§ SIR THOMAS ACLANDSir Thomas Erskine May, in obedience to Her Majesty's gracious Message it is now our duty to perform the first act which devolves upon this branch of the Legislature in the new Parliament. We are called upon to make choice of a proper person to serve the Office of Speaker, and to present that person so chosen for Her Majesty's gracious approbation. It has devolved upon me, by the kindness of others, to have the great honour of proposing a Member of this House for such acceptance. I am well aware, Sir Thomas Erskine May, that there are Members here who, though I entered this House 43 years ago for the first time, have on the ground of long, unbroken, and continuous experience far greater claims than I have to this honour; but I will cast myself entirely on the indulgence of the House, and hope that they will permit me to perform the duty which I have undertaken. Sir, I have the honour to propose to this House the election of the Eight Hon. Henry Brand as Speaker. Mr. Brand, Sir, was elected for the first time in the middle of the Parliament in the year 1872, on the retirement of the late Lord Ossington— Mr. Evelyn Denison, the name by which he was better known and endeared to many of us. Indeed, in saying that I cannot but say as much for the distinguished nobleman who before that was our Speaker, and now sits in the Upper House of Parliament. Mr. Brand was proposed by the noble and learned Lord (then Sir Roundell Palmer) who now sits on the Woolsack in the other House, and seconded by an old county Member of great experience, Mr. Locke King. I well remember the terms in which Sir Roundell Palmer, in beautiful language, put before the House the qualities of a true English gentleman. He said it was the pride of this House that it conducted all 6 its functions in the true spirit of English gentlemen. Sir Roundell Palmer, I am sure, was too well acquainted with the Constitution of our country to claim for this House any aristocratic position, whether it be the aristocracy of birth, of wealth, or even of talent or virtue. This is the Commons' House of Parliament, and we are the Constitutional voice of the common people of England; but everyone who has sat in this House, and especially in recent times, knows that while this House enjoys the confidence of the common people of England, the people themselves are capable of sending to us men who are in every sense—in the best sense at least—true English gentlemen; and that these qualities, be they in persons of high birth or of humble origin, are appreciated both in this House and by the people of England. If, Sir, the absence of self-assertion and a consideration for the feelings and convenience of the House and of other persons and a high sense of honour be the characteristics, or some of the characteristics, of English gentlemen, they are sure to command the respect of this House and of the country at large. Now, Sir, it was on this ground especially that Sir Roundell Palmer rested his case in presenting for the acceptance of this House the right hon. Gentleman whom I hope I may without presumption call my Friend, Mr. Brand. There are other circumstances in reference to the Gentleman who is to preside over our deliberations which might be mentioned; but I think it is better for me on this occasion simply to recall to the recollection of those who have sat in this House some of the points which were mentioned by the Proposer and Seconder of Mr. Brand. I remember that they spoke especially of his large knowledge of the Traditions and Usages and Forms of the House; of his great acquaintance with the Private Business of the House—not by any means the least important of its duties, though we do not see so much of them now as we did formerly. They spoke of those qualities which might seem to be almost inconsistent—great firmness, great decision, great promptitude, and at the same time great urbanity, courtesy, and frankness. And, further, under the peculiar circumstances under which Mr. Brand was nominated and kindly accepted by this House without exception, they spoke of his undoubted 7 impartiality, and of the experience which, even in his official life, he had acquired of the personal feelings of Members of this House. I remember Sir Roundell Palmer used this expression—that he hoped that the day might never come when a person who had served the Crown in high office would be disqualified for the highest honours of this House. He said—"The office shows the man," and those qualities we believe will be found in the Speaker. It is not for me to pass a eulogy on Mr. Brand out of my own head. I appeal to the action of this House. I appeal to its corporate impartiality, which has been shown in the way in which it dealt with Mr. Brand in the commencement of the last Government in 1874. It was then that a Member representing the largest agricultural county in England (Mr. Chaplin), supported by a noble Lord who had a long acquaintance with the peculiar local business of which he was so great a master, and whose absence on this occasion we must all regret (Lord George Cavendish), proposed from opposite sides of the House the reelection of Mr. Brand. All I have to ask of those who sit in this House not for the first time, has Mr. Brand, or has he not, fulfilled—has he not even surpassed the expectations which were formed of him when first elected to the Speaker's Chair, and re-elected to that position by the Conservative majority of the