Punch (60.1871)

May 13, 1871.]

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

187

PUNCH'S ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.

onday, May 1, began
a Parliamentary week
of some excitement
and some amusement.
May is held to set the
pulses dancing, and
there is no reason why
the political pulse
should not enjoy its
dance with the best.
In the House of Com-
mons-

Blarney (an Irish lady ?) says, "there is a form in these things,
Madam, there is a form."

Several topics came up in the Commons, and notices of hostility to
the Bill for dealing with our fat friend Bung were given. He is
shouting out mightily, and there is a memorial against the measure
at every public-house, so an industrious tippler can sign a great
many petitions in the course of his day's walking abroad and reeling
home. Mr. Whalley finished the evening by a row with the
Speaker—anything to put oneself en evidence. On another night
the same Honourable Member moved for all the correspondence about
Murphy , the lecturer, but did not persist in the demand after the
House had been told that the result would be a ponderous and
monstrous Blue-Book. Surely the matter may be left to the law,
which Mr. Punch hopes will be hard upon the ruffians who kicked
Murphy, whose punishment for coarse assaults on other people's
faith should have been punished only by moral kicking, such as is
administered by Mr. Punch.

Wednesday. This was the Great Day of Fun. This will be known
as Woman's Wednesday. One whose voice reminded Mr. Glad-
stone of that of a friend and colleague, the voice was the voice of
Jacob—Bright, brought on his Bill for giving Women votes at
Parliamentary elections. As every Lady worthy of the beautiful
name reads every word of Mr. Punch's, he need not particularly
invite feminine attention to the following excerpts (selections, dears)
from the very amusing debate :—
Mr. Bright hoped that the Government would leave this an open

fully but for the stu
pidity of the police

arrangements. These angered us at the time, but we are pacified
now, and smile at the recollection of the fiery furnace of a gallery
in which Mr. Punch and all the Diplomatists were roasted in a vain
endeavour to get out. He congratulates the Heir-Apparent, and
all concerned, upon the success of the day. Where the Exhibition
is, and what is in it, Mr. Punch hopes to learn at some future time.
The police kept the secret very well this Monday.

In the House of Commons there was a great fight. Mr. W. H.
Smith, M.P. for Westminster, brought on a resolution against
Mr. B. Lo-Lo's Budget. He spoke excellently. So did several, on
both sides, out of the many who let themselves off:
" Deep in the ring Bob Lowe engaged,
And, fierce, Disraeli's broadsword raged."
Your Baring, your Henley, your Lubbock, your Stansfeld, your
Harcourt, were among the combatants. Your—he shall be our
0. Morgan spoke, and happily referred to a famous contribution
made by Mr. Pepys, as part of His Diary, to this journal some years
back,_ wherein it was shown that men are often very liberal when
ordering dinner, much less so when the bill comes in—the House
readily voted armaments, but grudged taxation. There is a brilliant
future before Mr. Morgan, if he continues to study the Great
Authority on Everything. Mr. Gladstone spoke with accustomed
vigour. Shall we re-produce anybody's argument? Perish the
thought! The division was the argument, and the Government
obtained a majority of 85, 335 to 250. If it be that there are only
378 " available" Liberals, and there were 14 pairs, the party stood
loyally by its chiefs.

The Lords forwarded the Trades Unions Bills—and could get no
information as to an alleged proclamation by the Chinese Govern-
ment to the effect that they mean to repress the practices of the
agents of the Missionary Unions.

^Tuesday. In that same august House, the Bill for dealing
with the Westmeath Bing of Assassins was explained. It gives
considerable powers, and if acted upon with rapidity and vigour,
the Westmeath _ Ring will speedily be between four walls, and. the
vicious circle will thus be squared. The Lord Lieutenant seems to
have ample authority to arrest anybody who is in Westmeath,
or is suspected of having been there within a given time. Now, as
every member of the Assassins' Association is stated to be known at
the Castle, the moment the Bill passes—we suppose it would be too
dreadfully irregidar to deal a moment sooner with those whom
Lord Saxisbury very properly called Thugs—there should be a
wholesale razzia. He declared his belief that ordinary law, suited
to law-abiding people, ought not to be tried on barbarous people,
and he would give Lord Sandhurst power to stamp out murder in
Ireland as Thuggee was stamped out in India. But, as Lady

Stop! This day was
opened the London
International Exhi-
bition at Kensington.
This day twenty years
ago was opened the
grand old Show which
we shall all remember
while memory holds
her seat in this Dis-
tracted Orb {points to
head), albeit the out-
side of the said orb ; question

has been unthatched j Mr. Gladstone said "Hear, hear ! " which meant open,
for some, and whitened Mr. Eastwick supported. Women are not so turbulent and
for others, since that revolutionary as men, and all their reforms would be of the mildest
remarkable May-day ; character.

of 1851. The last | Mr. Bouverie resisted change. Women ought not to be forced
ceremonial was not into the mud of politics. Educated women did not seek the
much like the first, ; franchise, and surely we did not want to give it to the lower class
but we had a fine day, |of women. As for woman needing protection, her true protection
and everything would j was in the fact that there was not a man of forty who did not
have gone off delight- : identify his happiness and his interests with one woman, "or with
more than one woman " {laughter). Mind, this was a very sharp and
telling speech, but Mr. Bouverie ought not to have called? Mr.
Mill a crude sophist.

Mr. Scoureield could not see why the wish of the vast majority
of women to be let alone and live quietly should be set at nought
for the sake of a small set of demonstrative talkers. Some of them
he half believed to be men in women's clothes. He thought the
House should demand the photographs of the women who wanted
this Bill.

Mr. Gladstone remarked that the Bill avoided any statement of
reasons for the change it proposed. He saw the greatest objection
to the attendance of women at elections. Then, why were Married
Women to be disqualified ? He was ready to discuss the question
whether women might not vote by deputy. There was no grievance
on the part of the " upper ten thousand," but there was an increase
in the number of self-dependent women in the lower classes, and
perhaps they obtained less than justice from English law. He
thought that we struck a serious blow at the law of Marriage when
we passed the Divorce Act. He could not support this Bill, but was
glad that the activity of thought was directing itself to the adjust-
ment of the relations between Man and Woman.

Lord John Manners supported the Bill. Women ought to have
been able to express their feelings on that very Divorce Act which
concerned them so much.

Mr. Beresford Hope opposed the Bill. He had a high respect
for the women of this country, but thought a woman's tongue,
sharpened by debates and journalism, a very formidable weapon.
He would certainly keep women out of the Hurly-Burly of politics.
He gathered from Mr. Gladstone's speech that he would soon be
converted to the Women's Bights side. If single women were en-
franchised you could not exclude married women. We should have
in the House Emotional and Sentimental, rather than Logical and
Beasoning men. Our legislation would become hysterical and spas-
modical.

Dr. Lyon Playeaxr held that real " politics," separate from
party, was the science of governing, and we had no right to^ shut out
from it half the population. He disapproved of the definition of
woman's mission as being that of " making life endurable."

Mr. Henry James strongly assailed the Bill. He denied the
capacity of woman for politics. Woman's gift of sympathy made,
logic i?npossthle to her. She was utterly blind to error on the side
on which she ranged herself. He ended one of the most effective
and most applauded speeches that have been made for a long time,
by saying that the arguments against the measure would be under-
stood by aU who remembered the first words from their first in-
structress, and in maturer years had felt the influence of a pure
woman's love.

Mr. Ward Hunt supported the Bill. Women were religious,