Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 159, December 22, 1920 — John Shaqi
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 159, December 22, 1920Various
General
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 159, December 22, 1920
Various
English wit and humor -- Periodicals
_Monday, December 13th._--Since the House of Lords took the bit in
its teeth and bolted with the Government of Ireland Bill the LORD
CHANCELLOR has practically thrown the reins on the creature's neck and
confined himself to occasional mild remonstrance when it kicked over
the Government traces. The most he could do when rival amendments were
put forward was to secure the passage of the less objectionable. Thus
when Lord SHANDON, for purely sentimental reasons--Ireland knew him as
"a most susceptible Chancellor"--desired that the unifying body should
be called a Senate Lord BIRKENHEAD laughed the proposal out of court
with the remark that "a man might as well purchase a mule with the
object of founding a stud," and persuaded the Peers to accept the word
"Council." He was at first inclined to oppose Lord WICKLOW'S amendment
providing that neither Irish Parliament should take private property
without compensation; but when he found that an old Home Ruler, Lord
BRYCE, was in favour of imposing this curb on Irish exuberance he, as
"a very young Home Ruler," gracefully withdrew his objection.
Sir JOHN BAIRD revealed the names of the members of the Central
Control Board (Liquor Traffic). The muffled groans that followed the
announcement of the first of them, Mr. WATERS-BUTLER, were quite
uncalled for, as I understand that the gentleman in question preserves
a strict impartiality between two branches of his patronymic.
Sir ERIC GEDDES was not too sympathetic to the complaints of
overcrowding on the suburban railways; but I cannot think that Mr.
MARTIN had fully thought out the consequences of his suggestion that
the right hon. gentleman should take a trip one night from Aldgate to
Barking and see for himself. Imagine the feelings of the strap-hangers
when Sir ERIC essayed "little by little" to wedge himself into their
midst.
If the Opposition desired a really satisfactory discussion on the
origin of the fires in Cork it should have chosen some other spokesman
than Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHY. The hon. and gallant gentleman was
less aggressive in manner than usual, but even so he encountered a
good many interruptions. He was answered in a characteristic speech by
Mr. CLAUDE LOWTHER; and the debate as a whole never rose much above
the level where it was left by these "Burnt Cork Comedians."
_Tuesday, December 14th._--Despite the protests of Lord BRAYE, who
demanded full self-determination for Ireland, the Peers gave a Third
Reading to the Government of Ireland Bill. Lord CREWE so far modified
his previous attitude as to congratulate the Government on having held
on their course in the face of the discouraging events in Ireland, and
to express the hope that the measure would be worked for all it was
worth, though, in his lordship's estimation, it was not worth much.
[Illustration: THE END OF THE OMNIBUS.
_Conductor ADDISON._ "A NICE OLD MESS YOU'VE BEEN AND GONE AND MADE!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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