[From The Manx Quarterly, #10]

" The Funniest Second Chamber on Earth."

English Journalist on the Constitutional Deadlock.

Lively Criticism of Lord Raglan.

By the kind permission of the proprietors of " Reynolds's Newspaper " (London), we reproduce the following article and illustrations, by Spencer Leigh Hughes, the brilliant parliamentarian and journalist, which appeared in the last published number of the famous Radical weekly under the heading " The Funniest Second Chamber on Earth " : -

I have received some very interesting information about the deadlock in the Isle of Man from a gentleman who lives there, and who says he is proud to describe him-as an old reader of " Reynolds's." He me to put some of the facts of the Constitutional crisis that c lists now in that Island before the readers of this paper, and I will try to comply with his request. In this country about all that the average man knows concerning the Isle of Man is that Manx cuts have no tails, that Mr Hall Caine broods over the Island as a sort of patron saint, and that the emblem of the Island consists of three legs so arranged that however it may be thrown it will stand. Few people are aware of the grimly significant fact that in this Isle, which bears a name suggesting that it is the last refuge of man, the women considerably outnumber the men. The numbers at the last census were 25,496 males and 29,256 females, showing a good working majority of 3,760 for the ladies.

A SUPREME BOSS.

It is not against that preponderance that the merry Manxmen are up in arms, but against the excessive privileges or prerogatives claimed by the Governor, Lord Raglan. I should say he is the most unlimited ruler in Europe. The Kaiser is. a long way behind him so far as personal and unfettered power is concerned. Even the Tsar, now that he has a Duma to worry him, is less of an absolute Monarch. Possibly their late lamented Majesties, Theebaw and Prempeh, or that other mysterious potentate, Hokey - Pokey - Winkey-Wum, at one time King of the Cannibal Islands, may have riv ailed the lordly Raglan as Supreme Bosses; but, so far as Europe is concerned, he is first and +the rest nowhere. We know that our own Monarch still has a technical right of veto in regard to legislation, but it has not been used since 1707. Lord Raglan would not be satisfied with one veto of that sort, nor even with one veto which he might use regularly. No; he has two, and he claims the right to use them.

HAVING IT BOTH WAYS.

There may be jog-trot, stick-in-the-mud Tory reactionaries in this country who will envy the position which Lord Raglan claims. For in his dispute with the House of Keys the noble lord not only claims that he has a final right of veto over any financial motions carried in the T'ynwald Court, but he has also ruled that all motions of this sort are out of order unless his consent is obtained before their intro duction! Thus this very high-and-mighty member of the peerage can stop a financial proposal from coming on at all, and if by any chance he misses or overlooks that opportunity, he can knock the offending proposal on the head after it has been carried. I understand that the Imperial Act of 1866 gives the Tynwald Court the control of the surplus revenues, subject to the consent of the Treasury and the Governor's veto on such decision. This certainly gives the noble Raglan the right to overrule a decision arrived at-but it seems also to imply that the Court in question has a right to arrive at that decision first of all. His claim of a preliminary veto denies that right-and in this he is backed up by someone known as the Attorney-General of the Isle of Man. I hope no reader will be rude enough to laugh at such a legal luminary.

THEIR FUNNY SECOND CHAMBER. It seems that the Isle of Man is blessed with a Second Chamber-and I need not add that it backs the quaint Governor and the comic Attorney-General. My Manx friend remarks concerning this august and illustrious " Upper " House : " It is a body consisting entirely of paid officials. The British House of Lords is quite Liberal by comparison." Really, this Isle of Man Second Chamber is the funniest thing of the sort there is in the world. It is made up of eight paid officials nominated for life, six nominated by the Crown and two by the Bishop, and three of these form a quorum! Again, the Governor must choose his Executive-if he happens to want an Executive, and that is quite optional-from these nominated eight, and two of these people may constitute the whole Executive. Sir W. S. G.ilbert has missed a chance by overlooking the magnificent tomfoolery of this amazing Constitution. First, we have the august and illustrious Raglan, who can forbid the elected House from discussing a subject, or who can jump on their decisions after-wards; and in the second place, if he wants any companions to join in this lordly fun he can make an Executive out of a couple, known, I suppose, as one chap and the other chap, and the three can then have the time of their lives.

GOOD BUSINESS.

Once more the humble, lick-spittle gentlemen in our House of Commons, who kow-tow and truckle to any twopenny Torn Noddy in the Lords, or to any offen-sive heir to a peerage in the Commons, envy the state of affairs in the Isle Man For let me explain that from Governor alone, or if he likes with his pals who form the Executive, must A!! taxation and expenditure pro posals-So appropriations of revenue must be wade in the House of Keys.

