THE MOTION FOR A NEW HOUSE OF COMMONS— PERSONAL BEHAVIOUR
OF THE MEMBERS.
THE vote of the House of Commans on Tuesday last, by which Mr. HuatE's motion for a new House was rejected by a decided majority, virtually declares that one half of its members are gene- rally regardless of their duties to their constituents. For it was asserted, that the present building, which will only accommodate 324 members, was quite large enough for 658 members; because only half of them attended, except on very particular occasions. We should not have been surprised by the use of this argument in the old Borough Parliaments, but the presumption on which it proceeds is disgraceful to one which pretends to represent the Na- tion. Yet this was the reason which Lord ALTHORP gave fur voting against Mr. HUME.
If wholesome air is preferable to bad air—if order and decorum are better than " shoving in and shoving out"—if it is the duty of members of Parliament to attend to the business intrusted to them by their constituents—if common sense is to prevail over mere prejudice—then the present House of Commons ought to be aban- doned for a convenient and spacious building, in which the na- tional business may be transacted in decency and comfort.
The debate which ended in cushioning Mr. IItTmE's motion, for the present session at least, was in every point of view disgraceful. The members were noisy and inattentive; the arguments of Lord ALTHORP. and Sir ROBERT PEEL were utterly valueless, and de- livered by the latter in an impertinent and contemptible tone, which deserved a more severe reproof than it obtained from Mr. HUME. Sir ROBERT pretended that he (lid not know who the Chairman of' the Committee was! although he was himself a member of that Committee, on the face of whose Report the name of the Chairman was moreover inscribed in the usual way.
No assembly of decent mechanics in the country would be guilty of the indecorums which are constantly committed in the House of Commons. The decencies of civilized society appear to be totally disregarded there. A few nights ago, one of our grave legislators amused his brother members by "crowing like a cock ;„ and there was a regular chorus of scraping, hissing-, and shouting, when Mr. POULETT Sc000g rose to speak upon a finan- cial subject which he understood, though his audience did not. Colonel DAVIES might well say that he was ashamed of the beha- viour of the House. Sir Rontiner PEEL himself acknowledged, that there was "a great deal of talking, incessant buzz, cough- ing, and very ungraceful attitudes” among the " master spirits of the age," as he sneeringly denominated the members of the first Reformed Parliament. Mr. WARBURTON declared, that "lie was never in the House two hours NViillOnt undergoing bodily torture." Now the first step towards a remedy of this state of things, would be to provide decent accommodation for those at least whose sense of duty will not permit them to be absent at important discussions and present. only when a party vote is to be given. This first step, it seems, is not to be taken. Our representatives prefin dirt and darkness to cleanliness and convenience—a noxious vapour-bath to a well-ventilated apartment ; and to this sage decision they are conducted by the leaders a the Whig dild Tory partiog, Lord ALTHORP and Sir ROBERT Pgitt.
The close of the present session will really be a subject of cod. gratulation to every wellwisher to his country. Every additional vote passed seems to cause add,tional disgust to those who ex- peeted the new Parliament to turn over a new leaf in their mode or conducting the national concerns.
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