The Speaker of the House of Commons.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLV, Issue 17, 26 April 1911, Page 2

The Speaker of the House of Commons.

The Most Uncompromising Conservative in England

The impartiality of the Speaker was recently Impugned In a private letter which Mr. J. Wedgwood, M.P., wrote to Mr. L. Gliinel, the Irish Nationalist member. This letter was published by Mr. Giuuel. hi an Irish newspaper, and both members were called iiirnn to answer a breach of privilege. Mr. Wedgwood unreservedly apologised, and his apology was at once accepted by Mr. Lowther. Mr. Glnuel, while apologising to the writer of the letter, declined to apologise to the House or the Speaker, against whom, however, he disclaimed any personal attack. He maintained his position in regard to the present system of “eat chiug the Speaker's eye.” He considered It his duty to attack the list system, and be had done so. The Speaker accepted full responsibility for renewing or maintaining the list system. He held first, that It only applied to big debates; secondly that tile chair In no way restricted its “eye” 0,1 ,ll< ‘ a ‘ l ' , ,hat some list—especially in the Parliament of 1906, with its 300 new members—was absolutely essential if all- views were to be heard by the House. The publication of the letter was, of course, unanimously declared a breach of privilege, and on the motion of the Premier, Mr. G-inuel was suspended for a week.

I N recalling the Right Honourable James William Lowther t'o the Speaker’s chair, the British House of Commons, in which the Liberals and their allies form the radical majority, conferred a special honour upon the most uncompromising Conservative in England. His will be the difficult task of maintaining order in a house grown turbulent through the introduction of elements to which tradition and authority mean less and less. He will rule the Commons, says the London News: —the Speaker’s sworn political foe and personal admirer

At a quarter to three each afternoon there enters the House of Commons, wc read in the London Mail, an erect, well proportioned man with a t'nirn brown beard, regular features and the steel blue eyes of the typical Engt shmai. ft is “Mr. Speaker,” explains .our contemporary. He is garbed in flowing robes, we read, bull-bottomed wig, knee breeches and silk stockings. “He’gives to the oldworld costume a grace and dignity only to be found when it is associated with strength and character.”. , With strong quick steps he mounts th? dais of the ichair, he takes Inis seat, adjusts his robes and opens the order paper of the day.

—“with a certain bluff good nature and icommonsense communicating itself to the members.” Speaker Lowther is an aristocrat of the aristocrats, “loat.iing democracy and all its works,” yet not even the rabid Socialists and labourites manifested the slightest opposition to hfs elevation to the highest post within the gift of the House. He holds aloof from the mob and never concents his disgust for the views of the great majority of the men who voted him into the dignity he upholds so uncompromisingly. Tire explanation of the anomaly, says the London News, is to be found in the Speaker’s Manse of humour. With unruffled dignity and in fine hauteur he can meet a crisis brought on by the wildness of some Socialist or labourite so cleverly that’ the House relaxes into the loudest laughter. It is throug.i the capacity of “Squirb” Lowther that the House of Commons is such a jolly pl ice, acj >rding to our contemporary. He could uot be defeated for the Speakership.

The sergeant-at-arms, sword by his side, raises the great gilt mace to the table. Members relapse into silence. The day’s sitting of the British House of Commons has begun. The present speaker of that greatest of the world’s representative .. assemblies seems to the London Mail to lead men. in a way which makes them like being lead. “It is a pleasure to submit to hiis rule. During the first three-quarters of an hour questions may be poured in upon Ministers, but members are not allowed to'make anything in the nature of a speech. Supplementary inquiries, arising from the Minister’s replies, are permissible, but members must not express their opinions. One Jay -hit irrepressible Nationalist', Swift Mac Neill, effervescent with fury regarding the wrongs of Ireland, snapped out a fierce retort to Augustine Birrel, Chief Secretary for the emerald green. Instantly ti e Spealt-

er was on his feet. “Ths honourable member,” he said gravely, “must put his interruptions in the form of an interrogation.” The House roared with laughter, and an incident that might have been painful was made ludicrous. That famous sense of humour of his did not fail Speaker Lowther, we read next in the London News, when the militant suffragists stormed the ladies’ gallery. That famed gallery is over the chair and thus invisible to the Speaker himself. Banners upon which were inscribed the device “Votes for Women” were waved frantically in the faces of

