Punch (68.1875)

June 12, 1875.] PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

219

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PUNCH'S ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.


peech is silvern, silence is golden,” says Diplomacy, in
Lords as well as Commons. (Monday, May 31.) Lord
Russell—famous in his own Foreign Office days for his
lively correspondence with all the Cabinets of Europe—
wanted to know what our Foreign Office has been writing
to the Foreign Offices of France, Germany, Russia, Italy,
Belgium, and other countries, since last first of January.
The “ Complete Letter-Writer ” of a few years ago desires,
apparently, to begin as the Complete Letter-Reader of 1875.

Lord Derby objects, for very good reasons, to transport the Foreign Office files into the
House of Lords. To do so would not he for the peace of Europe, or the comfort, or advantage
of any Foreign Office concerned—including our own. If the ears of its walls were once
known to leak, little would he trusted to them.

As to this last correspondence, apropos of the French “scare,” Lord Derby admits, in
effect, that the British Lion and Russian Bear have been standing side by side, as mediators
between the German Wolf and the French Lamb—calming the timid Wolf’s terrors, and
soothing the savage Lamb’s irritability.

Thanks to Lion’s and Bear’s joint good offices, the peace of Europe had been confirmed.
The Government, we are assured, has contracted no guarantees, given no pledges, done
nothing to hamper its successors. John Bull (said Lord Derby) “ approves of non-inter-
vention as a general rule, but the non-intervention he approves does not mean absolute isola-
tion or indifference to the peace of Europe.”

Perfectly true, my Lord Derby. John Bull accepts the responsibilities of a great Power.
He admits the rule, noblesse oblige—even if the obligation go the length of binding him to
uut his foot down. He understands the weakness of isolation, and the History of Holland
.as not been written for him in vain.

The Commander-in-Chief explained what he did, and what he did not, say, or mean to
say, about the troops at Aldershot. When he declared that he would be “ready to take
those troops anywhere at five minutes’ notice,” he only meant to “ express his general satis-
faction with their physical condition.” Whether even this satisfaction is to he taken as
extending to “ our hoys” of eighty-eight (F.-M.’s in particular), and our recruits of seven-

p

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teen, F. M. the Duke of Cambridge did
not say, and F.-M. Punch has reminded
him of the omission in this week’s Cartoon.

The Duke roundly committed himself to
the opinion that Conscription is out of the
question in this country. “ Patres Con-
scripti” in Parliament, if you please, but
“Filii Conscripti” in the ranks, never!
Punch is bound to say “ditto” to the
Duke. If we can’t get an Army by help of
the spurs of patriotism and bull-dog love of
fighting in the hour of need, and by the
attraction of pay, as a matter of business
in the piping and pipeclay times of peace,
we had better shut up the military shop
altogether, and confine ourselves strictly
to the other branches of shop-keeping, with
exclusive devotion to which we are, even
now, often charged. Bosh! John Bull
has always kept a serviceable shooting-iron
(long-how, match-lock, Brown Bess, En-
field, Snider, Martini-Henry, as the regula-
tion pattern might he) under the counter,
beside his yard-measure; and said shoot-
ing-iron would he as readily forthcoming
as ever, on good casus belli shown—Man-
chester, Peace-League, or any other school’s
teaching to the contrary notwithstanding.

(Commons.)—Mr. Stephen Moore (Con-
servative, returned in lieu of John Mit-
chell, defunct, and now legally declared
ineligible, both as a naturalised American
citizen, and as a convict who had neither
been pardoned nor fulfilled his sentence),
took his seat for Tipperary.

Mr. Hope means to keep the Bishops’
Bill alive on the paper night after night,
in hopes Government will give him facili-
ties for Second Reading. Has Hope told
himself two flattering tales, one, that he may
pass his Bill, the other, that if he pass his
Bill, he will get his “ Voluntary Contribu-
tions ” to pay the Bishops it will legalise ?

Mr. Hardy resumed "the adjourned De-
bate on the Exclusion of Strangers. Many
men and many minds. Colonel Mure
hacked Lord Hartington’s Resolutions,
taking both Bulls by the Horns, the one
for putting honest newspaper reports be-
yond prosecution, and the other exempting
Reporters from liability to he “ cleared
out,” except on a vote of the House, or an
order of the Speaker.

Sir Rainald Knightley; opposes. Would
leave the reports to the discretion of able
Editors (very well exercised as it is, thinks
Sir Rainald, and Mr. Punch agrees with
him), and the Reporters to the discretion
of the House (which Punch would remind
Sir Rainald has once been Biggar.)

Mr. Roebuck would have the order to
“clear the galleries” apply to every
strangers’ gallery except the Reporters’.

Mr. Hope eulogised editorial discretion.
(Is he not next door to a newspaper editor
•—a newspaper proprietor—himself ?)

Sir W. Harcourt pitched into the
Government for making the Motion a Party
one.

Mr. Horsman pitched into the Opposi-
tion for the same reason. He preferred
the old-fashioned practice. (Mr. Horsman
has always been reported at length.)

Mr. Henry withdrew his Speech-preser-
vation amendment; Lord Hartington’s
resolutions were negatived (as was Mr.
Newdegate’s amendment that the Member
moving the clearance of the Galleries
should give his reasons); and, finally, Mr.
Disraeli moved, and the House accepted,
a Motion which Mr. Punch records at
length, as the settlement—pro tem., at least
— of a vexed matter, ■which has been safely
left to the discretion of the House for many
generations of legislators, but cannot safely
he so left, it would seem, any longer:—“That