Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-22

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the speakers living apartments to the
hall of the house. The speaker Is pre-
ceded by tho sergeant-at-ar dressed in
black silk jerkin. breeches and hose. wear
ing a jeweled sword and carrying the
mace on his shoulder.
The speaker wears an enormous wig.
which falls down on his shoulders. He
also wears silk jacket, knee-breeches and
a flowing silken gown that requires the
services OF a page to keep its tall from
dragging in the dust of the floor. Behind
him comes the chaplain. in his ecclesi-
astlcal robes
Imagine Uncle Joe Cannon or Champ
Clark thus proceeding to the chair,
Once inside the hall. the speaker does
not Immediately take the chair. but
stands on one side Of the clerks desk
and the chaplain on the other. The chap
lain offers the prayer. the speaker then
takes his seat in the chair. and the po-
Nceman on guard at the door shouts:
Speaker In the chair! Speaker in the
chair!" This shout Is echoed by other
policemen down the corridor. and so on
through the Hobbies and halls Of the
labyrinthine building until 1t dies un-
answered on the muddy tide Of the
Thames below the famous terrace.
Il x
Without in any manner rejecting any
disbelief in the efficacy Of prayer. it may
be affirmed that
Members in at Prayer the practical re-
Are Assured Seats. "aros Oh 'hose
pray with the chaplain In the house Of
commons come more quickly and in moro
concrete form than follow any prayers
in any other public assemblage The rea-
son is this: The member who Is present
for the prayer gets a seat: the member
who is absent takes chance.
The house Of commons has go MEM
them on the green leather benches that
stretch in parallel lines away from the
speaker, the government on the right and
the opposition on the left. Members Of
the cabinet. the leaders Of the opposition
places. but all the rest Of the seats are
dispensed on the principle Of first come,
first served.
However, any member who IL actually
present during the prayer. Immediately
table and gets a card with tho word
Prayer printed on it. He writes his
name under this. selects seat ana
sticks the prayer card in the slot behind
the seat. That means that he 10 on
titled to the seat for that whole days
session, Notwithstanding temporary alb
sences. When there Is to be q warm
debate, or when important questions arc
to be asked Of ministers. the house Is
crowded for the prayer.
At 3 o'clock the daily stint OF forty
five minutes Is devoted to question:"
The questions mostly have been written
the day before. and have been printed
Der has in his hands. The members Of
the cabinet to whom the questions have
been addressed have already prepared
their answers, and hold them in their
band. ready to read. The speaker calls
the interrogatories, as they appear on
the order paper. The member rises.
takes of his hat and calls out the num-
Der Of his question. Then the minister
bench and answers. This may be fol-
lowed by oral questions. and then the
fun begins.
No one is permitted to clap his hands
or stamp his feet. He may express APP
prevail by yell
No Clapping of Hands ms "Hear.
or Stamping of Feet. deep a throaty
voice; he may yell. he may ''boo." and
on occasion he does hiss. but he must
not clap his hands. 1t is the noisiest
deliberative body in the world.
The government ministers occupy tho
front bench on the speakers right.
called the treasury bench" and the
corresponding bench on his left. Be-
tween them is a big table. piled with
books and papers and ornamented with
two big brass-bound dispatch cases.
never used. and the mace. When the
party leaders are hurting defiance at
one another they could reach far enough
across the table to hit one another, il
both of them reached in that direction
at the same time. But they rarely or
never do.
The word government" be 1t remem-
bered. doesn't mean in England what it
means in the United States. To the
American the word connotes the power
and majesty of the United States OF
America. When an Englishman means
that he doesn't say government" He
says 1.-THE crown"
What he means by government is the
party in power and its responsible heads.
almost exactly what We express by the
words 1.-The administration" Where We
would say the Wilson administration,
they say ''the AsQuith government"
The cabinet, which constitutes the gov
eminent, has no legal existence (no more
than has the cabinet of the President OF
the United States). 1t is really a COM
mittee of members of the parliament tenn
porarily in Office as the head of some
Of state. They are all MEM
beers of the commons and must sit in
the house to be questioned about their
official conduct by their fellow members
OF the commons every afternoon.
When. for avn reason. q new member
Is appointed to the cabinet he must re-
sign and be reelected before he can ac-
cept an office OF profit and honor under
the CROWN The penalty for such ac-
ceptance is loss Of membership in the
commons. But the law says that no mem
Der may resign. So what do they do?
They simply apply to be appointed to the
of Chiltern Hundreds. or
some other sinecure. That puts them
out Of the house. They then get re-elect-
ed and take the big Job in the cabinet.