New-York tribune., 1912-01-25
A VOORHEES, PARLIAMENT
WastefuI Processes of Legisla-
tion--Meagre Results.
London, January 13.

,,ou, the English have gained thelr rep
,,,otion for practical intelligence. west
,,inster, as every schoolboy at Elton or
,Iarro,, Knows. is the Mother of Parlia-
orts and has set the precedents and
rneu,ated the practice for every legis-
,atura in Christerdom. Yet there is no
u,or parliament In the world so anti
mated I'm .ts procedure, so wasteiul IN
its processes and so inefficient IN WORK
mo mower For two years there nave
-, continuous sessions, with the eX-
.ti,, of the autumn recess and the
1oruorv holidays. and ministers and
members are jaded and worn out win
ovbausting labors, so that they are
forcod 70 recruit their health by foreign
travel or prolonged retirement at nome
U,m any expert familiar with legislative
,,.ocosses i'm other countries venture TO
GOV that their work has been done with
,boroughness and Intelligence? Ger
,oirIv neither Mr.. Lloyd Georges revolu-
,,onarv budget nor his insurance scheme
,or Mr.. Asuuith's Parliament BILL was
discussed and revised as scientifically as
measures of equal importance would
bavo been i'm Washington or Paris. Leg
isIation is so crude and reckless that
commission has to he armed with eX-
,raordtnary powers to set the insurance
act in operation and to explain 1t TO
beviIdered nation. Yet the Parliament
which enacted il was steadily over
worked and both front benches were re-
4 !, CT n
propagation.
As the new session approaches there
are proposals for three complex meas
ures-Home Rule for Ireland, disestab-
ushment for Wales and reform bill, 10
which q woman suffrage rider may be
edded In order to bring these bills
within the range of .he Parliament act
the government must carry them
through the Commons a month at least
before the adjournment. One or them
alone will take all the time until grouse
dav." and consequently there VIII nave
10 be another autumn session II the other
two are to reach the Lords within the
thirty days limit AS the Lords Will un-
doubtedly interpose a suspensive veto on
every one Of these measures, the three
bills will have to be taken up anew the
following year and passed second ana
a third time before final enactment
Parliament will be in session almost con-
tinuously for two years or longer, and
ministers. unless defeated, will be over
whelmed with their strenuous laoors be-
fore they can place these highly con-
tentious measures on the statute books
In no other great legislative capital
would there be equally ineffective ana
wasteful processes.
The wonder grows as the details or
procedure are scrutinized. At the open
ing of the session. when so much Work
is necessary. a fortnight will be frittered
away on general debate on the address
and various amendments. No public
purpose will be served by all this decla-
nation. and the columns OF THE Times"
in which it is fully reported, would be
occupied to better advantage with lumi-
nous and interesting letters to the editor.
When the House of Commons settles
down TO business two hours OF each
working day will be devoted to questions
and answers, in which members strive to
harass and embarrass the front bench
and ministers say as little as they like
and amuse their followers by evading re-
sponsibility, The measures themselves,
instead of being referred to standing
committees for painstaking and thor
ough revision, as at Washington or
Paris. will be considered In committee Of
the whole House, where discussion at
once becomes unmanageable and where
closure is applied ruthessly before
amendments can be adequately dealt
with. Time is squandered at every stage
of legislative progress. and the bills are
i'll digested and virtually unrevised when
they are sent 10 the Lords toward the
close of the session.
Now / remember with distinctness
Speaker Reeds enthusiasm over the de-
bates i'm the House Of Commons. The
House of Representatives. with its writ
ing desks, page BOYS and hubbub. was
iufcrior he frankly admitted, to West
minister as a debating chamber. He
considered It a marked improvement to
have the desks out Of the way and the
members lined up in close order on
benches where they could listen to what
was said and enjoy the byplay and hui
rnors of the proceedings. He was an
appreciative spectator on great nights
when leading gladiators crossed swords
and the benches were crowded with ex-
cited partisans. If Parliament were al
at hest IL would dosorya avay
now the high tribute which he paid to
the most brilliant Of debating chambers:
but ordinarily it is a dull and drowsy
place, where bores chatter to empty
benches and where the members are
massed by the division bells for active
exercise i'm the Hobbies. The question
iour is generally the most interesting
interval Of the nights entertainment,
and debate seldom reaches a high Level
and becomes really impressive. The
proceedings when a complex measure is
IN committee and closure is enforced
after the chairman has selected the
amendments TO be voted upon are noisy
and undignified. In such circumstances
Parliament loses it's distinction as a su-
perior hall Of national discussion and Is
revealed in its true character as an in
Terror body for legislative business.
Mr.. Churchills plea for Home Rule is
grounded upon the fact that Parliament
IS blocked with congested business year
after year and requires relief through
the establishment of subordinate legis-
latures for the clearance Of local or pro-