Punch (74.1878)

2U PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI [J^E L 1878-

With the interruption of

Wednesday, wasted over an Irish Borough Rating Bill, which
Game to nothing, the debate was continued, and concluded on

Thursday, when the ball was kicked off by Mr. Cboss, who denied
that the Government had done anything unconstitutional—or why
had not their action been challenged in the Lords ? (a fair query) —
or illegal—or why had they found a Chancellor and an Attorney-
General to back their view of the Law ? At a moment of emergency
and danger they had taken bold and prompt action, knowing that
Parliament would sanction the expenditure incurred in taking it.
Voila tout. There was really no case for getting on the high ropes
as Mr. Gladstone had done—no violating of the Constitution: no
playing of the Prerogative: no riding rough-shod over Parliament—
only a bold arraying of the national force in a moment of national
emergency.

Mr. Hebschell, in a lawyer-like way, gave a lawyer's reasons
for his conclusion that the claim of the Cabinet—

"Amounted to nothing less than the right of the Crown to maintain a
Standing Army anywhere it pleased outside the limits of the United King-
dom, without the consent of Parliament, and this was opposed not only to
the spirit of the Statutes, but to the Constitutional practice of the last two
centurits."

Mr. Roebuck levelled his horns and gored Mr. Gladstone and
the Opposition savagely for trying to embarrass the Government at
a critical moment.

Sir A. Gordon— another Conservative recalcitrant—reminded
Mr. Roebuck how, at the most critical moment of the Crimean
War, he had himself moved a Committee of Inquiry into the
conduct of the Ministry who were carrying it on.

Mr. W. E. Forster, though on crutches, felt bound to stand up
for the Constitution :—

" Their object was not censure, but to put on record such a Resolution as
would prevent the Government establishing a precedent for the infringe-
ment of the liberties of Parliament * * * He should not have thought that any
Government would have taken upon itself, in the name of the Crown and
the Crown only, to bring about what seemed to be the greatest possible in-
novation— an innovation as regarded the relation of the United Kingdom to
India, of ,this country to foreign Powerj, and of the Crown to the other estates
of the realm. There appeared to be in the House an attempt to minimise
the step taken by the Government, but that had not been the case outside
the Ho use. Russia—Europe had been startled by the sudden discovery that
we were not only the greatest naval power in the world, but one of the
greatest military powers." (Cries of " Sear, hear !" from the Opposition
and cheers from the Ministerialists)."

There it is, Mr. Forster. The cheers explain the division. Lord
Beaconsfield's bold step, taken without sanction of Parliament,
has strengthened England's military front, and Lord Beaconsfield's
majority in Parliament accepts, approves, and ratifies his Lord-
ship's act—and so, we have a right to conclude, does the country,
till it says or shows otherwise.

In the face of this, Sir Henry James may retort crushingly on
Mr. Roebuck ; and argue convincingly in support of Common Law
and Constitution against the light and airy treatment of both by
the Attorney-General. He may get Mr. Ceoss into any number of
cleft sticks ; and even set Lord Cairns to-rights on the respective
powers of the Crown and Parliament in relation to Standing Armies.
No need for Sir Stafford to reply on Sir Henry, or Lord Hartlng-
ton on Sir Stafford.

The troops are moved ; the slight to Parliament is condoned ; the
Supplementary Estimate is presented—£100 a man! What need to
add that the House divided 347 to 226-majority 121 for bringing
Indian troops into Europe in time of peace without the previous
sanction of Parliament. And the majority in the House, if not
out of it, treats Lord Beaconsfield as the Admiral treated Billy
Tayloe, "and werry much applauds him for what he's done."

SORTES YIRGILIAM.
Foe the Czae.
" Paeem orare manu, praSgere puppibus arma."

JEneid. x. 80.

" Lift hands for peace, and Yankee cruisers arm! "

Foe Loed Beaconsfield.
(As Alecto, to Britannia's Juno.)

" |f.oc. ?tiam his addam, tua si mihi certa voluntas
Finitimas in bella feram rumoribus urbes
Accendamque animos insani Martis amore'
Undique ut auxilio veniant; spargam arma per agros." !

JEneid. vii. 548.

This, too—my dizzy leadership obey,
My neighbours I '11 to fight by rumours sway ;
My Jingoes fire with love of frantic war, ■
Move Indian aids,'and arms sow near and far/

NATURAL SELECTION.

ast week Mr. Butt " drew the atten-
tion of the Irish Secretary to a
departure from the ancient practice
of appointing the Mayors of cities in Ire-
land to be Governors of Lunatic Asylums."
Wise people ! Whatever may have been
the motive of this doubling of functions,
whether the governing of
Irish citizens was supposed
to qualify for the govern-
ing of Irish lunatics, or
the control of Irish luna-
tics to supply useful ex-
perience for the rule of
Irish citizens, it is clear
that those who established
the practice saw that the
two duties had a natural
relation ; that the ruler of
the Irish City would be at
home in the Irish Lunatic
Asylum, and the Governor
of the Irish Lunatic Asy-
lum at home in the Irish
Civic chair. Mr. Butt
might, perhaps, illustrate
the wisdom of the prac-
tice by his experience of
Irish Home-E,ule and its Rulers in Parliament.

COUSIN AMY'S VIEW.

Scene—The neighbourhood of Locksley Hall.

Enter Lady Amy Hardcash (cetat, forty), with a booh of poems and

several children.

Lady Amy loquitur.

Children, leave me here a little ; don't disturb me, I request;
For Mamma is very tired, and fain would take a little rest.

'lis the place, the same old place, though looking somewhat pinched
and small.

Ah, 'tis many and many a day since last I looked on Locksley Hall!

Then 'twas in the spring of life and love—ah, Love, the great Has-
been !

Love which, like the year's own Spring, is very nice—and very
green !

In the Spring the new French fashions come the female heart to
bless,

In the Spring the very housemaid gets herself another dress ;

In the Spring we're apt to feel like children just let loose from
school;

In the Spring a young girl's fancy's very apt to play the fool.

On the moorland, by the waters he was really very nice ;
There was no one else at hand, and I—forgot Mamma's advice.

He indulged in rosy raptures, heaved the most suggestive sighs,
Said the very prettiest things about my lips and hazel eyes.

All his talk was most poetic, all his sentiments were grand,
Though his meaning, 1 confess, I did not always understand.

So that, when he popped the question, I did blush and hang my
head,

And,—well, I dare say the rest was pretty much as he has said.

But I think that his abuse is really quite too awfully warm,
And to make the matter public was, I must maintain, bad form.

" Puppet"'s not a pretty word, and how he runs Sir Rufus down!
Yet a man who's not a poet need not be a tipsy clown.

Poet! That's the point precisely. Locksley could not compre-
hend

That a bard may be a bore e'en to his mistress in the end.

Geniuses are awful worries, full of fancies, fads, and fits,
And a genius as a lover drives a girl out of her wits.

Rhapsodies and raptures always form a too exciting diet;
There are moments when a maiden, though in love, would fain be
quiet.

Too high strung, and too ecstatic was poor Locksley's normal mood,
For a woman does not always want to moan and gush and brood.