Year: 1875

bill will not be proclaimed In any provlnde, unIess
reports of its condition in the matter OF the public
safety should he received showing the state OF things
to be much worse than it is at present. think
run no risk whatever in vcnturing upon another
prophecy to the effect that ne such reports will be
received. Or if any Sicilian Prefect should be
blind enough to tho signs of the times to send such
il may be safely predicted that they will share the
fate of those reports which ex-AttorBey-General
Taiani assured us, as / told you were lying at the
Ministry of the interior, while the Minister was SO
terribly shocked at hearing what these reports might
have long ago told him!


There was one other incident connected with the
close of the session which must be mentioned. be-
cause very important and interesting point OF par
lamcntary practice is involved in it. Ministers, see


ing that their bill for improving the public security
would infallibly be rejected in the form IN which
they had first cast it, remodeed it so as to make IL
now proposition. The Chamber voted on the ques-
ton whether this new proposition should be taken
into consideration and thisvote constituted the real


and hard-fough struggle, which decided the tate Oh
the bill and of the Ministry. But when that ques-
ton had been decided in the affirmative, IL was
still necessary that the new proposition should
be discussed on its merits and theh Voteu
on. In fact, as has been seen, these merits
had been abundantly debated ON the question:
whether the bill should be taken into considerations


Bnt parliamentary form required the second voting


Now the Left having tried their utmost strength
in the first division, which resulted in leaving them
in q minority of IL, determined thereupon to QUIT
the house together and take no further part III te
dobate. They not only did so, but took care 10
show themselves in the tribunes and galleries OF the
bonse in order that it might not be supposed that
their absence from their places in the Chamber was
caused by their absence from Rome. The resolti-
tion which, decided on in the meetings OF the
party, was thus carried into execution, mas
given rise to very much controversy. III mas pecn
very generally branded as unconstitutional, wnlch
it certainly is not. But yet worse may be SAD OF III
not only that such q practice becoming common
would render parliamentary government impossible
but that the ideas and temper of mind Indicated by
il are those of men wholly incapable of conceivng
the conditions on which sef-government can be car
Ted on. and utterly untitled for the practice of it,
II is the conduct of sulky ill-conditoned Children
who won't play" any more as soon as the game
begins to 90 against them! If it really means any
thing at all it means an appeal from the decision
of the representatives Of the nation to the arbitra
ment of mob-gOvernment in the streets. On
two or three previous occasions the Left have
attempted the same suicidal game-notably during
the last session in the case of the Committee ap-
pointed for the verificatOn of contested elections
Several elections were invalsaed, or the reverse,
by the majority of the Commission in opposition TO
tho views of the Left Whcreupon, all the members
of the Committee belonging to that party left the
committee-room and refused to sit any more, leaving
their antagonists. of course masters OF the leld.
Fortunately the Right had the good sense and cour-
age to proceed as if no such abstentions had oc-
Cured To have done otherwise, as was at the time
counseled by many, would have been fatal.


Among the bills voted in hot haste OIL the last day
but one of the session was one on Garbaldls plans
for the improvement of the Tlber, which passed
without debate by 1913 to 81. The bill is merely a
declaratory one enacting that the said plans Shall
be taken into consideration when the studies for the
proposed works shall have been approved OF by the
Department of Public Works and by the Chamber;
that sum not exceeding $l2,OOO,C0O Shall
be spent on the said work, the halI
of such sum TO be provided Ivy the
Government; $1,000, 1000 by the city, and $1,000
coo by the Province of Rome; and further that the
Government shall not be called upon to find this
money until some new source OF income OF Ike
amount shall have been provided TO meet tie ouGay
OF course this in fact leaves the matter exactly
where it was before. And the half hour given to
the voting of this bill was simply promising OF
the top brick of the chimney to the nations
spoilt baby, Garibaldi 10 keep him III good
hunor. We dare not whisper such thing here Dut
think I may venture to tell you in strict conf
dence that the plans in question never VIII or can De
executed. And as the time will come when, despite
all that men in Office can do to prevent IT, 1urther
of them will have to take place, shall
doubtless find an opportunity of giving you my rea-
sons for this conviction. L. ADoLPHUS IROLLOPE'