No salaries or standing charges must .be discussed by the elected House. Salaries may be increased and new bbari es on the revenue incurred by the -~rnor alone.

is not quite clear why there is a+, elected at all. That House consists of tenty-four members elected by the people five years on household suffrage. There suggestion of Democratic Government this-but the elected House is powerless, and is subject to the check of being forbidden to discuss 'ng which the Governor chooses to or to have any decision vetoed it has discussed it.

T CONVENIENT.

•gain, as I have shown, any two hers of the Upper House, known as Council, sitting with the Governor,

itute a quorum to pass or reject any tion, and any two members of that together with the Governor may the Executive. Nor is that all, for newed not be known who the two forming Executive are, nor are they respon-to either House for advice given. two are unknown and almighty! our good and noble friend Raglan as Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Monev Bill can originate in the Lower

without his consent. In a word, House of Keys is utterly helpless, and tirely under the gubernatorial thumb. uld think that in these circumstances Manx M.P. is not likely to give him-any airs or to be guilty of swank. He make speeches, I suppose, but how can promise his constituents that he will anything? At every turn in his career is met by the lordly " No you don't "

of the presumably all-wise and the cer-tainly all-powerful Raglan.

* *

RAGLAN'S VIEWS.

When this remarkable man took up his position in the Island in 1903 he said its financial position was sounder than that of any other portion of the British Empire-and this I am told is quite true. At the same time there is no direct taxation, every halfpenny of revenue being raised by indirect taxation, which is a much more convenient method, so far as the authorities are concerned. And now, for some reason or other, he bewails the poverty of the Island as an excuse for not permitting Old Age Pensions to be established. It seems that an Old Age Pension scheme was drawn up, and the House of Keys proposed additional taxation in the form of estate duties to meet the cost. His lordship thereupon immediately doubled his Estimates to make it appear that the policy could not be afforded! Our noble backwoodsmen must envy such a free and easy condition of things, and possibly some of the noblemen who are pretending that they would like to reform our House of Lords can get a few hints from the lordly Raglan. He is a member of our House of Lords, and he ought to come over here and give the peers the benefit of his advice.

RAGLAN ON PENSIONS.

During the discussion on Old Age Pensions in the Isle of Man the noble lord made a valuable speech. He remarked-

Some people think they have a right to a pension. No one comes into this world with a pension label attached to him.

Lord Raglan is quite right in regard to the absence of labels when .z man is born. I am told that he and his family have a right to speak as experts in regard to pensions-but apart from that, who comes into this world with a label attached to him giving him the right to be a legislator ? This doctrine that people's rights depend on labels attached to them at birth is rather a dangerous one to be preached by a peer.

ASKING FOR REFORM.

Now, the people of the Isle of Man are asking for reform, and I am not surprised. There are some funny Second Chambers in the world, but nothing in any other country is quite so funny as the eight nominated legislators who form the Council in the Isle of Man. Lord Raglan has shown a great interest in the antiqui-ties of the Island since he became Governor, and he not unnaturally has a profound regard for this little collection of survivals of ancient custom. They are entitled to the protection of the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Monuments. But, while a joke is all very well in its way, you may carry a joke too far, and it seems to me that as at present con-stituted this collection of eight paid and irresponsible fixtures has ceased to be a joke.

SHAM HOME RULE.

I have heard the Government of the Isle of Man described as a specimen of Home Rule. As to that, I notice that Mr Samuel Norris said, a few weeks ago, at the Douglas Progressive Debating Society: -

What is this system of Nome Rule? A system wherein we are just playing at government; a system in which we are asked not merely to impose on outsiders, but to impose on ourselves. An imitation, a mockery, and a sham.

No one who has read what I have said about that system will feel inclined to call tbat statement in question. The elected House, which is supposed to enjoy Home Rule, cannot begin to do any financial work if the Governor says " No," and even when it has been allowed to go through the farce of debating and carrying a proposal, the great and wise Lord Raglan can in a minute undo all they have done. The House of Keys, with its present limitations, might just as well meet for the purpose of giving recitations and singing songs, with Lord Raglan in the chair to direct their festivities. It is to be hoped that the British Government, which has been appealed to, will see that this ludicrous tomfoolery is ended and superseded by a system that at least is sane.

- Reynolds's Newspaper, March 18th, 1911.