IN THE HOUSE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 9493, 15 August 1891, Page 5

IN THE HOUSE.

MISCELLANEOUS BILLS. [ WOMAN FRANCHISE. THE ELECTOBAL BILL. [fkom oub own correspondent.! WELLINGTON, August 14. ! « Thorough.” It was the motto of Strafford of old, and'it lost him his head. It is now (if we judge by the dimensions of . the petition presented) the motto of some of the women of New Zealand, and they hope that it may win them the franchise. Sir John Hall, with benignity beaming from his philanthropic countenance, presents the same : that is, he stands aside while the messengers unroll it. The light of triumph is in his speaking eye, as the paper unrolls without showing signs of one end. The same expression is in hi* eye as flashed from that of the Irishman in the story, who, hauling away at a rope lying in the sea, declared when he got tired of the exercise that somebody, “ bad luck to him,’* had ctxt off the other end of the rope. Nine thousand six hundred and eightyfive. That is the strength of the Amazon battalion that has been sent to storm the House with female suffrage. The messengers labour like heroes in the unfolding of the document, and then they labour like . giants in rolling it up again. We feel, as , we regard them, that we are contemplating future honorary members of the most powerful woman’s organisation in this happy country. As they depart, carrying tho bale of inscribed paper, we think of the Electoral Bill coming on to-night. The signs are that the ladies will have • field day. The next thing of interest in the afternoon’s proceedings is

A WEST COAST IDYLL. We refer to the West Coast of the South Island, not the Middle Island, because no such place exists except in the documents of the old fossils of New Zealand. It is a pretty little idyll, illustrating the marvellous country in which the brethren from the West Coast dwell together. Mr Pish, presumably out of pure love of mischief (which may mean in this case hatred, of the “ gentle Eugene ”), asks a question about the Hinemoa. Why did she not go into Greymouth the other day, and if not, why not, and at whose instigation ? The Minister is guarded in his replies, as beseems the friend of all parties interested * but as the policy of “all things to ill men ” only pays when the objects of the policy are invertebrate, the House is not long before it finds its adjournment moved, and moved in scathing terms. Mr E. Beeves does that, and he conveys the idea (between the lines) that Westport influence, whose place in the House it is entirely superfluous to point out, has brought about this gigantic fraud. It has been the subject of common rumour that the member for the Buller obtained an order for the Hinemoa to coal ait Westport. The fact is, that the Hinemoa did coal at Westport en route to Greymouth, and on arrival at Greymouth the Hinemoa was drawing three feet extra, and Captain Fairchild did not care to go in. The story of how he went in at last, by virtue, of pressure of many telegrams careering between Greymouth and Wellington, is by this time public property. Master Kichard says nothing of this, but he indicates it all by insinuating a fine flavour into bis remarks, fluent and plausible, and downright as ever. The only thing he does not refrain from saying is that Greymouth harbour is second to hone in the world. To this the “ gentle Eugene feels impelled, by ft strange coincidence.

