Year: 1869

N-At@ kAAf*fN sN - Ffesss't ttssNa tfff4tNt' 1AA
/ Tor il is ia the powar Of the House "a
settle whom they will hear An illus
tratou oi THIS princip!e is connected
With our o@n history


When, in l7S2, American indepnd-
euco had been made fact, EnRland
was eager to acknowledge it, wlthstood
only by tue obshaAey OF the KING.
George III, aud his Primo Minister.
Lord North TIE Commons wore re-
solved to stop the war, 70 throw ont the
Kings War Minister; and after SIX
weeks struggle the King and Lord
North had to yield Tho Minister came
down to the House to announce bis
resignation, He roso to speak, and
out Of courtesy the Prime Minister is
generally heard at ones without qaes-
ton.


To be courteous, however, the House
was not inclined; thoy loudly insisto d
that another member who had also ris.
On, should speak first, aud that Lord
North should give way He was, how.
ever, too skilled in debating tactics to
be easily siIeneed; and directly the mo
ton that the other member be heard
/ first was proposed, Lord North again

started up to speak on that question. r
There was no stopping him then, and
he immediately cut discussion short by
announcing that he and tho goyernmt I
had resigned Office


A quorum Of the House OF Commons
is forty members, If one less DO pres
ent then it is no House; but though
two members oDly'were before him the
Speaker could not recognize the fact. =
II one member proposed resolution
and another seconded it the Speaker
would have to put the resolution to
House Of Commons composed only Of
those two members, 1t would go on
the Journal as resolution OF the whole
COS members


The notice OF the want Of a quorum
must come from some member, and =
count of the House must then take
place, debate is at once stopped, for
two minutes the division bells, as be-
fore described, are set ringing and the
doors thrown open. Then The Speak
er counts the heads upon the benches,
and if tue required forty members be
not present, the House, debate, and all
is closed for that evening.


Yet though the Speaker can not him-
self begin a count, very slight touch
may set him off. One evening very
prosy member was talking to a score of
listless, sleepy members. He got an-
noyed at the paucity Of the members
and the inattention OF the few present;
he fred off Joke about the packed
house, the crowded benches, the eager
faces he pretended to see around him.
The jest was fatal he had referred to
the number present; this done, and the
Speaker must determine what that
number is "0rder order !" from the
chair sllenced the debater. Amazed
and ignorant Of the result of his wit, he
saw the House counted at twenty, and
his speech was never finished.


The Speaker cannot leave bis digni-
ied scat unless his chain be loosened
by friendly members voice On one
occasion the Speaker was actually left
sitting without a member being present,
and there he probably would have sat
until next day had hot member been
fetched back to repeat before him those
magi c words "1hat the House do now
adjourn" Even tho silver gilt mace,
the special emblem OF the Speakers
authority, does not belong either TO the
Speaker or the House Of Commons
The mace is only lent to the Speaker by
the sovereign, who resumes the loan
when Parliament is not sitting.
The theory Of the mace il that il rep
resents the royal person, which is al
ways supposed 70 be present at the 4 G.
! Iliberatious Of the House. The Com
mons are elected by the people; but by
a principle, or rather fiction OF the
law, they sit under writs issued by the
crown. Therefore the sovereign, as tho
legal incarnation Of the legislative func-
tions, is always presumed 70 be pres
eBt.


A mighty part has the mace played
in the annals Of the House Of Com
mons When Cromwell ordered IL to
I be removed Take that bauble away, T"
are the reputed words --thc Rump Par
lament was scattered 10 tile winds. y
At the restoration il Is doubtful If the
original mace was recovered. at any
rate the Royal Society claim to be in
possession Of it, so does the Corpora
tion Of the city Of London.


The power Of true authority is not
wanting to the Speaker, powerless tho



he seems The Speaker has the great
power because he possesses no power.
II is because be represents good order
without the means Of compelling order
that he Keeps order. SO excellent have
been the men holding tho Office that for