T76 



PARLIAMENT 



there ere seats to ! lill.-.l. u day is fixed for taking 

 a |HI|| of the elector* : rooms <n booths are lilted up 

 for tlmt pui|ne; each poUfalg-phM is Mipplied 

 willi lillot-lix, veiling pap'is. \-c. . iiinl picsiihil 

 uei l>v tlie returning ollie-i 01 one of his deputies. 

 Tii- elector vole- liy placing a cniM op|Misitc the 

 name of tin- candidate of his choice ; his pa|>ci is 

 frMed up liv himself ami drop|Mil into tin- l">x ; 

 elulwrnU! rules are made by the Itallot Arl. Is;-.'. 



t" pl.ltCCt ill.' secrecy III till' V.ll.' (-< lUl.I.OT). 



Any matt-rial infraction of the law in conducting 

 an election inny ! ina.li> tin' ground of ft petition ; 



pctitionei- nn> n-i|iiiied to liml security 

 for tin- cot : the |>ctition i- tri.-d liy two ju- 

 who divide Mirii i|iicsiioiis nl law mid furl as may 

 l>e raised, ili-i.-iniiiH- whether tin- |K'ison petitioned 



i-t has Ix-cn ilnlv elected or not. ami report In 

 tin' S|M-aker the result of their ini|iiiry. If UMH is 

 .11 to believe llial corrupt practices have exten- 

 sively |in>vaile<l. commission,-!* may le appointed 

 to make iin|iiiry and reitorl, and persons guilty of 

 rriniinal oHenc.-H may l>e prosecuted. The fore- 

 going rules apply to the conduct of a gOMnl 

 i>lvlion, and also to tin 1 conduct of HII election to 

 (ill a vacancy in the House of ConnOMCMIMd liy 

 death, expulsion, or acceptance nf ollice under the 

 crown. Tin- law due* not i-ermit a nicnilicr of 

 luiilinnient to resign ; if a niemlicr wishes to retire 

 be applies to the Treasuiy for the stewardship of 

 the I'liiltcni Hundreds (i|'.v. ). ami the acceptance 

 of thi- has the ell'ect of vacating liitt neat. When 

 a mciiiU-r accept^ high political ollice, aa a MOW*! 

 rule he vacates his seat, and must present himself 

 for re-elect inn. 



Mi'linif nf I'urliiunent Acl-i of Porliomtxt, 

 When the Lord*, ami Coinnions assemble at \\< -t 

 liiiiister the ( 'ominous are directed to choose a 

 Speaker. This having been <lone, ami the members 

 ot hoth House* having taken the oath of allegiance, 

 tin- causes fur whirh pailiameiit has been called 

 |HT are declared in the Kind's or t Jin-en's 



h, which is read hy the s.iv eiei-n in ]crs,in. 

 or hy the I^ord C'lianeellor in the HOVCHM^II'S 

 pr ..... nee, or hy one of the lords eoniniissioneis 

 who represent the sovcreinn in ahsence. The two 

 HOIISCM are free to take 1111 matters not laid 

 In-line them liy the crown ; MMbMM is usually 

 IH-^IIII in each House hy reading a hill ]in> furi>ui, 

 in inilcr to assert the ri^ht of free dclilieratioii. 

 Two inemliers are ch-cn in each House hy minis- 

 ters to move and wc.md an adilres- in .-uiswer to 

 the royal spee.-h : in the Commnns this motion 

 fives rise to aii aimless and diKcunive dcliate, in 

 which the whole |Nilicy of the government is 

 attackol hy tin- p|ositicni. Such are the forms 

 with which the finti mswion of anew parliament is 

 in. Each House may adjourn at it* own dis- 



m from day to day ami for the customary 

 holidays. The session COIIIHN to an end when 

 parliament is priiro^iied hy the cn. n : pioio^'ation 

 puts an eml to all si'ssl.uial unlcis and to all |>eud 

 IHX linsiness, except im|n>achineiits, writ-* of error, 

 and ap|M*als to the House of Lords. The puhlic 

 HI-IS of parliament j.a--i"l in a s<-ssion form one 

 statute, which is divided into chapters for conveni- 

 em-.- oi reference. Thus. the.')and 31 Viet. chap. 

