The daily sentinel., 1913-03-12
WAC IN PARLIAMENT
KEEPS EVERYONE BUSY

London. March 12.-Sir Frederick
George Banbury, Unionist member of
the House of Commons for the City of
London, has reputation as n wag
that today is proving embarrassing to
a measureable degree. The suffra-
gists are so eager to reach him that
they would readily cease all their
heckling of cabinet ministers if they
could only find Sir Frederick, but the
member for the City of London is in
seculsion, and he will not trust even
his colleagues in the House with a
knowledge of his whereabouts. In
the meantime the women pursue the
speaker. and the cabinet members to
their extreme discomforture, and Sir
Frederick continues in hiding.
Sir Frederick made the discovery
that to introduce clause into the
Franchise Reform bill, giving the
votes to women, would make ii neces-
sary for the speaker of the House to
rule the bill out of order as going fur
ther than was contemplated when it
passed its second reading He did
this, and consequently the suffragists
lest the opportunity of testing the
feeling Of the House on the question
of women voting. Their anger
tion as the realization of their de-
feat sank home, but by the time they
began TO look for Sir Frederick he
was gone. So they turned their at
tention to the members of the cabinet
who, compared to the member for the
city OF London, are quite innocent of
responsibility for the defeat of their
plans.
Sir Frederick Banbury has the
reputation of being the most success
ful humorist in the House of Com
mons. Among other things, he NOV
ed last year the amendment, and ar
ranged the trap, which resulted in
the temporary defeat of the govern
ment on the financial proposals of the
Home Rule bill. He made the dis
covery that tho speaker would have
TO act against a vote for women
clause in the Franchise Reform bill
while hunting up evidence against
the bill. He felt the measure was un-
fair to the City of London in that it
provided that voters must cast their
ballots in the constituency in which
they reside. Therefore he decided to
oppose it, and began his search for
evidence. He found also that as few
Of the property owners or business
men in the city reside within the
square mile the members would,
had the bill been passed, simply rep
resent the porters and charwomen of
the Office buildings and banks.
Sir Frederick is retired stock
broker. Until recent months he was
chiefly known for his CHEEKY speeches
on all manner of subjects, but never
an any very important question. In
m 90 .1kH Il ..t ~ hn
House of Commons Fridays are given
up to private members business. By
draw it is decided what member shall
have Friday to himself and on that
day he introduces some pet measure
of himself or his party. The meas
use must be passed before five O'Clock
or disappear. These were field days
for Sir Frederick. No matter what
the subject. he could talk Tor hours
on it, talk 1T out in fact. SO that there
was no possible chance of concluding
the debate by the stipulated time.
He was seldom known to favor any
measure introduced on a Friday by a
private member.
Another favorite pastime of his
was after attacking the government
fiercely, to cross the House and take
a seat on the front bench reserved for
cabinet ministers. Although these
benches are reserved for ministers
merely through courtesy, private
members never sit there unless in
vited. Sir Frederick, however. found
that by some old act of parliament
members for the City of London have
the privilege. and on certain occa-
sions he takes pleasure in exercising
it