Dr. Salter had no doubt exaggerated, but nobody can pretend
that the hundreds of members of Parliament show a complete freedom from such excesses as appear from time to time in any similar number of men in any part of the community. The truth is that there has been a steady decline of drunkenness throughout the nation. By pillorying the House of Commons, Dr. Salter made it appear, though probably he did not intend this, that the House of Commons is especially frail in this matter. Mr. T. P. O'Connor humorously said that the debate was an instance not of washing dirty linen but of dirtying clean linen. The modern member of Parliament may need occasional fortifying, but he does not, like Pitt, drink three bottles of port wine before a debate. The present House of Commons is probably the most temperate there has ever been.
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