The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-09

once worthy citizens having, seen, to
their horror what looked like a life and
death struggle going on IL the sacred
precincts of the house of commons itself,
have hurried off to inform the police
at nearby Scotland Yard, and got the
merry 'ha- ha'' for their pains. While
at Cambridge, too, the speaker showed
himself to be no slouch of an amateur
actor (appearing under the pseudonym
or "Lowther r. Cade," the name ofs
historic little alley off the Strand, which
now has disappeared), and was associ-
ated in these university productions with
Charles II. E. Brookhed, the playwright
wit and author of Dear Old Charley
who is now to the disgust of the whole
world of high brows," official examiner
of plays,
Lowther was married IN 1886 to a
society woman who is said to make
model hostess. He was first elected
to parliament in 1885 as a representa-
tive of Penrith, for which Scottish
constituency he still sits. To assist
him in his decisions he has four lit
tie volumes which contain the rulings
OF all the speakers of the house for the
past so years and, so far as one re-
members, this is the first time that his
1mpartiality ever has been called in
question, even by the turbulent Irish
members
No one can accuse the speaker of a
lack of pluck. anyway, for more than
once in important crises he has decided
against the powers to whom he owes
his continuance in office. In 1906, for
example, just after the speakers cleo
tion by his conservative friends, A J.
Balfour, as prime minister decided
upon scheme to redistribute constit-
uencies, a reform which both parties
considered to be overdue. He intro
duced resolutions laying down the lines
on which the scheme would be based
and proposed that these resolutions
should be taken, not separately, but
in one debate as whole. The liberals
objected and appealed to the speaker
who ruled without flinching against
his political friends. declaring that
each resolution must be debated by it.
self This ruling killed the scheme
and hastened Balfour's resignation.
1t would be the basest flattery to
describe the speaker as a wit. yet he
possesses a brand of humor which
vastly p1eases the house. and often
brings all parties out gracefully from
complicated situation During the first
suffragette disturbances, for instance,
1t was decided that the ladies' gallery
should be closed to all save relations
of members. and one day a rather im-
prudent radical asked the speaker how
he would define the word relative"
Lowther rose slowly TO his feet.
wearing upon his countenance an as
pect of immense gravity. 81 cannot,
said he, undertake the responsibility
OF saying in what relation members
stand to the ladies whom they intro
duce into the gallery. That is a sub
ject which can only leave to the con-
sciences of honorable members them
selves"
Just what would happen TO anybody
who had the temerity to refuse one of
"Mr. Speakers dinner invitations is
not known. but 1t is believed that he
would be arrested instanter and i'm
prisoned in the clock tower as was
Charles Bradlaugh, the great free
thinker. As for the speakers right
to turn whomsoever he pleases out of
,his carriage, it must be confessed that
this rests on precedent and not upon
any recorded judicial or other enact
ment. The precedent in question was
established over 200 years ago by no
toriously aggressive speaker in the
person of Sir Edward Seymour. Sir
Edward was driving to the house one
day and his carriage broke down near
Charing Cross There We're no buses
nor taxis then and so Sir Edward di-
rected his attendants to bundle some
private party out of his carriage and
the speaker stepped into it. The private
party protested, but Mr. Speakers rul-
ing was. "Sir. it is more proper for
you to walk in the streets than the
speaker of the house of commons" II
Sir Edward Seymour had the right to
do that in 1872, one supposes that ].
w. Lowther has the right to do 1t to-
day. but the undersigned. for one,
would like TO be present when he tried
to exercise his right