RUSSIAN LEGISLATORS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 586, 14 August 1909, Page 12

RUSSIAN LEGISLATORS.

LUNCHEON AT THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. ' ■ SPEECHES BY MR. ASQUITH AND MR. - BALFOIJIt : '.The party of Russian legislators, members of; tho Council of the Empire and tho Duma, wore -entertained to luncheon at the House, of Commons on June 22. - ; \Lord Wa red ale, as. ch ai rm an of the British group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,-who organised tho luncheon, presided, and thero was-a:considerable attendance Parlia.melitary' representatives '.of',., both political 'parties..'. Among, .present were Asqiiith, .-Mr. 'Balfour,, Lord V.Kinnaird;,/.tho Ma-steiV-of 'Elibank,' 'Mr.;^Walt«r.v Long',;. Sir Charles: Schwann. Mr, Thomas • Burt,-- •>Sir Ivor'NHCTi>ert,v.'Sif;'\yilUa'm Holland, Sir - Walter-' Foster,' Sir ; ;Fraucis\: Clianning,.. JSic ■ Albert Spic'er; Sir' Hehry Cotton,, aid-. Captain D. V;' Fine. , . - . .The toasts' of ';,"The;' Knirc" .and -. "'The Tsar'j; having beeii dul;.' lionoured, Mr. Asquith having .proposed the health ,ot "Oar. Guests.' "It .will surely not bo inappropriate;" "that ii'pOn the very' car Host 'opportunity that their ;visit' I 'to 'our l sliorcß ,'ailorded- they should,be received, hero .within the'walls of tho oldest Parliament'in ; the , world'. (Choers.) Wo who belong to that Parliament welcomo them not only with cordiality, but, if I may say so, iwitn.comradeship, not only as guests, but as colleagues. . f'You on the banks ,of tho Neva .are engaged in 1 the- very same which ,we for centuries past' have . been endeavouring to I l>erform hero upon tho banks of tho Thames. What is that task P It is . a task of building up tho structure and of watching and controlling tho work 'of the greatest instrument of freedom'which tho genius of mankind has yet- invented—tho instrument. of constitutional "government. (Hear, 'licar.) There . are, "no doubt, many lossons which old Parliaments' and young Parliaments may reciprocally; learn and' teach; ' We, as we look from 'from a distanco.,'with'-friendly and 1 . sympathetic' eyes at: your ■ work—wo fancy we can discern among you already some of tho familiar fcaturos of ..our own Parliamentary- life. . Wo discern,., for instance, that you have already a,highly organised' party system.- " Party Organisation. "I think your experience will agree with ours , that , party - organisation—elastic, 'flexible, ' always adapting -itself to shifting conditions—is a fundamental condition of an efficient expression* of -'opinion- and of the smooth working of tho Parliamentary machine.

"But We .m'embcrs of the'/British ment would not. do justice to. our • feelingß if .we welcomed you here to-day only j aa we. welcomed you in tho ■ first • iiistaiice—as brother Parliamentarians. Let me add "that we wolcomo you with equal cordiality and ;warmth as. representatives of .tho Russian people. (Cheers.) Most- of us ' hprh are old enough to remember,when frigidity, suspicion, ;ovea;.estrangement, were-.tho normal :charaoteristics'. of ■ tho. relations •- between 4tus3ra'iandyGTeat-?l3ritein.. ;The.f' occupied a. conspicuous; and almost 1 typical place, in :that - bld'fashioned..catalogue,; now happily obsolete.-of : ; nations vin ;t ;wliich' ' they were: classified an'd'"labelled .as: natural -enemies, the 'one to'the other; Thanks to a wise and far,seeing diplomacyj founded I-believe upon a < sound and growiug public 'opinion in both' icoontrie's,' -that '.state 'of : things'; has. passfed away,, as- wo hope, never to return." (Cheers.)

The President of the Duma. M. HomiaItoft, in reply, sa,id; "Tho beginning of this [century was. a hard time for. i Russia,. but we seom: to be' getting. 011. /(Cheers.) We ' trust to us by. hisi'Majesty. j;ho. Emperor .will accomplish : the task'-for the welfare of our great ltryrv\i(t^oers;)'- : ':Tqo.> , muchr:bl6pd has beon .spilt,. and we must heal our wounds by work—hard work and good work. Permit me'to'; ltft :my-^glass'..in': the'name of my friends'and of myself to.the health of the groat and, . friendly . England." (Loud olioers.) .■:: .v. •■■■.:, : ( M. Michael Stakhovitch also responded. < Interchange of Ideas.

Mr. Balfour, m proposing tho toast. of "Tho Russian Group of tho Inter-Parliamen-tary Union," said:— : 1 ■ ; "I rcjoico to think that a meeting like this has done so much to further that sj|m-. pathetic comprehension of each other which; is the real basis of all international amity. We have looked with admiration at the work : you have done so far as we understand it— and I quite admit it is. not always easy for, foreigners 'fully to understand all the work that is being dono, elsewhere—but so far as I understand, the matter we look with , admiration upon the work (Which you have; dona during the few brief years that you have been called upon to tako upon yourselves a task resembling that which within those walls WO; have endeavoured—sometimes. with successj sometimes 'without success—to carry on to the. best of our ability. I beg to ask you to drink to ,the Russian Group of ; tho Inter-Parliamentary, Uniori; : with of M. 'Ivan. Ephremoff." (Loud cheers.) • ■ . , ■ ■

M. Ivan Ephremoff replied, and was followed by M'. 1 Zveginsteft, representing, the leader of tho Parliamentary majority of Russia." Hp remarked upon tha . genius ; of . the British nation in building up. a magnificent ediiico of constitutional monarchy founded on 1 freedom and responsibility. i<- ■ This'concluded the, proceedings., After the luncheon/tho ' visitors woro admitted to the Distinguished Strangers'.'Gallery/where; they remained duriug part of the debate 011 tho Finance, Bill. They wore subsequently entertained at tea by the Speaker and, Mrs. Lowther.at the Speaker's House.

"Tommy" Burns takes a great.interest in lacrosse, and has often remarked that his success as a fighting man is mainly due to' the nimbleness and agility' attained from the playing. of this' game. The popular pugilist, wlio \vao ,himself a champion ''crosser". in Canada, refereed at , the annual match; New South Wales v. Queensland a Saturday or so ago, when the former were; defeated... Commenting, upon the reception given after the match, tho last .Syd? ney' ''Referee" says:—"'Tommy' 13urns figured as referee in the interstate lacrosse match—rQueensland versus New South Wales —on Petersham Oval last Saturday afternoon, arid ' his Excellency. Lord Chelmsford favoured the event with his presence.' ther 'Tommy* or the Governor.Was responsible, or whether credit should bo equally divided between them, or whether one proved a lodestono of greater or lesspower thau'thb other, deponent will jiM . attempt •, to . suggest, but the' fact remains that lacrosse never previously in New South Wales, attracted such 'ii'big orowd of spectators. Thero could not have been fewer .than 7000 people round and about' tho ' scene' _of action'. ' Tommy,' < rotund and large in bulk—'ho tipped tho beam/at lost, 51b.—controlled the gamo liko a past master, and moved about jniich more freely than might havo boon expected of one who carries i such a great wealth of tissue, but there was no mlsthking tho evidences that ho would havo been better pleased had the sceno of play not shifted from end t'o end and "side to side so speedily. However, satisfaction for - Tommy'. exists "in"" the; fact, tliat his increased bulk is all health? stuff . covering sound organs, aud limbs.''