Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-03
A VERY GREAT FASCINATION
To All Who Have Once Taken Part
in It.
NO PLACE FOR A POOR MAN
Many Demands on a Members Purse
Some of the Courtesies Extend
ed-Cheap Lunches.

Written for The Star by Lobby Correspondent
The life of the house of commons has an
indescribable fascination for the man who
has once taken part in it. 1 have seldom
met a member D. the British parliament
who has not protested that 1.-The game was
hardly worth the candle:" that the late Sit
tings, the unhealthy atmosphere the heavy
expenditure of money and the constant de-
mand of exigent constituents rendered the
life Of a legislator Almost unbearable. Yet
If these self-same gentlemen are defeated
al the polls their disappointment is intense.
and they are almost invariably consumed
by an Irresistible desire to return to the
scene Of their former legislative exploits.
TIE house of commons has been described
as the best club in London" In one sense
this description is absurd, in another it Is
admirably accurate.
No Place for a Poor Man.
One thing is beyond all dispute the house
OF commons is no place for poor man.
unless he has powerful friends who are pre-
pared to provide the money necessary for
him to maintain his position and his self
respect. There are several workmen who
have seats at Westminster, their expenses
IN nearly every case being betrayed by the
labor unions to which they belong. They
are all of what is called humble birth-one,
workhouse-but although aristocratic de-
scent is too often in itself a passport TO
high office in the state. the fact that a man
is OF unpretentious origin or holds extreme
opinions is happily, no bar to his becoming
an esteemed and respected member of the
house of commons The house will listen
TO a member who has anything to say no
matter whether his father was peer or
chimney sweep, but It Will not tolerate a
bore and it detests a prig. 1t Is very jeaI-
Gus, too of its honor, and a member who is
al Oh ne hAt,
financially becomes very pariah at West
minister.
There is no salary attaching to the posi-
ton of o British NJ. p, although, of course,
the emouments enjoyed by members of the
administration are considerable But the
ordinary legislator must. be prepared to
spend money freely in order to reach West
minister, and to continue spending If he
wishes to keep his seat. Before repressive
laws against bribery were passed the cost
OF elections was enormous that great
Families were brought to the verge of ruin
by their electioneering expenditures Lord
Chesterfield offered So 500 for a seat for
his son, but discovered to his Chagrin, that
his offer was ridiCulousIy Inadequate A
Liverpool election in the last century cost
100000, and one of the agents engaged in
II frankly admitted that he had disbursed
Sl2OGoO In purchasing votes. Today the ex-
pcndiiure of an election is legally regulated
by the number OF voters in the conSt 'tuency,
II nlay.Tcquire $1,000 TO contest big coun-
try district. and from 5000 to 5000 to
NNIlutt a campaign III a small borough,
since the candidates have to pay the ex-
penses of receiving and counting the votes,
as well as the cost OF electioneerng litera-
ture pictorial placards and public meet
ings.
Calls Upon His Purse.
Once he Is elected. the calls on a MEM
ber's purse are unlimited in number. He is
expected to subscribe literally to the party
o. organization in the constituency, and to
III
cricket clubs. charitable societies and re-
ligious bodies. His letter bag brings him
lrrumerable applications for loans, for gifts
of money and for advice. 1 have seen hun
dreds Of such letters among them being
some OF the most perfect specimens of
epistolary impudence It has ever been my
lot 10 read.
Unconscious humor occasionally appears
IN these eleemosynary appeals, as in the
case or a CoSteFmonger who. declaring that
his donkey had dropped dead, appealed TO
his member for funds 10 purchase another
promising faithfully that If the money were
Forthcoming he would name the new quad
ripped after the generous donor.
/! would require the wealth of Croesus
10 satlsfy all the pecuniary demands made
on a British NJ. z. Imagine then, the posi-
tion Of a man with very limited means who
has managed to secure seat In the house
of commons He IS ambitious TO shine In
politics and proud Of his membership of
the house, and yet he realizes that II he is
- retain his seat he must spend more Law
lShly than his resources will Justify him in
doing. on the one hand. bankruptcy stares
him in the face; the other he is threat
ened with Punishment from the parliament
airy arena. There Is an clement of tragedy
iT the situation and II is not altogether
surprising that occasionally a ma of weak
moral fiber seeks to escape from il by assoc
chatting himself with financial schemes Of
dubious character.
In every assembly OF six or seven hundred
gathered from RI Of
try and from all classes OF society the ap-
pearanCe OF black sheep Is inevitable It
an eN-member of the house of commons
was found dying in the streets of New
York an incident that caused d great stir
on both sides of the Atlantic. 1 was as
sured by an intimate friend of tho I'M
happy man himself n prominent member
OF the house. that IL was in the house of
commons Itself the victim of this squaIid
tragedy was induced to embark his money
In financial projects which ultimately led
TO his ruin.
Change in House Customs.
Win the present generation, a great
change has undoubtedly taken place in the
character OF the house. The advent of the
labor NJ p in increasing numbers has made
parliament more represent tive of the Brit
ish people and at the same time has tended
TO introduce sartoTial customs of less
formal nature than formerly prevailed The
idea that tall silk hat and the black coat
ara Indispensable articles OF attire Is alb
S,lutely exploded and old-fas hioned Iegis-
Iatcrs no longer regard with horror the
representative Of the people who affects q
suit OF tweed or serge and biEycock hat
Mr. keir Hardle. labor member who
spent his early days working in a coal
mine, made his first appearance at West
minister wearing small cloth Cap-head-
star common to the British workman
.Shereupon a stalwart policeman at the en-
trance 20 Palace Yard demanded OF him:
Are you working here. mate?''
Yes replied the NJ. =. with twinkle in
his eve.
'on the roof?,'-the house was undergoing
repairs at the time
mo. on the floor" was Mr.. Hardie's re-
tort.
The practice OF entertaining guests. and
particularly ladies. at the house. has in
creased OF late years and legislators of the
more serious-minded type have been heard
10 give vent to grGwls OF protest at this
plague OF women" The accommodation
available to those who invite ladies to dine
is the reverse Of pdiatial, yet there Is no
end 10 the stream of speudidly gowned
danes who accept the hospitality Of their
parliamentary friends. In the warm sum-