Among the famous fountains of the world the Buxton Memorial
Drinking Fountain in Parliament Square would not till last week have ranked high. Many millions of people in these islands, even some millions in London itself, had never heard of the edifice, and yet succeeded in living contented and happy lives. But in the second week of this month of December, 1949, the fountain became suddenly the storm-centre of architectural argument and constitu- tional crisis. In the House of Lords, when the Parliament Square
Bill, which provides for the shifting of the fountain from its present site, was under discussion, someone alleged that it was not an anti- slavery memorial at all. Lord Simon sped from the Chamber to the Library, shaped an unerring course for the Dictionary of National Biography, and on its authority was able to defend the authenticity of the inscription on the fountain against all-comers. But that was the lesser matter of contention. The Lords, at Lord Simon's instance, determined that the fountain should not be shifted to some obscure and unspecified site at the will of some present or future Minister of Works. An amendment to the Bill was carried providing that the structure should only be banished by a resolution of both Houses of Parliament. That was on Wednesday afternoon. For the Government the Lord Chancellor agreed, the Lord Privy Seal (Lord Addison) agreed, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works (Lord Morrison) agreed. Some four or five hours later the Bill came back to the Commons, where the Minister of Works (Mr. Key), for the Government, disagreed, and got another procedure, which pleased him better, substituted. So here was crisis. A Minister in the Commons against Ministers in the Lords. Collective responsibility ? Who cares ? Well, the Prime Minister, I fancy, did for one. Thursday afternoon came ; the Lords restored their amendment. Thursday evening came ; the Minister of Works in the Commons explained that there had been a little misunderstanding, and moved that this House doth agree with the Lords' amendment. Motion carried, crisis ended, with volumes of scathing comment from virtuously scandalised Tories.
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