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BUI : and who wanted the Oaths Bill ? Who wants anything but amusement in the Baltic and the Principalities ? On Wednesday there were no Ministers present in the House of Commons : and see the result : — -why they did not compromise themselves on the Marquis of BJandford ' s bill ; and the bill was withdrawn . And that shows , of course , that there would be vast public benefit if all the Ministers were always to > be out of town . "Which Minister gets on easiest ? Why , Sir William Molesworth , of course : and that is because Sir William , when in the House , always goes to sleep , and , when out of the House , never goes to his office . Sir
William remembers Charles Buller ' s statesmanlike plan for the government of the Colonies , —a provident neglect of them : and he obviously thinks "Mother country" could get on under the same regime . Indeed , the great "Westminster" article on " Over-legislation " is confidently attributed to aim . Catch him bringing in any bill ! Mr . Lowe , who sits near him , told Mr . Strutt that Sir William talks in his sleep . What , said Mr . Strutt ? " I cant exactly hear 5 t all : but it ' s something about ' lie on the table . '" That is the position , in which he would place all questions of the day .
A . Coalition is an invention , in an age of no principles , to carry on the Queen ' s Government ; not to allow reaction , but not to attempt progress , —to keep quiet , and , during a war , to withhold information , and defend the blunders of the admirals and generals . It is more particularly the duty of a Coalition not to meddle with religious matters ; and we already see how serious are the consequences of the Government not doing with Mir . Chambers ' s motion what they did with Xord Bland&rd's bill . The confusion of Tuesday night was terrible . There , was Mr . Bernal Osborne making a violent speech against the
comber who shocks T . Chambers , and throws Mr . Lucas , of the Tablet , into convulsions of laughter . But Mr . Osborne is bold , and at any rate is fond of being cheered in the House . Mr . Lucas also made a great speech on the same question , on Thursday . The House is terribly bored with this eternal T . CJiambers ' s business , which is a malapropos business , "being an offence to certain fellow-subjects , at a moment when ve are advising the Sultan to grant civil equality to his Christians . But the House listened to and admired Mr . Lucas . It is singular how unpopular Irish members are with
English members ; and it is a fortunate thing for Catholic Ireland that her Parliamentary leader is now an Englishman , and an Englishman who not only does not offend with a brogue , but who is a man of genius and an accomplished orator . It vraa noticed last session that Mr . Lucas was a Parliamentary success : this session it is observable that he is an accepted House of Commons' personage , — a man whose speeches are important , and whom it is a matter of House business to listen to , watch , and comprehend . As a Catholic leader in a Protestant assembly , he took up a proper position on Thursday
J . ne wretched crew of Scullys and Fitzgeralda—the genus Irish members , —they oppose the bigots with a whine—or at best with a snarl . Mr . John O'Connell , on Tuesday , appealed to the-generosity and justice of the House , as if the House cared for anything but keeping individually its seats ; and he assured them , in a wailing whine , that though insulted , his countrymen were of immaculate loyalty- quite ready to " rally round" the throne . Now-, Mr . Lucas said on Thursday : —This committee is part of a system : you want to crush and to intimidate the Catholics ; but you shall not : we mean to resist
you , and we defy you , and we say you shall not stop the progress which our religion is making in your land . That is intelligible ; certainly dignified : and by altering the tactics from the defensive to the offensive , Mr . Lucas keeps off and keeps down the sham fanatics and real sycophants of Parliamentary Protestantism . Perhaps one reason why Mr . Lucas is so effective is that he is so vigorously in earnest as a religionist . No one believes that the Scullys go to confession , or that the Fitzgeralds are partial to the society of priests ; and hence a disbelief in their vindications of their
faith , and a tendency to try and not listen to them when they are up roaring and blundering , and tearing up the English language with the hoofs and horns . of their native bulls . They were fearful on Tuesday and Thursday ... Tincent Scully addressing ** de Ouse" is a terrible spectacle : I would rather , see Sihbpe twice a day . Some men talk against time ; on Thursday he talked against eternity . He is a Hudibr&stic-looking man , with a Tipperary accent , and suits his manner to his words ; and as de Ouse
wont listen to him , hut moves in and out , and talks , and gossips , and laughs , he lifts his tinny voice high above the incoherent buzz : thai makes the House increase its buzz—so that after Vincent Scully has been up an hour , which he always is , he is in full screech , gesticulating like a maniac , and every member talking to every other member is whispering at the very top of their voices;—the general impression on the strangers , consequently , being that Bedlam somehow managed to obtain the educational franchise in the last Reform Bill . Saturday Morning . A Strangkb .