to nbIV;, Jt ia tha gentle Eugene’s intention not to refer to Greymouth as a small Week, but the gentle Eugene discovers that truth is stronger than generous rorhearaace. He introduces the creek, and he disports on the sand with some display of naVe irony. Not having been directly accused of sending the Hinemoa by hia Bushosuvres to Greymouth, be denies openly th»t he has had any finger in that pie. The amenities of the West Coast exhausted, the House does not adjourn, and keeps on S way without getting any satisfactory explanation' of. this Wea Vr«™onfwJl •la* haa been oast upon, Greymouth, and Wj-toort is a real harbour in every sense appears, to be the Tesn|t of the ’"[bote transaction. Then we b»lsri£,r jmiBERS, , ■ gpntleman entitled to the J,measure 5 he oeo&tf^bb^bsrve'done w -thew<irk. When mlpthe Government tike'the' necessary rteta-h; The' '’Government ; says ! next weok/' and , sighs of satisfaction ascend. Thfimportant thing appears to be not so much “who is moving,” as “how long atwt .we-wait before the thing is moved.” Hr“W. Hutchison probes the lowest depths of meanness yet reached by mortal map, when he gets the answer that the police in outMtotioha must find fuel and light for the puHiie; ; bfii of their own pockets. Mr Pish postpones his attack on Dr M’Gregor and MV Simpson. Mr E. M. Smith elicits from the Government that it knows Mr Courtney that aka with a batch of ?He'. elicits ’ nothing else. After that, the whistle sounds, the ship casts off frpmthe pier of questions and formalities, andpoaMs three second readings without a tnejmsilt’s cesMtion of the pace. After whisk 'she : turns into Committee bay, and getl'Mst : seven different' measures before tbo | dumerbeU rings the call of tbe faithful to toed. •, ; - .'AFTER DINNfeB the! pdthCr keeps good for a time. A Committee Mulshes the Poblio Revenues Bill, antft gSts well on with the Selectors’ RevahMltionßill. ..Before that measure gets through, a shiall cloud shows itself on the horizon. Mr Taylor develops a sudden interest 1 to; the-iproceedinga, a very deep mbOtalt. ' requiring much speaking and a few remarks, developing-a great interest In '.Mr. .Taylor, poor,' down-woddau .Mr. Taylor, who is not allowed either by the Chairman or by his fellow-members to •sprits hia legitimate opinion on important subjects—" such an important subject as Sir.”. . There - is a general air of mystery. • Hon: members begin to exchange significant glances. Mr Taylor takes up the' cudgels on his own account. H* cares nothing' on bis. own account, although.-: he aint a-going to be brow-beat. Third are cries of “Oh, no.” All his coa’cith is for the people of this country. Thfs’ 'Bill* seti;. hp invidious distinctions, Mr Taylor points out to the gallery, “ those gentlemen opposite, horny-handed sons of toil, "Sir.” Me shakes five open fingers and a paper at the gallery opposite: “‘.What privileges have they? None, Sir.” The House laughs and makes fun ol>'Mr Taylor, who goes on to refer to the cash* purchasers of land. The Chairman calls him to'order, and he sits down saying “T beg your pardon. Sir.” Mr-Fish .rises; and begs the - House to 4 rimember that Mr Taylor has given them: food for thought. He has called attention to a moat serious : subject. He ought to b'ave an opportunity for discusaing it ,fully. Mr Pish, amid deprecating cries,- moves that the Chairman report prOgresa. ; ; --He talks all round the subject, getting' the case of the cash selectors to the front. The Chairman calls him to order. He must confine himself to the question of “ reporting progress.” By this time everybody understands .. THIS GAME. The Electoral Bill is the next on the Order paper, and Mr Pish is undertaking the task'of delaying that measure. Sir John Hall, who has hitherto sat quiet, watching the vapid progress of the business towards his golden opportunity^..'is .‘.ifow on. his' legs flitting about the v Chamber, talking quietly with members. Mr' Seddon is on his legs, too, moving about. Others are discovered, going • from place to place. Mr Bryce gently insinuates that this is a Stonewall, and-wants to know whether Mr Ffah really meant what he said, that he was acting by the Premier’s orders. Mr Pish •ays he never said that. He assures the ibmse that: he could not be guilty of obhtrhction.even if he tried. And after the House has' laughed he gets back to the cash settlers, and the Chairman stops him. Ul; M’Kenzie,'who is in charge of the Bill, toughs in ibis chair, helpless. A-smile goes roupd the House. Mr. Buckland challenges' the obstructionists to let this Bill .go and set' up their stonewall on the Electoral Bill, which they are aiming it. Mr Taylor gets up severaL/„timo3,.,only to fall into the bands of. the Chairman-for wandering from the subject., Mr Pish meets with the game fate as often, and threatens to move that the .Chairman leave the chair. Mr Richard Reeves takes a hand at the gamp. Mr-. Taylor says bo is not a slave to tbe Government. Me Blake has a word to say. At last, the obstructionists not being sustained, abandon their position and let the motion for t reporting progress go on the voiced! The second line Mr Pish takes hharge ,of with undiminished vigour. He lakes up the last danse of the Bill. He JhoveS amendments, and talks for a conaidarable; time upon it, getting called to order occasionally. But the second line is Hqt tenable, and he lets the BUI go. It is turn out to have been mere affairs of outworks. When . THE ELECTORAL BILL COMES DP, thVreßl business begins. The question of

