A curious sign of the times is to be noticed
in the violence with which the Radical Members have denounced the notion that there shall be a Dissolution. Indeed, the suggestion of Dissolution is, from the Radical point of view, rapidly coming to be regarded as the unforgivable sin, the thing which must never be spoken about without execration. Here unquestionably is the first symptom of that spirit which it has been noticed has always been developed in unchecked Single Chambers such as the House of Commons now is. They have always desired to perpetuate themselves and to stave off Dissolution. It will be remembered that no sooner had the Long Parliament destroyed the Monarchy and abolished the House of Lords than it began to assert its right to rule in perpetuity without any appeal to the people. Had it not been for the action of the Army in turning the Members into the street and locking the doors, the Long Parliament would have continued indefinitely. Quite apart from other reasons, a Second Chamber is needed to prevent a single dominant Chamber from rendering itself immortal and so depriving the people of self-government.
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