last Parliament? There are some other considerations which might be brought to bear upon the question; but I will not detain the House longer. I might refer to the names of some of those who are absent, and who have contributed much to the advancement of the Business of the House, especially that part of it which does not require the presence of the Speaker. We have a great many new Members in this House, and I hope I may be forgiven if I say that if they wish to make themselves acquainted with the Business of this House, there are two things to which they should pay special attention—one is to master the Customs and Rules of this House, and the other is not to leave the House at the dinner hour. Not that I object to dinner, but that it is, while the House is sitting in Committee on great measures, that, in my opinion, we may all learn to be useful even in a humble way. Many of those who have 8 taken an active part in the affairs of this House, and in the Committees upstairs, are no longer among us; and I see in that an additional reason for hoping that the House will give its unanimous support to the right hon. Gentleman who has gained and deserved its confidence. This is a many-sided and critical Assembly. It is very quick to detect any self-assertion, and I think we owe a great deal to the admirable personal qualities of my right hon. Friend for the tone he has given to the Business of this House. May I venture to say one word to those who sit here for the first time? May I just say that while you, Sir Thomas Erskine May, and your respected and worthy Colleagues, are always ready to render us your assistance and to supply us with that information of which you have so large a store, there are occasions when it is important to seek the opinion of the highest authority in the House, and I may tell those who now sit here for the first time that they will find Mr. Brand always accessible, and that they will find his knowledge, discretion, and advice of inestimable value. I remember that Mr. Brand, when he submitted himself to the acceptance of this House, reminded it of a happy phrase of the late Prime Minister, who said that the Speaker of the House of Commons ought to have the purity of an English Judge and the spirit of an English gentleman. Mr. Brand, in submitting himself with great humility to the judgment of the House, said he hoped, if he possessed such qualities, he might rely on the generous confidence of this Assembly of English gentlemen. There are times when great demands will be made on the Speaker's patience. Some attempts may be made even to question his authority. Mr. Brand knows that his authority will depend upon the support of this House; and I believe that, as an experienced swimmer rises upon the crest of the wave, so will Mr. Brand, if elected, be able to rise to every occasion through your support and confidence. I have the honour to move—"That the Right Honourable Henry Brand do take the Chair of this House as Speaker."
§ SIR PHILIP EGERTONSir Thomas Erskine May, having enjoyed the honour and privilege of a seat in the House of Commons for a longer period than anyone sitting on this side of the House, 9 and, with the single exception of the hon. Member for Glamorganshire (Mr. 0. Talbot), for a longer period than any Member on that (the Ministerial) side of the House, I hope I may not be accused of presumption in accepting the honourable post of seconding the Resolution which has been so eloquently and so ably proposed by my hon. Friend the Member for North Devon. If I were addressing any other Assembly, or speaking on any other occasion, I should be disposed to rest my advocacy of Mr. Brand's claims upon the personal regard and private friendship which has so long subsisted between the right hon. Member for Cambridgeshire and myself—a friendship which I highly appreciate; but I am aware that on a solemn occasion like this—electing a Member to preside over our Councils in obedience to the command of the Royal Commission—private considerations should be put on one side, and that this question must be treated on public grounds, and on public grounds alone. Since I first entered this House in 18301 have had the privilege of serving under five Speakers— Mr. Manners-Sutton, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Shaw Lefevre, Mr. Evelyn Denison, and Mr. Brand—and my observation during that long period has been that year by year the labour has been increasing, that lately the increase has been rapid, and that for the last few years the duties which have devolved upon our late Speaker have been more arduous, delicate, and irksome than any which have fallen upon his Predecessors. I am aware that I am addressing many hon. Members who enter the House for the first time, and who have no personal experience of the mode in which our Business is transacted. Fortunately the public Press is so organized that every gentleman may make himself acquainted in the public journals with the deliberations and debates which take place in this House, and even the most careless reader will see that of late years a new species of Parliamentary tactics has been adopted which has most materially increased the labours and the responsibilities of the Gentleman who presides over us in the Chair. It is quite impossible for anyone from a mere perusal of the public journals to form an adequate conception of the great amount of mental strain and physical endurance which are necessary