HIS FIRST VOTE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1851, 10 September 1913, Page 8

HIS FIRST VOTE.

LORD ISLINGTON'S LAPSE. IN THE LORDS. On the occasion of his first vote in the House of Lords since his elevation to the peerage, Lord Islington committed an oversight which raised certain interesting points—lie voted without having first taken the oath. His apology was accepted at once, but, says the "Westminster Gazette," although members of the House of Lords have , frequently been guilty of the oversight in question, tho matter has not always been got over,so easily.' The law provides that any member so transgressing is subject for every such offence to a penalty of £500. In the same way any member of the House of Commons who votes or sits during any debate after the Speaker has been chosen without having taken tho oath, is subject to a like .penalty, and his seat is. also, vacated in tho same manner as'if lio''were dead. There uro at least four precedents for Lord Islington's mistaken vote, those of Lord Winchilsea in 1820, of. Lord Ilarborough in the same year, of Lord Scarborough in 1841, and of Lord Byron in ISBp. In each of tlieso cases'the Standing Ordors of tho Lords were set aside temporarily in order that a Bill of Indemnity against any possible penalties might be passed through the House in one day. A similar Bill was also passed througli the Commons, and, in the first three eases, did. so without question and witji amendments only verbal. Tho case of Lord Byron, on the other hand, raised considerable discussion in the Commons. There were many complaints that the dignity of the House had not been sufficiently observed, that no one had seen the Bill, and especially that it was passed through all its stages at two o'clock in tho morning, when less than a score of members were- present. Mr. Gladstone made a conciliatory speech, and it was announced on behalf of the Government that it would bo considered, in the case of any future Bill of the kind, whether more time might not be allowed for the Commons' discussion without prejudice to the Peer concerned. —"Westminster Gazette."