rnittee , and there was Mr . Gladstone shortly following him , and pointing out that the question was not about granting the committee , but of whom it should be composed . It was amusing to hear Mr . Osborne ; but Hi . Osborne was , perhaps , wrong to break a silence which , has been conspicuously discreet-. That is his affair , however , and the Go- , vernment ' s ; the House was glad to see him on his legs again ; the House was-sorry that he took office at aU , for office makes mem wise , and ft wit like Osborne is spoiled when he ceases to be reckless . , On Tuesday , certainly , he got completely : out of the
Secretaryship of the Admiralty , and spoke with a joyous swagger and insolent indifference which were charming . It was a scene , his speech , from beginning to end ; for this is a Parliament including a hundred or tyro new men ; who only inow Bernal Osborne by reputation , — --who never heard him till Tuesday night . Tn « smoking-room and . the tea-room , emptied when the word was passed who was " up , " and for an hour lie kept a full House alive with delight . He is one of those speakers—Mr . Disraeli is another—who cannot be reported ; for he is an actor ; and-you get no better impression of him by reading his speech
than yon would get of Charles MathewB if you went to Lacy ' s and bought a copy of the Game of Specula tian . Those who have only read his Tuesday ' s speech will think it exaggerated description to speak of such an address charming the first assembly in the world ; but it is , nevertheless , a fact . The House ¦ would any day sooner hear Osborne than one of its crack statesmen : indeed , rather than Macaulay . The House is conscientious , and will cheer and countercheer a Minister with Assiduity : but it is an assembly of average men of the world and boys of thet town , and it has a strong taste for being amused .
And Mr . Eternal Osborne is amusing : —he is something more , —if he chose , he could be a great Liberal leader , — but he has selected his r 6 le , — to he amusing . He is amusing because he has studied the House , and knows what amuses it , —acting accordingly . He acts the natural parts;—he is really one of the most careful , but appears a most degage , debater , —his manner is rigidly impulsive ; and liis jokes are elaborately impromptu . His speeches are merely smart conversations ; the style is a familiar style : —he takes Mr . Speaker by the button ¦ and winks at " out of doors . " A satirist should be gentlemanly , but also careless , and Mr . Osborne ' s satirical speeches are so effective because of the absence
of consciousness in his manner . He has been compared to Mr . Disraeli , but there ia only such a comparison as there is between the rapier and the broadsword ; Mr . Disraeli thrusts , and Mr . Osborne knocks . On Tuesday lies rattled terrible jokes over the head of Mr . Nevrdegate , who looked like a statue getting dusted ; and it is noticeable that those who laughed loudest were Mr . Newdegate ' B friends . It is always effective in the House to ridicule bigotry ; for though bigots' votes are given there , there are very few bigots . Free talk to freethinkers is safe ; and Mr . Osborne ' s hits at Protestantism told enormously " , both with . Catholics and Tories ! Perluips the white neckcloth interest in the county of Middlesex may not appreciate a mem-
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Cur THIS DKrAJtTUEHT , AB XVb OPIKIOKS , BOWETIB BXXKBWK , XRM ALLOTTED AN KXrRKSSIOH , THH KDITOB HE 0 B 88 A . KILT HOLDS HIM * BEhr bes possible roic mokk . ]
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PROPORTIONAL ELECTION . CTo the Editor of the Leader . ') Sik , — -Though various propositions and suggestions for improving our Parliamentary representation have recently been put forth , there is one which I have not hitherto observed to have been submitted , and which , with your jermission , shall now be placed before your readers for their consideration : I allude to the principle of JProportional Election , which has
our corporations , be also applied to our State Legislature ? On « recommendation for its adoption would be the benefit derivable from having a regular fixed period for tlie elections , instead of the present uncertain and generally inconvenient ones , and the mitigation of the turmoil and irritation usually attendant upon an election extending over the entire constituency . Another advantage would accrue from the continuous uninterrupted transaction of the public business , instead of its being subject to the serious evils and delays arising from the occurrence of general elections , consequent upon changes of Ministry and the demise of the-Crown , all which
( extra ) inconveniences would be avoided on the plan proposed . Without entering now into the question of the mode of voting—whether it should be by . signed papers , collected as in the case of Poor-Law Guardians ; whether by means of enveloped tickets , as in the United States ; or by the aristocratic yet maligned method of the secret ballot ; or viva voce , as at present-rrvithoat ... now considering the best plan for recording the Votes of the elector *) it may be sufficient here to state , that the propopition : is to elect a certain fixed proportion of the House , of Commons at an appointed time every year , and each portion in successive order . ij 4