for the discharge of the duties 10 of the Speaker. In addition to the higher functions of preserving the honour and dignity of the Chair and of the House, and the Privileges of its Members, and of maintaining the prescriptive laws which regulate its order and discipline, there is the physical labour of occupying the Chair night after night, often for 10 or 12 hours in succession, to be vigilant and watchful through long and tedious debates, to hear long and tedious speeches, platitudes, and reiterations, very often with only a mere handful of Members in the House; to be ready at any moment to check any transgression of the Rules of Debate, and to take notice of any un-Parliamentary expression which in the exuberance of eloquence or in the heat of Party politics may fall from any Member; to be ready to reply with promptitude and decision to any appeal that may be made to him on points of Order. These are no light duties to undertake. When we add to them the extramural duties of the Speaker, this House will see that in electing a Speaker of this House we are imposing upon the Gentleman who undertakes that duty a most responsible, laborious, and constant task. I appeal most confidently to those Members who are present who were Members of the late Parliament to agree with me in the assertion that in all the labours and difficulties of the last Parliament the late Speaker discharged all the duties incumbent upon him with great promptitude, great ability, and great impartiality. I am perfectly well aware that on former occasions the election of Speaker has been made the occasion of Party strife. I do most earnestly hope that nothing of that kind will occur today. I appeal to this House from the experience they have had of the right hon. Member for Cambridgeshire and of his qualifications, from their knowledge of the admirable manner in which he has discharged his duties, to pass this Resolution by a unanimous vote. I trust that no adverse voice will be raised, and that we shall reinstate the right hon. Gentleman in that Chair which he has so long filled to the credit of himself, to the satisfaction of the House, and to the advantage of the Public Service. Before I conclude I may perhaps be allowed to congratulate the House and the country that the right hon. Member for Cambridgeshire feels himself able and will- 11 ing again to undertake the duties of the Office if it should be your pleasure to reinstate him. It is in the full confidence that you will do so that I have the greatest possible pleasure in seconding the Resolution.
The House then unanimously calling Mr. BRAND to the Chair—
MR. BRANDstood up in his place, and said: Sir Erskine May, my hon. Friends who have brought my name under the favourable notice of the House have spoken of me in terms far exceeding my deserts. I have had the honour of occupying the Chair of this House now for two Parliaments; and this is the third occasion on which this House, in its indulgence, proposes again to place me in the Chair. The question naturally arises within me—how is it that I am preferred for so much honour? and I can only explain it by the reflection that ever since I have been a Member of the House—now over 28 years—and in every capacity in which I have served this House, the guiding spirit which has animated my conduct has been a loyal attachment to this House. My first consideration has ever been the honour and character of this Assembly, and I trust that I may not be deemed presumptuous by saying to the largo number of new Members who now for the first time have gained admission to the House that if they wish to succeed in the high career before them they should be always animated by a spirit of loyalty to this House. The powers and consequent responsibilities of this House are constantly increasing. This House is looked up to not only by our Colonial fellow-subjects as the parent of their popular Assemblies, but every Nation of the world now treading in the path of Parliamentary government watches our proceedings with interest. It is for us to set an example of freedom and order in debate, which are the life-blood of Parliamentary government. I owe much 'to this House, and certainly I feel strongly that I cannot adequately discharge the obligations I owe to it; but if this House desires that I should once more resume the Chair, so long as it pleases God to give me health and strength I will endeavour to do my duty. I respectfully and humbly submit myself to the pleasure of this honourable House.
§ MR. O'DONNELLSir Erskine May, I rise on the present occasion as a Member of that third Party in this House whoso concurrence will probably be found to be more and more advisable in most matters of importance as Session is added to Session, and I rise for the purpose of bearing my humble testimony to the universal respect in which the Right Hon. Henry Brand is held. No one is filled with a more sincere appreciation of the fairness, equity, and impartiality of the right hon. Gentleman than I am, or than are those who have sat along with me, and worked along with me in former Sessions. It is not my purpose to intrude any lengthened observations on this Assembly; but merely as a Member of the Irish Party I beg to say that we Irish Members respect Mr. Brand quite as much as those English Gentlemen who have proposed and seconded this Resolution, and as those others whose votes will carry him to the high honour of being the Speaker of this Assembly.