•Xtehding -the word “person” to females is .thrown down, Mr Pish starts .up,* and

bagiif* "the,' fight; He, ia no, longer conciliary, careful of he is in cne’of’hie^fierisest, m oat - wrathful moods. Hi’ the Premier for haying worrying hi m fo*,Bohie'time'.‘''.r,! You’re the deadly enemy 6f odr *ide, .Sir;”jt ,ja"t6o ; ifipch.,for ;.Mr: foaios. at the .mouth,.' Then, he develops the argument that this question ' has , never been before the tatKafajf: ;He : doubts whether the women , want 1 the franchise, and he cqndemnstbe Government for not having ashed them through the machinery of the Committees Department. He gets very ’fcavmi, inconveniently warm; all that; gesticulation and snarling has its due hffeot. Mr Fish takes out his handkerchief and wipes his manly brow, his face, bip throat, toe back of bis neck. After that refreshment ha gets on with his subjeft, sustained by numerous “hear, hears” from Mr Taylor, and comforted by the opportunities for curbing the member lor; Taranaki which arise from time to time. ; He dwells on the danger to domestic felicity, thip happiness and virtue of the Cpiuitry. selling stories and dragging in illustrations. He asks the Liberal Party, itpJmoanjnjf aoaentsi, what -they ..want, held out towards them, the' questioD. He shakea 'h^ 6 cqihes to that agonised appeal. Have they hot a Liberal Premier and a Liberal Government ? Have they not a majority that will do anything ? He is ready to admit that no better members can be elected thah the labour members that were sent here at the last election. “ As , for the ot]her side, we all know”—Mr Fish’s voice changes to wrath—“ what they expect, and we hope that they shall bo disappointed.” He. announces his intention of using all the forma of the House to stop this iniquity, go . dangerous , and so unconstitutional. From thatlbe gets to the question of the fitness of woman for the franchise. “ No, B**, she is -not fit.” He demands that if woiban- iSi to he given the franchise, she must take all the roughing. He tells a story.} he threatens the House with pame and'penalties ; he bewails the danger in which our glorious electoral system is placed by the raising of this question, and be says many things very Havoury. and very appreciative, and very long. He gets to another phase of the question. WHSN THE LADIES HAVE THE FRANCHISE, SJ have the, right to be admitted Houae.} and what will be the coa-