Recently the average duration of our Parliaments has not exceeded _/ tue years ; therefore , probably one fifth of the members or constifoentiet t& ^ deemed the right proportion to be apTOhited ; and as the municipal elections are all completed in ; November , aad that month and the one following have usually formed part of the recew , the early part ( say the first ten days ) of Decembtr li ^^^ ni ^ i ^ c ^ te ' most suitable time tor ,: ^ e - $ i ^ a ^^ tj i ^|§| p ^| dkft < Thus the entire assembly would gTMU «^ l ^ mni | a complete change in five year ^^ witn ^' any-i )^ pension of state affairs , and the varying requirements
or desires of the body pohtic I » 6 ? gra 4 ttauy ; unpi ^ sted on their representatives , and mtunfested jiilfheii ^ ilt nual choice of members , without suffering thoseosculations which have been so injunously prevalent-The proportion ofseats' -to be periodicaUy vacated , and tlie order of the succession a |^^ Ji | t » B | H ^^ : I ^ Pl ^ M arranged by the Xegialature , jn a ' Vjj pecMCacljnelpijU ing the Septeni ^ ActT ProbablFtSe best ^ would be to appoint the elections to occur in a sort ofak )) ial > eticat ; aN ^ each division bf # ^^
then thoseconsatnencieainEngland being the nrtt » sixth , eleventh , sixteenth , twenty-first , and so on , in intei ^ als of fiftha throughout its ^ phate ^ boroughs , &c , sliould Sect ; i ^ presentijives ott ^ ' ^ first occasion of this pljui Jwfag ^ in ' / -i ^ fpl ^^ i -ti ^ k ^ the second , seventh , twelfth , '&& , inlike order ^ tji& second occasion . Any of thow disfranchised for bribery , or other reasons , n % hf hive t ^ supplied by new constituendeBcro ^ from the Crown ; after the mar ^ r of municipal cor ^
poraiione , established on petition or re « aentiio »» se « householders , investigated ahd-re \» mmend ^ hy the Privy Council . . ;' •' -. ' '¦'¦ ¦ , ¦ Indeed , the adoption of this . latter suggestion would for ever aboliBh the need for ; a periodical Reform Bill , -with aU its attendant excitement , awl would regularly distribute the representative power where it was mast required ' arid ^ All the members woxild be * elected for five years ^ l ^ d the new boroughs thus created would , form a supplemental list , and have their elections at interVals of that extent .
T \ iq proposal to grant to the Sovereign ( at the advice of the Privy Council ) powifer to nominate or incorporate parliamentary boroughs in the same way as municipal corporations ' ar « now cpnatltuted , is t » revert to a very ancient practice , with constitutional guarantees against its arbitrary exercise qr ^ buse ; for undoubtedly , in former times , the British mornarchs did , on their own 4 < mere motion" ( as th ^ lawyers say ) , command the election of , and summon to tueir councils , knights and burgesses from whatdo not
ever city , place , or district they chose ; and I conceive that any evil would arise from extending ! to parliamentary representation the principle proyedto be so beneficial in founding municipalities . It is owing to accident , rather than choice , that the number of members is now ( or thould be ) 658 , and I believe that neither increase or decrease to the extent of a dozen votes would impair the efficiency of the Senate : a fair argument for a gradual increase might , however , be deduced from the progressive augmentation of the wealth , numbers , and intelligence of the
people . Without , however , now dilating further on thifl matter , I desire respectfully to submit to general consideration tlio proposition previously mentioned , namely , the electing a fixed proportion «> f the House of Commons every year , and in regularly succeeding parts , for an appointed term of ( say five ) year ! certain . Its discussion may not be inopportune whiU the new Reform Bill awaits decision . March 1 st , 1854 . Alfued .
proved ao advantageous in our municipal corporations , and may be deemed equally available for our National Council . At present , it certain fixed proportion of a borough council rotires at the appointed time every year , and the several members being reeligible , are either then re-elected or succeeded by others , so that the business of the corporation is carried on without any interruption . Why should not this system , which is found to work bo well in
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April 1 , 1854 . ] THE LEADER . 305
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There is no learned , man but will confess tid b&th much profited by reading controversies , nis sense * awakened , and Mb judgment sharpened . If , then , it be profitable for' him _ lo read , why Bhould it not , a , t least , be tolerable for hia adversary to write . — Mix / ton .
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Leader (1850-1860), April 1, 1854, page 305, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2032/page/17/
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