34 THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 
In the year 1888, the rules of the Imperial Parliament were 
modified, conferring somewhat arbitrary powers on the Speaker 
to close up discussion and bring the question before the House 
to an issue, and in Congress at Washington the powers con- 
ferred on the Speaker are somewhat drastic. It was the 
exercise of these powers there that secured for the late Speaker 
Reed the title of ‘‘ Czar.’’ Here we have adopted the early 
British practice and have not changed. Our Rule No. 35 
provides for closing debate and precluding further amendments 
by the formal motion, ‘‘ That this question be now put,’’ and 
if resolved in the affirmative the original question is to be put 
forthwith without further amendment or debate. But so 
unwilling is the House to limit the freedom on discussion that 
even when the debate is palpable obstruction I can recall only 
about three occasions in the whole of my experience when 
‘The Previous Question’’ was moved to close the debate. 
Mr. Speaker was created ‘‘ First Commoner of the Realm’’ by 
an Act of the reign of William and Mary, and as such he has 
precedence of all Commoners. 
Sir John Trevor was Speaker when the Act was passed 
conferring on him and his successors this dignity and he is 
notorious in Parliamentary history as being the only Speaker 
who was expelled from the House. A few years later he was 
found guilty of accepting a bribe of one thousand guineas from 
the city of London for his aid in passing the Orphans’ Bill 
through the House, and on March 12th, 1695, had to read the 
resolution condemning him, unanimously passed by the House, 
which preceded his expulsion. 
No Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons has ever 
reached that degradation, and the only member expelled was 
Louis Riel in 1874, during the North-west troubles when he 
fled from the country an outlaw. 
In the British House the practice prevails of the Speaker 
calling the member’s name who is to continue the debate, and 
the practice dates from Trevor’s time. Formerly, as is the 
practice here, the Speaker looked at the member who was to 
continue the debate, and with a slight bow indicated that he 
