In the Commons on Wednesday the Speaker, with whom lies
the responsibility of selecting which amendments to the Address shall be debated, made it clear that he would not select the amendment which stood in the names of Lord Hugh Cecil and Mr. J. F. Hope. The amendment regretted that the Government "do not propose to take any steps for pre- venting the growing debasement of the accustomed standard of purity in public life." We sincerely hope that, by means of the Tuesday and Wednesday ballot, or in Committee of Supply, it will still be possible to disease this question. We can assure the Government that, whatever Liberal Members of Parliament may think, there is much misgiving throughout the country about the standard of public conduct The Commons did nothing really to re-establish the standard after it had been debased by the Marconi affair. And until they do re-establish it, the spectre, which took shape in the very opportune and necessary amendment of Lord Hugh Cecil and Mr. Hope, will certainly continue to haunt them.
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