A SUBSTITUTE FOR PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES ON PRIVATE BILLS.
THE present system of transacting Pmate Business in Parlia- mentary Committees, is felt as an enormeus evil by all who ail not sharers in the plunder which it is the means of extorting from the bona fide applicants for legislative aid, who swarm about the precincts of the house of Commons, at the mercy of counsel, solicitors, engineers, and corruptible or incompetent Re- presentatives of the People. It is needless to enter into the details of the nuisance; they have become familiar to multitudes this session. Ask any agent for a Railway or Water Bill, how it happens, that after spending the whole spring in town, he has returned with no Act, or one which is worse than none? Ask him to account for the enormous sums he has disbursed, and to explain an item in his bill which is equivalent to that of in the question submitted to them, the Committee, anxious to get
rid of the trouble and responsibility of giving a decision, crush, as THE NEW OPERA.
Committee, they would be scouted and turned out of court at once : Sonnarebuia. but not so here—the honest scheme finds members equally honest smacks strongly of the Sorry or " the Wells," and, probably, proceeds to patronize it, kteping the bond fide applicants in hot water for from the poet in the employ of those theatres. Jules de Montag non many days, to obtain for the pseudo-applicants the chance of an and Isoline are mutually enamoured: the former is kidnapped into the
unjust advantage. French army: he deserts—is captured, and sent to Guiana ; whither.
These are some of the consequences of the existing system of in the guise of a sailor, Isoline follows him : again he deserts, and transacting Private Bill business. They directly affect individuals escapes with Isoline to "the deserts of Guiana :" here they are both and associations of individuals; but the general legislation of the nigh to perish, when a regiment commanded by the Marquis de Cha- country also suffers by it, to an extent which few people are aware of. teau-vieux (the former rival of Jules de AIontagnon) passes near the Members are worn out with attemptiug an impossible attendance on prostrate and perishing lovers,—they are relieved, pardoned, and ren- Committees. They are fagged and bewildered in concocting, defend- dered happy.
ing, or exposing and resisting, jobs of all descriptions. They have The music is neither better nor worse than we expected from Hr.
not the time or the inclination to attend to public business. Hence superior to that opera as far as MA URBAN makes a so. It has a strange the slovenly and disgraceful manner in which it is conducted. medley of style—a little English, more Italian (modern Italian), most Important bills are discussed in the presence of fifty or sixty French. It has one pleasing song, one that will bear transplanting ; and weary Members; and various measures which are necessary to as this will be often heard, its popularity is certain : but, except this. the wellfare of millions, and which are the proper and legitimate the opera has no attractive vocal features. The value of an opera, now- SlibileiS of Parliamentary debate and legislation, are either never a-days, consists in its adaptability for quadrilles; and this Baur:seems attempted, or lazily thrown aside. The Lords will have the same to have studied diligently and successfully. We shall not hear any of excuse this year as the last for throwing out ,the few national mea- the Maid of Artois in the concert-room, (except Prina.les's song,) but sures which will reach their House,—namely, that they received WEIPPERT will soon treat us with a set of the " Artois Quadrilles." them too late in the session. " The critics will be hunting, as before, after the author's borrowings It would therefore be a great error to suppose that the blunders, and stealings ; most, if not all of which, we believe to be undesigned. jobbing, and injustice daily committed by Private Bill Committees, A musician with a ready pen and a retentive memory, who has resided are some years at Milan, picks up a set of phrases and passages which he re the sole evils of the present system. The interests, political calls ideas : he is furnished with the words of an opera, and these are and commercial, of the nation at large, and its foreign depen- pressed into his service. Ile does not copy note by note ; but his dencies, are injuried by it to an incalculable extent. The eon- treacherous fingers, when he sits down to the pianoforte, fill on these ccrns of this vast empire would afford ample employment for all passages ; and he calls this composing. This is the way in which modern the working men in the House of Commons, were legislation on Italian operas are written ; and in like manner is Mr. BA LEE'S produced. Private Bills entirely taken away l'o,n1 them. We are aware that It is clever—skilfully laid out—well put together—sparkling and ex- such a proceeding would find little savour among Members of the citing—btu nut original. There is not a thought which conies freshly House of Commons, who keep up their interest in the country by upon the ear ; and, according to the plan of the writers among whom activity on private Committees; many of them being absolutely Mr. BALI'S: has recently lived, this deficiency is compensated by abundant incompetent to the conduct of any thing higher or better than a noise. Like the French operas, it abounds in choruses, and the songs job. But we must not allow the interests of the country to be are few. Much of the action of the piece is carried on by singing ; and as
