43 8 And the House of Commons f 



able, if there were no impediment in the House of Commons 

 itself, to put through the business of the country as well as 

 the members of the House of Lords. 



When a man of this class, especially the creator or head 

 of a famous mercantile concern, is introduced to us as a fit 

 and proper person to represent us in Parliament, stress is 

 always laid on the advantage which the country will gain 

 by its business being always under his practised eye. He 

 enters Parliament, and, no doubt, looks into the colossal busi- 

 ness of the country, and perhaps calls attention to methods 

 which, if applied in his own business, would, he thinks, lead 

 to bankruptcy. We wait and look anxiously for some of 

 the effects promised at his election ; but we wait in vain. 

 When he comes down to address us in the recess he tells 

 us to wait a little longer. 



The determining advantage which the House of Lords 

 has over the House of Commons in matters relating to the 

 despatch of business is that it is exempt from the disturbance 

 produced by general elections. This permits its members to 

 do their work, whether legislative or administrative, according 

 to their ability and their conscience. 



If Parliaments were elected for seven years certain, there 

 would be no excuse for a member of the House of Commons 

 not attending solely to his public duties. It is the feeling 

 that at any moment the caprice of a Prime Minister may 

 spring an election on the House and people, which unsettles 

 the members, and deprives the people of the advantage of 

 at least nine-tenths of the useful energy of every House 

 of Commons. 



If the disease has been thus correctly diagnosed, there are 

 several treatments which would promise beneficial results. 

 The most radical would be to abolish elections altogether. 

 But it is doubtful if the patient would be able to support 

 anything quite so radical. 



A milder and more conservative treatment would be to 

 let the member who has sat in two consecutive Parliaments 

 be ineligible for the third. In the first Parliament he would, 

 as at present, work mainly for his re-election. In the second, 



