In the evening sitting of Friday (March 22nd), Mr. Allen
moved a resolution in favour of paying Members of Parlia- ment, repudiating in the strongest terms the very sensible proposal to pay those who needed it and not those who do not. His tone towards the Government was, as Sir William Harcourt said, minatory and almost defiant. Mr. Fenwick seconded the resolution in a much less dictatorial speech. 'The proposal of both speeches was to defer the operation of the new system, when carried, till the next Parliament, that the Members might be free of the imputation of voting salaries to themselves. Sir Stafford Northcote led the opposition to the resolution in a very good and reasonable speech, in which he argued that Labour Members, useful and welcome as they are, would lose their special influence if they made a livelihood and an income out of political life, and that it would lower the character of the House of Commons to crowd it with professional politicians. The best private Member's speech was, in our opinion, Mr. Curzon's against the motion, in which he quoted Sir William Harcourt's speech of twenty years ago in the same sense. The Chancellor of the Exchequer admitted that he had changed his mind, and gave as his chief reason for changing his mind that the constituencies are able to form a sound judgment as to the character and motives of the men they elect, even though this temptation to earn money by politics should be added to the influences bearing on the candidates. We should have thought it impossible to assign a more unsound reason. Mr. Goschen closed the debate in a wise speech, making it quite clear that the Unionists desire to see more working men in Parliament, though they do not wish to see professional politicians there. The resolution was carried by a bare party majority of 18 (176 to 158).
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