longer sacrificed to the self-importance of these gentlemen. MAMBA AN happened to be the only singer who pronounced her English
Matters have come to that state which requires a separation of the almost entirely of recitative. It was intended to be fine, but even Private from the Public Business of Parliament. Unless such a Mammas: could not save it from being ridiculous: she and her lover change shall be effected, the Representatives of the People will faint and revive by turns, and at length perform a fainting-duet. With fall into utter contempt. Most seriously has the character of such a singer, Mr. BAILEE ought to have produced something better, if Members, individually and in the aggregate, been injured by the he could. She, not the composer, made the part ; no one else will ever hurry, neglect, and incapacity manifested in the progress of their venture to play it. legislative labours. It is more than time that efficient means The first performance of an opera at our theatres is little more than were taken to reform the present system. it rehearsal ; and, of course, there were several inaccuracies and imper- il does not appear very difficult or dangerous to transfer the feetions, which will vanish by the end of next week ; for "the opera, business now transacted by Private Comn:ittees to kcal and c:Iii- (letiuss, us anticipate Mr. BUNN'S bill,) having been received with en- petent tribunals. A Board or Council of experienced persons thusiastic applause by the most discriminating and crowded house ever might be elected for each county by the rate pay ers ; their duties assembled within the walls of this theatre, will be repeated every even- and powers to be strictly defined by Act of Parliament. To these " secret service-money" in a Finance Minister's Budget ? He Local Councils might be referred schemes or propesa's for build- will tell you, that he frequently found it impossible to bring a ing bridges, chartering harbour, deck, water, gas, and other corn- quorum of his Committee together in time for making any way panies, for making roads, canals, and railways. As the three with the examination of his witnesses; that when lie had secured latter would frequently pass through several counties, the Councils a decent attendance of members, his counsel was not forthcoming; of the counties interested might appoint delegates to meet and that if, by good luck, his counsel and Committee were in readiness, act in their behalf,---thus obviating the necessity of introducing his engineer was elsewhere engaged; that, owing to the multipli- separate measures into each Council or Board. Questions of pro city of the demands on their time, the majority of the members of perty, where the parties disagree, should be determined by a court the Committee gave no attention to the matter referred to them ; of law. There should also be a right of appeal from the decisions that they were perpetually impeding business, ir. foolish sug- of the Councils, in case of an alleged abuse of their powers, and gestions and questions, secret divisions and CV L hultations —too not to the House of Commons, (for that would be a revival of the many of them acting as the tools of individuals, or seeking to evils which it is sought to obviate,) but to a legal tribunal ; which, snake terms for themselves. The delay thus occasioned would with the Act of Parliament for its guide, should give a final deci- of course swell the agent's bill to an amount that might well sion on disputed points. alarm his employers. Upon looking further into the disburse- Such a plan as this, we are convinced, would be practicable ; ment side of the account, it would be seen, that land held by although, of course, there would be difficulties in putting it into noblemen or gentlemen possessing Parliamentary interest, was operation—as what new method is without difficulties to begin with ? worth ten times as much in the market as that held by John But it must be recollected that the evils of the present system Styles, or any other clodhopper; that, in fact, votes were bought are enormous, intolerable, and growing. Parliament is unable to in the shape of land from dissentients,—an indirect mode of discharge the duties imposed upon it : the plain remedy is to bribing, scarcely less disgraceful to the parties than the gift withdraw a portion of those too burdensome duties. Nobody will of shares, or of hard cash to Members; though shares and cove- say that the general legislation of the empire is to be transferred reigns hare been given to buy support or neutralize opposition. from Parliament to other hands : it remains therefore to find an- After all this expenditure, it will probably happen that the other tribunal for the discharge of the Private Business, which agent shall come home with a long bill, but no Act in his port- now overlays the proceedings of the House of Commons. Will manteau : and lie will truly account for his failure by stating, that they who object to our simple and apparently feasible suggestion, having, as he supposed, smoothed down every obstacle, and favour the public with something better? It may be said that it completely satisfied every member of the Committee who had is dangerous to give power to men necessarily imbued with local attended its meetings, an influx of memla is utterly ignorant and prejudices and having local and personal interests. To this we regardless of the merits of the question, had overpowered the reply, that the Parliamentary Committees are influenced by working minority of the Committee, and voted that the preamble local and personal prejudices and interests ; but against the
Previous page