sequence ? What will be the effect if we have a House of thirty-five female and thirty-five male members ? The House laughs a good deal, and Mr Pish thus encouraged develops the subject a little. He imagines the ladies in the House, and the effect of their presence on hon members. He takes the case of a susceptible gentleman—say the member for Wairarapa. He draws a picture of Wairarapa in love with a designing woman, who domineers over him in politics and spends his revenue. “Dear William, even in the lobby we shall not be parted.” And dear William votes submissively ; he has lost all individuality. Dear William after these proceedings retires to “our beautiful elysium” in the country, and dear William does a great many things which Mr Pish cannot describe withoutpsihtomime, aided by chuckles. Wairarapa sits opposite, and contemplates the prospects of a political honeymoon with grim delight. Mr Pish ranges off to the question of old women of the male sex. HC seeks revenge for interruptions by reference to the suitability of the interrupt Or’s figure for the male costume, but is warned off by the Chairman, and can say no more. Mr Pish goes on perspiring, and getting hoarse, and gesticulating till supper; aud after supper he talks for twenty minutes. THS PREMIER takes him to task, answers his arguments, points ou b that the member for Ellesmere has the right to move any amendment he likes, and advises him to take the sense of the House on the matter. The speech of Mr Fish he looks upon as having proved the case for female franchise. Mr E. M. Smith rises in great form to castigate Mr Pish. He blows his own trumpet loudly, he refers to the beauty and fashion which applauded him at his election, and he must repay those applauders by voting for their franchise. He keeps the House in a roar for five minutes, and gives way to Mr Taylor. MR TAYLOR TALKS. about “ this side of the Southern Hemisphere,” and about his experience of the ladies. He asks Sir John if Lady Hall is in favour of this measure ? He makes all hia gestures, he rolls his head as usual, he puts on his spectacles aud he takes them off; he employs all his artillery of farcical battle, aud it is plain that the stonewall is Established. Mr Blake makes that point clearer;, by .declaring that he is pledged to ..obstruct this ridiculous petition of, the afternoon. Seventy yards it is said to be, but he has been struck by the similarity of the: signatures. One person has written most of the names.. Ha makes a rugged, plain, sturdy speech. The House ‘ begins to coil up and to get thin. Mr Reeves, Mr' Dawson and others speak, and Mr Pisher gets up. Tee bell rings for a quorum—a quorum is present. Mr Pisher pitches into the Government for accepting the amendment of Sir J. Hall. “No demand on the part of th® country; those who pose as benefactors of the human race; the female suffrage bogie; bugbear” —these and other phrases flow from Mr Fisher, who sees no sign of any desire on the part of the women to possess tbe franchise. He reads from an article in the “ Nineteenth Century ” a list of names of ladies who do nob want the vote. Only a class of professional agitators, he says, of the male persuasion pretend that the ladies want the franchise.' Members are observed going out one by one, while Mr Pisher carries on his criticism. He takes the Sydenham case. He was present at the last licensing election, in which the women were very prominent. He assures the House that the proceedings were not encouraging. Mr Swan succeeds Mr Fisher, taking up the running against the ladies. There is SOME MANCeUVBING. discernible members flit about a good deal. Mr Swan sits down, the motion for leaving the chair is lost era the voices, and the Minister for Education, seeing the lateness of the hour, and the improbability of doing any business, moves that progress be reported. Mr Buckland asks the Premier if every time there is obstruction the Government will withdraw its Bills. The Minister replies in the negative. Mr Buckland makes heavy protest ; he denounces the conduct of Ministers; he gets into skirmishes with Mr Fish and other members; he gets called to order (Mr Joyce is in the chair), and he vigorously comes back to the question of having been terrorised all night. He is again called to order, and he objects. Mr Joyce insists. “ The reason we ought not to report progress, Sir, Is that we ought not to give way to such treatment as we have received tonight.” This sets up a discussion on the other point of order. Mr Pisher objects to the statement that the House has made an exhibition of itself. Mr Buckland, amid much laughter, withdraws “ exhibition,” aud insists on. going on with the Bill, denouncing stonewalling amid cries of “No,” and “Threat.” “Tue first exhibition of stonewalliiig has come from the Government side, and the Government has giveaway,” If this kind of thing is to go on, he, for his part, will make arrangements for staying here a couple of months. Sir John Hull carries on the protest, “a terribly bad example, a terribly bad precedent,” he says it is. He eulogises the Premier’s excellent speech, and contrasts it with the Premier’s behaviour in leaving the great majority of the House to be over-ridden in this way. Mr Fisher denies that there has been stonewalling, and is told by the Chairman that the question before the Committee is of reporting progress. The discussion goes on briskly against reporting progress. Mr Saunders gives the key to it by declaring, in his dramatic way, against giving up the business to two or three stonewallers, and stating his intention c£ staying there till Sunday morning. Mr Harkness follows in the same style. There is much interruption, and some withdrawing and apologies. Me Perceval having returned, Mr Earnshaw pitches into Mr Fish and the liquor interest; he calls Mr Pish the mediocre member for Dunedin; he insists that the Government shall not flinch, if it does it will be imperilled. He objects to the presstirb. Is this Bill to be withdrawn ? .. The Government has no right to flinch when there is a majority to carry its measure. It is flinching from parties who have never really supported it. He wants an understanding that this Bill will be before them on Tuesday, otherwise he will fight till midnight. He gets called to order, and he rofresnea himself with a glass of water and goes on. The House is “ left sitting.”