For six years the
Tories were in office, but there was no Bill. The moment he was out, Sir
Michael was full of the best intentions. But his attempt to get credit
for other men's work was vain; for he counted without Mr. Bartley--the
gentleman whom North Islington sends to Parliament for the purpose of
impeding all useful legislation. And that Bill also was delayed.
[Sidenote: The government and private members.]
There is always something foredoomed about a night which ends in a
count-out. You can almost feel its untimely end in the air at the very
beginning of the sitting. There is always a great to-do about doing away
with the privileges of the private member, but I have never really seen
anything like a strong desire on the part of the House generally to keep
the small quorum together which is necessary for giving the private
member his opportunity. To the uninitiated, it is perhaps necessary to
say that the sittings of the House are divided into two classes--what
are called Government and what are called private members' nights.
Government nights are Mondays and Thursdays. On these days, the
Government is entirely master of the time of the House.
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