PARLIAMENTARY MUDSLINGING. A Privileged Pastime.

Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 64, 21 September 1901, Page 8

PARLIAMENTARY MUDSLINGING. A Privileged Pastime.

VISITORS to the "House might leasonably of late be surprised to hear that the gentlemen sitting beneath them were the Ministers of the Ciown and the lepresentatives of the people Were they told that those gentlemen were membeis of some Mock Parliament, met together for pure fun and the entertainment of uncritical friends, they would probably leadily believe it It is as absurd as it is undignified foi the grave and levei'end seigniors to act m the puerile fashion they have adopted The Legislative Council and the House of Representatives are established for the purpose of transacting the business of the countiy, and for members of either to go off at a tangent when the least opportunity offers to call each other names and impute the basest motives to each other is certainly undignified and a little ridiculous « * * The lecent scene between Mr. J Allen and the Premiei is a case in point No good end could possibly be seivcd by the grave accusations of the formci As a mattci of fact they were transparently absurd How anyone could seriously entcitam them- least of all a levelheaded man like the mcmbei for Biucc we aic quite unable to undci■^tand The necessity of leplying to siu h ihaigcs, the time taken up in useless discussion on the maitei, the puerility of the attack, the eventual withdrawal of the chaige that the Premier's political ambition was the cause of the death of seveial returning soldiers, formed a nights performance quite unworthy of the exalted positions the people s repicsentatives occupy The withdiawa! was the only lcdeemmg featuie about it * * * Noi is this the only deploiable instance of the disposition of the eountvy s v eprosent at 1 v cs to c ast th cir lesponsiblr duties aside foi bitter personalities One has only to look at the daily paper lepoits of Paihamentary doings to appreciate to what an extent the evil obtains Intemperance ot speech, the use of which would be extremely bad form outside Parliament, is common withm, and the people who are not amused wondei why matters of the kind arc not settled in the lobby, and not dragged into the light of day and "Hansaul * * * If New Zealand is to set an example that its legislatois allege it is now doing, the said legislators should use a mental blue pencil a good deal before submitting their speeches to the House and to the people Pailiament is not a cheap vanet\ enteitamment, neithei is it an aiena wheie personal wordy conflicts should be fought If the people want amuse-

nient or sensation they generally pationise a vaudeville show 01 a football match. The opening of old wounds is to be deprecated , the people do not want it, and should the delectable luxury of defaming each other s characters still continue m the House, doubtless, at no distant date, when members are anxious to return to the arena, the people may show that the interests of the community aie more to them than the somewhat undignified quarrels of then representatives