ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.
The Lord Chancellor. "And to think it was the best Irish linen!"
Monday, December 13th.—Since the House of Lords took the bit in its teeth and bolted with the Government of Ireland Bill the Lord Chancellor has practically thrown the reins on the creature's neck and confined himself to occasional mild remonstrance when it kicked over the Government traces. The most he could do when rival amendments were put forward was to secure the passage of the less objectionable. Thus when Lord Shandon, for purely sentimental reasons—Ireland knew him as "a most susceptible Chancellor"—desired that the unifying body should be called a Senate Lord Birkenhead laughed the proposal out of court with the remark that "a man might as well purchase a mule with the object of founding a stud," and persuaded the Peers to accept the word "Council." He was at first inclined to oppose Lord Wicklow's amendment providing that neither Irish Parliament should take private property without compensation; but when he found that an old Home Ruler, Lord Bryce, was in favour of imposing this curb on Irish exuberance he, as "a very young Home Ruler," gracefully withdrew his objection.
Sir John Baird revealed the names of the members of the Central Control Board (Liquor Traffic). The muffled groans that followed the announcement of the first of them, Mr. Waters-Butler, were quite uncalled for, as I understand that the gentleman in question preserves a strict impartiality between two branches of his patronymic.
Sir Eric Geddes was not too sympathetic to the complaints of overcrowding on the suburban railways; but I cannot think that Mr. Martin had fully thought out the consequences of his suggestion that the right hon. gentleman should take a trip one night from Aldgate to Barking and see for himself. Imagine the feelings of the strap-hangers when Sir Eric essayed "little by little" to wedge himself into their midst.
If the Opposition desired a really satisfactory discussion on the origin of the fires in Cork it should have chosen some other spokesman than Lieut.-Commander Kenworthy. The hon. and gallant gentleman was less aggressive in manner than usual, but even so he encountered a good many interruptions. He was answered in a characteristic speech by Mr. Claude Lowther; and the debate as a whole never rose much above the level where it was left by these "Burnt Cork Comedians."
Tuesday, December 14th.—Despite the protests of Lord Braye, who demanded full self-determination for Ireland, the Peers gave a Third Reading to the Government of Ireland Bill. Lord Crewe so far modified his previous attitude as to congratulate the Government on having held on their course in the face of the discouraging events in Ireland, and to express the hope that the measure would be worked for all it was worth, though, in his lordship's estimation, it was not worth much.