The House then again unanimously calling Mr. HENRY BRAND to the Chair, he was taken out of his place by the said Sir THOMAS ACLAND, and the said Sir PHILIP EGERTON, and conducted to the Chair.
Then MR. SPEAKER ELECT, standing on the upper step, said: I have to express my sense of the great honour which the House has been pleased to confer upon me:—And then sat down.
And then the Mace (which before lay under the Table) was laid upon the Table. Then—
§ LORD FREDERICK CAVENDISHsaid: Sir, in the unavoidable absence of the Leader of the House and many of its most distinguished Members, the honour has most unexpectedly fallen on me of expressing to you, in the name of this House, its congratulations on the high honour to which, for the third time, you have been unanimously called. I am glad to think that I need not trouble this House at any length, because one word would sum up the feelings of respect at all sides of the House towards yourself. Those of us who had the honour of a seat in this House during the last Parliament know well the manner in which the Privileges, and the dignity and honour of this House 13 have been maintained by yourself. I am sure that, in the name of every Member of this House, I can promise you our most cordial support in the discharge of your high functions. Not only is every Member of this House who has the honour of your acquaintance animated with feelings of the deepest respect, and I may almost say of affection, for you; but there is not one that does not feel that the honour and dignity of this House are as important to himself as even to you, and that that honour and dignity cannot be preserved unless this House gives you its most cordial support. I am sure I again express the heartfelt wish of this House when I wish you health and prosperity—long to live to preside over the deliberations of this House in the same manner as you have done in former Parliaments, and to which ample testimony has been already borne. I will only add that this is to me a most unexpected honour—it is to me the most gratifying event of my life that it should have fallen to me by accident, as it has done, to be the instrument of expressing the feelings of this House towards you, because ever since I have taken a part in politics I have had the honour and pleasure of your friendship.
§ SIR STAFFORD NORTHCOTESir, I feel it is quite unnecessary that anything should be added to the words that have fallen from the noble Lord, or, indeed, to those which have fallen from the Proposer and Seconder on this occasion. I am quite sure that all those who have had the privilege of serving in this House of Commons under your presidency in the last and preceding Parliaments will require no words from anyone to express their sense of gratification at finding that you are again able to undertake the duties which you have so well discharged in former times. Sir, when we listened to the only too accurate description given by my hon. Friend the Member for West Cheshire (Sir Philip Egerton) of the great labour and great anxiety which is the lot of the Speaker of this House, and especially of late years, we could, hardly help feeling that it was not so much a matter on which we ought to congratulate you as one upon which we ought to congratulate ourselves and the House at large that those duties have been again undertaken by one so competent to discharge 14 them. But I feel that though we have cause to congratulate ourselves, and though we have cause to feel grateful to you for undertaking this work, we are also in our right in congratulating you on the honours which you have won for yourself by your conduct in this House in that Chair. It is no small distinction in these days of frequently heated debates and Party strife, and of great labour—it is no small honour to have won so completely and so thoroughly as you have won the confidence of both sides and all quarters of this House. We have always felt that we might rely not only upon your great knowledge and experience, and upon your excellent judgment and readiness to deal with every question that might arise, but that we might also rely upon that absolute and strict impartiality which has been the great and distinguishing characteristic of your presidency in this House. Sir, I trust that we shall during the length and course of this Parliament see you able to continue to discharge these duties; and I can undertake to say, speaking as I can venture on the present occasion, for the whole House, and not any particular section of it, that you will find on the part of every Member an earnest and heartfelt desire to cooperate with and sustain you in the discharge of the duties you have undertaken. I join most heartily with the noble Lord, and I am sure with the whole House, in offering you their congratulations on the honour you have received at the hands of the House.
§ Motion agreed to.
§ House adjourned at Three o'clock till To-morrow.