ENGLISH OFFICIALS.

ment and How 1t May BE ExePted.
The Manner In Which He IL Elect
ed-Taking the Chair.
The speaker Of the house Of commons
is one Of the most powerful personages
of the British empire. For the latter Is
governed by parliament, representing the
will Of the people, and by ministers Of
state, representing the majority of votes
in the national legislature, and it is the
speaker who is the authority over parlia-
ment-that Is to say, over the most i'm
portant part thereof-namely, the house
of commons. He can suspend q member,
be San stop the prime minister on a point
Il AOcedure, he can close a debate, he
can decide the most momentous constitu-
tional questions by a few words spoken
In private conference behind the chair, he
ean overrule the cabinet on points which
may be vital to its policy and which may
either enhance or discredit the authority
in the house, and it is he alone who de-
cides who is to speak and who IL to re-
main silent. No secretary Of state, not
even the first lord of the treasury, who
holds the title of 'leader of the house." Ia
able to speak in parliament without hav-
ing obtained the permission of "the first
commoner in the land" by means of the
peculiar process known as Catching the
speakers eye"
There Is no optic in the world that has
played SO important part in history as
the EYE" of the speaker. Its power and
rights are not based on any written law,
but on long established custom and tradi- |
ton. Often several members rise In their
places at once, endeavoring to arrest the |
wandering optic Of the speaker, and It Is |
then free to that august functionary to |
make his selection and to indicate the
member who has his permission to speak. |
While he generally comedies priority to |
newcomers who are about to address the |
house Tor the first time, yet he IL 80 i'm |
partial in the performance of this partie- |
ular duty that, within the memory Of the |
present generation at any rate, no speak |
er Of the house Of commons has been tax |
ed with unfairness.
The manner In which the speaker IL |
elected at the opening Of a new parlia- |
ment Is as follows: On the day appointed |
by royal proclamation for the meeting Of
the newly elected legislature the members |
assemble In the house of commons, the |
speakers chair remaining empty and the |
mace of Office being under instead Of ON |
the table. A few minutes after 2 o'clock |
that Is the usual hour for the ceremony |
the doorkeeper announces "Black Rod"
and the latter, who is the principal execu- |
tive official Of the house Of lords, enters |
and with number Of bows to the speak
er's empty chair invites this honorable |
house" to repair 'to another place" to |
hear the reading Of the royal commission |
by means of which parliament is opened. |
He then retires, bowling thrice, and Is fol-
lowed by the chief clerk of the house Of |
commons, a queens counsel, wearing the |
wig, the silk robes, the queer fashioned |
coat, black knee brooches and silk stock |
ings of his Office. and by most Of the MEM |
bers of parliament. who take up their po- |
sition at the bar of the house Of lords and |
listen to the reading Of the commission |
opening the new parliament. The royal |
commissioners, consisting Of the lord |
high chancellor and four other peers, ar
rayed in the scarlet and ermine barred
robes of their rank, are seated in Q line |
on the woolsack in front Of the throne. |
At the conclusion of the reading Of the
sovereign's message the commons flock
back to the lower chamber. After they |
have taken their places the clerk Of the |
house, sitting at the table below the |
speakers empty chair, rises and silently |
points three fingers at the chief represent
alive Of the administration, known as the
leader of the house. The latter thereupon |
rises and proposes the election to the |
speakership of some candidate whose
name has usually been already agreed
upon Jointly by the leaders of the admin
istration party and Of the opposition. the
chief of the latter, In accordance with
time honored usage, seconding the nomi-
nation.
Seldom-certainly not within the mem
DRY of the present generation-has there
been a full fledged contest for the othce
of speaker. For the government party, |
conscious of its numerical superiority, al
ways endeavors to secure candidate
who will be acceptable to the minority, 30
that there may be no question as to the
impartiality Of the chair. It has often |
happened that the speaker, by the wish |
and consent of the party in power, has
been selected from the ranks OF the oppo-
sition. If there is no objection raised to |
the candidate thus nominated, the clerk |
of the house. after the lapse Of two min
utes as indicated by the sandglass on the |
table before him, arises from his seat at |
the table and, without uttering a word. |
points three fingers at the nominee. The |
latter then rises from his seat and, ad- |
dressing the clerk Of the house by name, |
expresses his appreciation Of the honor |
conferred upon him, requesting that he |
may have the support Of every member, |
without which the speaker can do moth |
Ing, but having which there is little he |
cannot do"
As soon as he has concluded his little |
address the leader of the government
smiles across the body Of the house to the |
leader Of the opposition. whereupon both
arise from their places and conduct the |
speaker elect to the speakers chair.
Standing before the latter under It's can
opy and facing the chair, he beckons TO |
the sergeant-at-arms, who. taking the |
mace of office from beneath the table, |
places 1t on the latter, the members on |
both sides Of the house having risen to |
their feet. As soon as the mace has been |
placed on the table the speaker, no longer |
select" but duly indicted, gives q signal |
to the members to reseat themselves. |
Then the leader Of the government party |
delivers a brief speech of congratulation. |
in response to which the speaker "unre- |
servedly places himself in the hands Of
the house." Then as people are just be-
ginning to wonder what will happen next |
the speaker rises again and In his official
voice-a distinctly different and more au-
thoritative organ than that employed dur
ing the earlier neutrality-suspicious.,
1.-THE question is that this house will now
adjourn" No objection being taken, the
speaker leaves the chair. and when he
next resumes it does so no longer In plain