agree in any conjoined action. Even in the very large body constituting
our House of Commons, it is not infrequent for motions to be made
without obtaining a seconder. The requirement of even five concurring
members would put an extinguisher upon a number of propositions that
have at present to be entertained.

The last session (1883) has opened the eyes of many to the absurdity of
allowing a single member to block a bill. When it is considered that, in
an assembly of six hundred, there is probably at least one man, like
Fergus O'Conner, verging on insanity, and out of the reach of all the
common motives,--we may well wonder that a deliberative body should so
put itself at the mercy of individuals. Surely the rule, for stopping
bills at half-past twelve, might have been accompanied with the
requirement of a seconder, which would have saved many in the course of
the recent sessions. It is the gross abuse of this power that is forcing
upon reluctant minds the first advance to plural backing, and there is
now a demand for five or six to unite in placing a block against a
measure.

It occurred to Mr. Gladstone, during the autumn session of 1882, to take
down the statistics of attendance in the House for several days running.
His figures were detailed to the House, in one of his speeches, and were
exactly what we were prepared for. They completely "pounded and
pulverised" the notion, that listening to the debates is the way that
members have their minds made up for giving their votes.

[EXTRA-PARLIAMENTARY DISCUSSION INCREASING.]

The recent parliamentary recess has witnessed an unusual development in
the out-of-door discussion of burning questions. In addition to a full
allowance of vacation oratory, and the unremitted current of the
newspaper press, the monthlies have given forth a number of reasoned
articles by cabinet ministers and by men of ministerial rank in the
opposition. The whole tendency of our time is, to supersede
parliamentary discussion by more direct appeals to the mind of the
public.

To stop entirely the oral discussion of business in Parliament would
have some inconveniences; but the want of adequate consideration of such
measures as possessed the smallest interest with any class, would not be
one of them.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 18: _Contemporary Review_, November, 1880.]

[Footnote 19: I have often thought that, the practice of circulating,
with a motion, the proposer's reasons, would, on many