 2"' menus the iMth clnipterof tin- statute law made 

 in a opinion which U-xan in the .'nh and roul inued 

 into the 3Ut \-ar ot iju.'en \ i.-t.nias reiyn in 

 other words, the session of IviT. < '..pies of the 

 statute are engrossed for preservation HIIIOII^ the 

 rolls of pailiami-ul, and printed copies an- scut to 

 iud^'-s and magistrates ; Imt no form of pnlilicHtion 

 IS n-i|iiiie.| to ^ive validity to a statute; all snh- 

 .-i!i.! to take note of ami iiln-y the law. 

 In applvinx the tules of n statute the courts are 

 Kuideil liy llie i 



intention expiess.il in the net itself; 

 lhc\ will nut look at the aiguiucnti or assurances 



iuldresse.1 to parliament in the course of del-ale. 

 An act come* into force as soon as it n iei\.-s the 

 royal assent, unless some other time has lieen indi- 

 c.ii.-.i in the act. It U a rule that no hill may be 

 introililci-il twice in the same cession: it has some- 

 limes IM-CII :onnd necessary to prorogue parliament 

 in older that a rejected hill may be brought in 

 axaiii without delay. 



l>irixitiH CiHHiiiilltfi. A division is taken in 

 either House hy the voices of those present, the 

 Lords cryinj; '('ontent' or 'Not content,' the 

 Comiiioiis 'Aye' or 'No.' If the Speaker's 

 decision us to the result of tba vote is challenged, 

 niemlieis iia-s nut into the lol.liies. and an; 'told' 

 or roiintcd liy ini-tiilM-is appointed for that pnrposi'. 

 In case the niimliers are e.|iial, in the Lords the 

 i|iies|ion is decided in the nej;alive: in the Com- 

 mons the Speaker {iive.s a casting vote. Matters 

 which cannot conveniently In' dealt willi in the 

 House are referred to a committee of the whole 

 House, such as has been already de>i-ril>cd. or to 

 a select committee, \\itnesses may now lie ex- 

 amined before committees of Ixith Houses on oath. 

 \\licn a private hill U sent to a committee, the 

 promoters arid opponents attend with theii counsel 

 and ageute; the inquiry partakes of a judicial 

 character. The expense of proceeding's Wore 

 parliamentary committees is very f, r reat, and many 

 projiosals have l-een mode to alter the existing 

 system : a hill was In-fore parliament in Is'.ll by 

 which it was proposed to create a local tribunal to 

 deal with Scotch private hills. In the House of 

 I '.minions there were formerly four grand com- 

 mittees, for religion, for grievances, for courts of 

 justice, and for trade. These four were discon- 

 tinued in Is:!-.': in l.SS'2 two standing committees 

 were appointed for the consideration of hills relat- 

 ing to law and courts of justice and to trade. 

 These standing committees have done less to 

 lighten the Inhmirs of the House than wits at liist 

 expected ; it is found that time may lie wasted hy 

 reopcnin;; in the House I'liestions which have been 

 already discussed at length in the committee. 



Prorogation / Dinotntitn, \\heu parliament 

 has been prorogued it may he summoned to meet 

 for another session ; the new session is opened with 

 a royal speech. When the government deter 

 mines to 'go to the country ' i.e. to hold a general 

 election, it is customary to put an end to the 

 session by prorogation, and afterwards to issue a 

 proclamation dissolving the parliament and to give 

 directions for the issue of new writs of Mimmons. 

 Dissolution puts an end to the House of Commons 

 for the time being: the members are no longer 

 addressed by the title of M.l'., and the Speaker 

 becomes an ordinary commoner. The law dii 

 that not more than three years shall elapse lietweeu 

 the dissolution of a parliament and the calling 

 of a new one ; but, inasmuch as the Commons ill 

 not vole more than an annual supply ol niom-x. it 

 is aliMilutcly necessary that there should beat i 

 one session of pailiament in each year. No parlia- 

 ment may cniluie for more than seven years from 

 the time when it is liist summoned to meet. Tri- 

 ennial parliaments were established by a law of 

 1641 ; in the same year the Long Parliament got 

 (he king to agree to a bill depriving him of tin- 

 right to dissolve that parliament without its own 

 i-on-eiit : the Tiiennial Act was repealed after 

 the restoration of Charles II., and re-enacted 

 in 1IMI4. The period of seven yeais w;i- 

 lix.il. instead of tliree years, by the Septennial 

 A.-t, passed on the accession of Qeorgt I. (1714), 



at a time when the gover cut desired to avoid 



the changes of popular opinion pioduced by 

 fn-<|uent geni'ial elections. The act is piaised 

 by some critics and at tacked by others, because 

 it makes members more independent of the 



