THE FIFTEENTH PARLIAMENT

Evening Star, Issue 12652, 4 November 1905, Page 8

THE FIFTEENTH PARLIAMENT

■SHE MtST WHO MADE IT,

it* .4.—" Mr Speaker."

After a, Wbgtl «i gloom, lit wp by the spasmodic fltfne of spurious humor, which always passes m*»ster for'something better in the last hout* of a prolonged session, the fifteenth frarijament vfis gathered to its fathers beat of drum or funeral note. ftpitaphs there have been already in plenty, the main thing abwrt which is that they all violate the rule of de mortnii=. Editor.! are " damning with faint praise," and tie leer with which they dissent from every suggestion of good on the part of the fifteenth child of election is anything but civil. There are a few friends of Ko. IS who persist in having a different opinion, notable in the thin ranks being the burly Premier, who holds von- decidedly to the view that the session which received the last, breath of the No. 15 was. in some respects, the very best in onr somewhat complicated annals of good work. He points to the roll of ww-k, the hundred and odd measure*, the debates, and the extraordinary closeness of the committee work, which most men. bv the way, agree was remarkable for its fidelity, vigor, and exhaustiveness last session. 'ln this matter it ia useless to pursue the discussion, for tbe simple reason that sessions are like other sections of history quite beyond the reach of true criticism until a long period has elapsed for the testing of their work. There are measures in the list of the works of No. 15 of which it has been said that they are the saviours of the country for all time in many ways. It seems a familiar kind of thing, not quite original—a thing shared with No. 15 by a great many Parliaments of our hixtoiy. Time must 'be left to test the tale.

For the present the move effective, as well as more pleasant, work will bo. to consider the men who upheld the reputation of the Legislature for the three years of No. 15'b lite —guiding tbe usefulness of that legislative period. First, of court*, to catch everv well-constituted eye at, it falls on the well-filled hall of the- representatives is Mr Speaker. Mr Guinness is, m one respect, different from all other Speakers of our experience. He made up his mind at the outset to wear the same wig which the Speaker of the mother of representative Houses carries to the accomplishment of his great duties. The big full-bottomed wig gives him, as he presides, the air of the sphinx, so inscrutable and majestic, which, no doubt, was the wise object of those who determined that the Speaker of the Hoore of Commons should be thus fautasfcically arraved. It also doubtless accounts tor the faithful imitation accorded hy the Speaker of the Representatives in the Parliament No. 15. That be attained the liappy object no one doubts who ban ever seen Mr Speaker sitting in front of the " faithful Commonß" listening to the Governor'!* Speech in the Legislative Council, with tie attention and devotion that august document invariably deserves. The faithful Commons look bored ; the Government, with the exception of the Premier, wear r,n air of blushing Bubreitaion, and the light hon. gentleman at their bead appeai-s to wear a puzzled air, as if unable to account for tbe sudden, if temporary, extinction of his despotio authority. But Mr Speaker sits as serene as the sphina he so closely resembles. He seems to say to the faithful Common* that- forty e«mturks more or losj are looking at them, and lie tolerates Bis Excellency the Governor with gracious if ratb.fr solemn condescension. It i« said thai the first experience of lh.rs> treatment very nearly caused Lord Pltrnkt-t to break down- When the oi'remony i.-; over, and Mr Speaker rises W> his full height, you expect the big armchair which Vttfcii. supported hnis greai turn into a couple of pages to boar hj s tmin out behind him with heooming reverence. Tbe big armchair. ho«»w<r. do<-s nothing of the kind. That must lie because, there is no train at prrsenl. But in this age of evolution l>y natural selection the advent of that ira.i'n is only a matter of time. With it will appear the necessary page?.

Returning whence he r.uT<e. .Mr Speaker seats hinieeJf in tin- high throne ■>i Male erected for luin by hii adm-ring country, and there lie. submits to various acts ot adoration during tie- stung liours. Tlu-K----are various about taking hat.-* off inn) keeping lLTits on. and no member ran 1«' permitted to ]«ss the tinono w.thout- a deep reverenr . For tin- [nirpoie 'if enforcing tJn? true spirit of tJiis rit n-aI. Mr Speaker haft certain punitive jiowers. Tlie worst of thes<* seems, jurljrng; by Hie awe which tie very mention, o! ilus punishment produces in the Rous*, even upon 1 !:«• roost inveterate iraliseipUmiriains. to he the pun islinient of " naming." It appears that the .<?ragtilar people who l.»ve 1-lie right of entree to this Temple of Order have a certain contempt for 111.-. names they have received fiom their lathers. The popular superstition is that this is d» to the honorable ambition which inspires every man worthy hi.s salt to make a name for himself.

Iv.'stlv, Mr Speaker has a. very nice liair of scales, in which lie weighs the pol.lene,ss of which he administers dosrn daily, and more particularly copiously in timer; of excitemart. But they ai-e not the kiud of scales familiar to the world. They are ho adjusted that every mail who do.;s not regard every word uttered hy his fellowmember ais <kn<\ Gospel truth is brought within measurable danger of the «crM of the Speaker's pmni*hineiits. Of cotir.-e, at the same time every member of tlto parliamentary sect is at liberty to doubt the word of every member of every other sect, .'ukj even the hon<ir of his wife and grandmother ajid his cou.sirit» and his sisters and his acnLs :md hx. forbears. Thi.> k.uo«k Uie stiix-riority of tlte parliannjitary hiim.-m nature over overy other form of huma<r. nature, kiere we have one of the lending tenets of the parliajneJttary cultus. Tt is call.d Privilege. Stninpe things have been done hi Uie name of this religions dogma ■; ■nist as strange tilings have been done in the name of other leLLgious doguKvs.

Mr Spwat.r was rot considered bv e\ierycno ;is likely to make a good Chairaiu.-! when he finst obtaiiied election at the hiinds of his future subjects. That he lias not. made as good a. Oluurman a* Sir llanricu O'Rourkc of couise goes wtthoot sayina, and without disrespect to Mr Gukui-es-. He is. fair and impartial in lus judgments, and very learoed in his ruling.s. He has more of the lulitlg quality—the chief qualitv one. looks for in the rulei. who,, after all, is a person who must rule, being where be is that he may rule—than was potaerscd by somo of his predecessors, who were inclined to the idea that the way to rule men is to squirt them all over witli rose water. Mi Guinness has too much practical good serc-e for tliat weakness. If he were at times a little more alert, and more alive to the necessity for ruling strongiv. wlien sometimes, he seem.-, to think" things are going all (wrene —if he would take, in fact, more of the leaf out of the Book of Government compiled by tlie ILfe-aetums in the chair of Sir Maurice, who made the standard that no .Speak-r of Australasia has ever approached—there would be nothing left to desire in the Speakership of Mr Guinness. With as good a grip of facts and principles as > to be expected from a legal training—let us pause to remember that Sir Maurice, too, was a lawyer—if the Speaker of the representatives ha No. 15 had combined the vigor of the ruie which cbKtiagnisbed his great predecessor. Mr Guinness would have aehieved ideaJHy in the chair. He would not. have required to change one jot of his personal appearance, for, from bis waxed moustache to his flowing robe, with all the accessories of grizzled ha.a- and beard, capable face, and correctness' of costuma and demeanor, he looks the purr as well as natural capacity and a genius ior "make-up" can do it for him.