SCENE IN THE ADELAIDE PARLIAMENT.

Evening Star, Issue 3069, 19 December 1872, Page 3

SCENE IN THE ADELAIDE PARLIAMENT.

The Adelaide correspondent of the Argus , writing under date the sth inst., says “ The formal Act of prorogation, which took place on Saturday, was preceded by occurrences unique in the history of the legislation of South Australia, if not absolutely unprecedented in the Parliamentary annals of the Colonies. I have already made you acquainted with the fact that the two Houses have been at loggerheads over the question of the right of the Speaker of the Assembly to present bills at the bar of the Council, and that the Executive have blundered fearfully in their attempts to bring about a reconciliation. On Saturday, the Speaker, having forwarded to the Governor a list of the bills he wished to have supplied to him, waited as usual for them to be returned. The Houses met at two o’clock, and after spending half an hour in promiscuous discussion, adjourned until 3, the time appointed for the prorogation. Instead of the Governor appearing at that hour, the aide-de-camp presented himself, and delivered messages announcing that His Excellency had been pleased to assent, in Executive Council, to a long list of bills, the titles of which were set out. This proceeding was so unusual as positively to stagger the members of the Assembly, who for a minute or two sat looking at each other in mute bewilderment. Mr Bon cant was the first to recover his presence of mind, and be cautiously asked the Speaker whether he had any announcement to make respecting so marked an innovation upon the ordinary practice. Sir George professed himself profoundly ignorant, and an appeal was then made to the Treasurer, who pleaded his inability to understand why objection should be taken to a course which, although unusual and unprecedented, was perfectly legal and constitutional. This evasive reply, evidently given with a view of gaining time, only made the House more clamorous for information, and the Speaker was plied with questions, the answers to which disclosed the fact that amongst the bills assented to were some which Sir George had marked as being money bills, and therefore proper for him to present. Whilst the discussion was proceeding, the messenger from the Governor —Black Rod—arrived, and after announcing himself by giving three feeble taps entered the House, and, in defiance of the efforts of the Sergeant at-Arms to restrain him, and of members of the House to drown his voice with cries of “ Order,” delivered the customary summons to members to attend the Governor in the Legislative Council chamber. As soon as the Speaker could gain a hearing, he declared that no message from the Ci own had been delivered, as no order for the admission of the messenger had been given. This announcement extorted loud and prolonged cheers, and a motion was made by Mr Bo’icaut that the doors be locked until some explanation had been obtained of the extraordinary action of the Executive. Then followed an excited debate, and a scene of confusion such as has never before been witnessed in our well-behaved Legislature. Mr Hughes, amongst others, sprang to his feet, and, gesticulating wildly, protested agdnst such a deliberate affront being offered to his Excell mey on the eve of his departure from the Colony. The prevailing feeling, however, was evidently against his view, and in favor of sifting the whole matter to the bottom. Mem her after member rose, and whilst emphatically disclaiming all idea of disloyalty or disrespect to the Queen’s representative, protested against being entrapped into assenting to a course of procedure that was utterly unwarranted. The indignation felt at the conduct of the Government was intensified by the discovery that no bill whatever, not even the Appropriation Bill, had been returned to the Speaker. The Treasurer was evidently unprepared for the storm of censure that burst upon him, and although he made one or two weak attempts at remonstrance, they were scarcely listened to. Presently the disturbance took a new phase, and matters were quickly brought to a crisis. Immediately upon the withdrawal of the Governor’s messenger, the Speaker had given orders that the front lobby should be locked, but in the confusion the fact of his having done so escaped notice. When at last it was ascertained that he had given such an order, two or three members rose to protest, and about half a score others took up their hats and essayed to leave. Finding that they could neither bring about a count-out, nor wait upon his Excellency in the absence of the Spsaker, they returned to their seats, but were presently startled by a thundering knock atthelocked door, followed by two or three other blows of so vigorous a character that the lock gave way, the door flew open, Messrs Reddoek and Mortlock—two well-to-do squatting members—entered the House, and acknowledged that the breach had been made by them. Their violence was too much for the nerves of the Speaker, and the Governor’s messenger reappearing at this juncture, Sir Georg* gave orders for his admission. The commands of his Excellency having been repeated, the Speaker, amid the vociferous objections of members, left the chair and proceeded to obey the summons. Whilst this exciting scene had been proceeding in the Assembly, some interesting by-play had taken place in the Council. The Governor with his staff entered the chamber a few minutes after three o’clock, and having despatched Black Rod to order the attendance of the faithful Commons, settled himself comfortably down in the chair of state. For two or three minutes he thus sat, ignorant of the reception that his messenger had met with, and evidently wowlcrisg why bis summons bad Rot

been obeyed. At the end of five minutes Black Bod reappeared, and reported in a whisper how he had been served. The Governor's face fell, and a sympathetic seriousness seized the members of the Council, who had been sitting with a singularly puzzled look on their faces. Presently His Excellency hastily withdrew, followed by his suite ; but where they wont no one even took the trouble to ascertain. In the course of a few minutes he returned, and ordered another messenger to wait upon the refractory members of the Lower House. His arrival at the door of the Assembly was simultaneous with that of the two doughty lock-persuaders, Messrs Mortlock and Reddock, and. as I have already stated, his message the Speaker deigned to hear. Sir George is blamed on all sides for haying thus incontinently abandoned the position taken up by him in the first instance, .and his excuse that he was fearful of disturbing his Excellency’s arrangements for leaving by the next mail, is rega r ded as an exceedingly lame one. Had ho stood firm, it is more than probable the Ministry would have had a short shrift, and as it it is they may rely upon being brought to account on the first day of next session, however long they may put off the meeting of Pa> Lament.