The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902, July 18, 1901, Page 5, Image 5
' _ > 13be Conservative * the visitor usually asserts that ho has como to look for some member , whoso name ho gives , and ho is allowed to en ter. No dynamite scare has arisen for a number of years ; and oven when the whole country is fancying that some kind of outrage is about to occur , the private-secretaries of members of par liament could hardly bo excluded upon the ground that they might be in league with the Irish "physical force brother hood. " Excluded from the sacred members' lobby , however , they are , un less their chiefs ore ministers of the crown , and the usually accepted reason is that the line must be drawn , some where. If the public were admitted in discriminately , the unfortunate member would especially if he represented a London constituency be worried almost to death by his supporters who would come to him upon every conceivable mission. There would not even be 1 standing room in the small members' lobby , and a cabinet ministers' life would be a greater burden to him than any man can bear. These facts explain why the whole house supports the ser- geant-at-arms in the strict manner in which he keeps the lobby clear of "strangers. " Object of the the Lobby. What , it may be asked by those wheY Y are ignorant of English party politics and who cannot make out how "things 11 * get into the newspapers" what is the use and object of this lobby which it is such a privilege for anybody , except a chosen few , to enter ? ' Well , the lobby has its various uses and usages. It can still boost of a neat little bar a bar where good alcoholic liquors can be ob tained at a very moderate price , to gether with various edibles , such as hard-boiled eggs and sandwiches. At this bar , it is but fair to say , there has never been much treating , nor much prolonged drinking. Occasionally a wearied legislator would in the inter vals of debate , or after making a speech , rush out , eat a few mouthfuls of food , and drink perhaps a small brandy and soda a favorite English beverage. Mr. Balfour , now first lord of the treasury , 4 was , a few years ago , almost a daily visitor at the bar. When secretary for Ireland , he would glide out of the chamber after the storm and stress of question-time , and would restore the inner man with a gloss of wine and a biscuit what we call a ' "cracker" or with a cup of the black tea , so popular iu the British Isles. In these few mo ments he always had a kind word for any member who might wish for a brief chat with him. Few British leg islators are total-abstainers and , curiously - ously enough , the bar seemed to bo-in special requisition during debates upon the. ill-fated compensation clauses in Mr. Gosohen's bill of ten years ago. This measure proposed to compensate saloon-keepers whoso licenses were taken away by a reduction of the number of drinking-places in a city. The weather was sultry at the time and the debate was often fiery. A great deal is chang ed now. The lobby bar , with its dry sherry , its rice puddings cold , of course , and its biscuits is being swept away. The house determined , after full con sideration , to relegate it to a more sec luded spot within the walls of the Pal ace of Westminister. House of Commons' Lobby. The house of commons lobby is a kind of recreation ground where members of parliament may take a little moderate exercise. The air there is perhaps purer and fresher in hot summer weath er than it is in the chamber itself , and there is room to walk up and down. On days when an important division is expected the government whips spend ' most of their time in this lobby ; and some members , notably Mr. Broadhurst and Mr. Burt , clearly affect its tesselat- ed pavement for ambulatory purposes. Although the terrace overlooking the river Thames is better adapted for hy gienic pursuits , it has lately become un popular owing to the supposed preva lence of the much dreaded "grip" mi crobe upon the bank's of'London's river. Moreover , the lobby seems to possess a sort of pacifying and softening influ ence. Partisans , who in the chamber itself seem to be on the most strained terms , and who often hurl defiance at one another across the narrow space which separates the two hostile armies , meet in the lobby and enter into amica ble conversation. It is here that the " " asccosts the "dyed-in-the-wool" tory "little Euglander" and most likely greets him with a friendly smile. Men seem glad to lay aside the ground of partisanship in the lobby , as well as in the eating and smoking rooms of the house. One may see such political op ponents as Mr.Lobouohere and Sir John Gorst in affable conversation ; while that violent Irishman , when in the chamber , Mr. Tini Healy , talks pleas antly to a conservative , Mr. Walter Long. It is almost certain , however , that the Hibernian representative will in his next platform speech describe the action of Her Majesty's government as detestable , and the editor of "Truth" ( Mr. Labouohere ) is not unlikely to compare Mr. Chamberlain to Judas Iscariot with an apology to the latter for the comparison ! Land of Gossip. The lobby , needless to relate , is the land of much parliamentary gossip. What course the government or the leaders -of the opposition are going to take with regard to various proposed statutes is here discussed by the private members with great zeal. The lines of the next financial measure the chan cellor of the exchequer's "budget" is the term are foreshadowed by the po litical prophets ; and the latest rumors concerning a "cave" or revolt finds cur rency here , if anywhere. A certain amount of this gossip is well-founded , although the ministers invariably de scribe it either as"totally nufouuded"or "quite inaccurate. " But everybody knows that this repudiation of what is often the truth is due to the dislike , shared by all cabinets , of having their programmes and policy forestalled. Few ministers or members of the govern ment , with the exception of the "whips , " who are , of course , there to prevent members escaping from divisions , are habitue's of the lobby. They sometimes pass through it , looking or trying to look oppressed with national responsi bilities , always walking fast , and usu ally havinj ? an armful of books and papers. They are occasionally called out of the house to consult with some member of the so-called upper chamber , the House of Lords ; but more frequently they may be seen hurrying to and from the chief whip's private room. There is , however , very little opportunity to stop a cabinet minister in the lobby and ask him for an explanation of the min isterial policy. Nor do the ex-ministers affect the lobby to any extent. The late Mr. Gladstone , for example , was not visible there once in a year , while Sir William Harcourt , Mr. John Morley - ley , Mr. Bryce and Sir George Trevelyan were hardly more frequent visitors. Of the most unfamiliar figures in the ter ritory of the house of commons , the Premier , Lord Salisbury , takes' the first place. Perhaps he got tired of its pre cincts when , as Lord Robert Cecil , he was a member of the elected assembly. From 1890 to a year or two ago the most constant attendants in the lobby were Sir Richard Temple , whose remarkable figure Punch so dearly loved to carica ture ; and Mr. Whitebread , Sir Charles Milner and Mr. Lowther , the last three being conspicuous by their height. Opportunity for Character Study. A few hours in lobby-land when some important party question is expected to "como on" in the course of the evening ( the house does not meet 'till four in the afternoon ) , will give an excellent idea of the personal side of the lower branch of Great Britain's legislature. It has in spired the pen of many newspaper-men ; for the lobby is sometimes far more in teresting , and far fuller of life and ani mation as well as of members than the house itself , with its fast-emptying benches , its bored occupants , and its hesitating speakers who are merely kill ing time , chiefly because they believe that their constituents like to see portions tions of their diatribes in the daily papers. The lobby may be seen to advantage in the earlier hours of the parliamentary day , especially at about five o'clock , im mediately after the ministers have passed through the ordeal of question- time. The last question on the list hav ing been disposed of , members leave the chamber for a short breathing spaceand the buzz of many voices sounds in the ear. But the members' lobby is seen at its very best at the conclusion of some great party contest ; or when a pre eminent debater , having resumed his seat after a great speech , one of the regular brigade of "bores" vainly strives to obtain a hearing from a satia ted and fast-emptying house. Buffalo , N. Y. , July 5,1901 ,