the astonished Commons. There followed a sound of scuffling and disorder behind the grille which effectually screens the ladies from the vision of the members. Every one knew what it meant. The police were dislodging the invaders. Instantly the storm reacted upon the House. Brave hearts belo.v ;e-pon<led to the cry of distress from above. “There were girls in the gold reef city,” quoted Wdllie Redmond, not the man to hear their cry of agony unmoved Up he sprang, says our contemporary, “like a knight of old romance. ’ He tio'.irisbed his handkerchief at the chair. “Mr. Speaker, Sir,” quoth he, “is it in accordance with your will that a barbarous poli'ee should be called in to assault cur wives and sweethearts?” His voice shook, for, explains the London daily, “a serious aspect had been put upon the incident.” There was a breathless pause punctuated only by a sound of scuffles, shrieks, and sobs aljove. What would the Speaker say? Would he defend the police? Would he say a word for the women? “Unfortunately,” said the Speaker, rising with great solemnity, “I seem to be the only member of this House who is unable to behold the scene.” He gazed up pathetically at the canopy over his head and there ensued a roar of universal laughter. The present Speaker of the House of Commons has thus proved himself, the London Mail thinks, a genius among Speakers. He gives no favour and he knows no fear. The right's and privileges of the most extreme Socialist are as safe in his hands as are those of the Conservative group to which James William Lowther himself belongs. “Not one of the 670 members but will acclaim for his just and happy rule, as his triumphant re-election by a body which has a large majority against him more than proved." It ds said in the London News that when first he was offered the Speakership he replied: “The office will give me three things I don’t want. It will give me a peerage, which I’d rather do without. It will give me a house in London, and I have one now. It will bring me a large annual income, and my income is larger than any one man can spend.” The Speakership, however, gave James William Lowther something that he did want —the rounding out of a parliamentary ■career which is said to be without precedent. A Lowther his gone from Westmoreland to Westminster continuously for some six hundred years. During a century and a half there has been no break in his direct parliamentary ancestry. Mr. Lowther’s great-grandfather sat in the House of Commons for half a century. His grandfather sat for another half century. His father held a seat for a quarter of a century.. He has himself been a member of the House

of Commons for more than a quarter of a eent'ury. He os thus an hereditary legislator in the best sense of the term. Perfect dignity, ever ready and unfailing courtesy, sound judgment, comprehensive knowledge of parliamentary pro’cedure, absolute impartiality and infinite patience are a few of the qualifications conceded him by universal consent of all factions.

A good shot, the Speaker is also very; fond of cnieket, besides being excellent with the foils. His fame as a sportsman has filled all England and he hah gone around the world nearly in his enthusiasm for big game. Then he possesses no ordinary facility as a land- 1 scape painter and lie was highly successful as an amateur actor. His stage name of “Lowther R. Kade” is still recalled with enthusiasm by the cast that! played Romeo and Juliet with the future Speaker in the part of Friar Lawrence 1 . So versatile is the Briton who presides over the Commons. “He will abandon none of its ancient form or etiquet, 'butl he tempera. them with thoughtful ’concessions.” When the poorer members oil the House appealed to his predecessors in office to make the wearing of court! dress at his functions optional, they werej met with a refusal. When they made tha same appeal to Mr. Speaker Lowther, they were met with refusal too, but ha promptly took the edge off the refusal by inaugurating a series of luncheons where the democratic- might' be free from the necessity of wearing gold lace and silk knee breeches. It was a tremendous break with tradition.

Although he is now approaching his sixtieth year, Mr. Speaker Lowther is aS devoted to the sportsman’s life as even he was when he was playing cricket and football at Eton.

By way of keeping as fit as possible, we read in "The Badmington Magazine, m the Speaker of the House frequently fences, usually on the terra'ce, which is so conveniently at hand. M. an accomplished professor, comes two on three times a week to try swords with the illustrious Lowther. “He is StWi one of the best' amateurs with the foil ini all England.” He fences almost equally with either hand and to this practice he attributes his unusually good physical condition. He retains his superb health mainly, according to one account, “by not' worrying about it.” The physical strain upon him is at times considerable. A Master of the Hounds, a notable shot, a fine swordsman, a good cricketer still, a former football champion, fond of » run with the hounds, he stays awake in the parliamentary season until far into the night. A few hours only after the adjournament of the House he will make for his splendid country seat in Cumberland for a horseback ride through the

fields and lanes. In winter he skates pn the ponds on his estate and last year ■fron the prize for figure skating. “He Waltzed at his tenants’ ball for three jhours without stopping.” To sum up the Speaker of the House of Commons in a sentence, as the London Bost does, he is “a splendid specimen ot ftlio English country gentleman.” He is also staunchly conservative. He leads a Jsomewhat patriarchal life among his tenantry, who. worship him, and who send him to Parliament because his father and his grandfather went there before him. The Right Honourable James William (Lowther, we read in the same conservative daily, gets his opinions of things in general just as he came by his vast wealth —by inheritance. He has no especial use for ideas. One never hears of contributions to thought from his pen, Buch as have conferred fame upon Mr. Arthur James Balfour. He does not chine in general conversation-. He has never done or said an original thing. He is thoroughly English in his gratification at being an average man. That is the secret of his success in a difficult post. The office of Speaker, explains the London News, does not demand rare quali. ties. It demands common ones in a rare degree.