e would be no change, and since, _teste_ Lord SALISBURY, the
House does its work admirably, why should there be?

Remembering a famous speech on the presumption of certain organs
of the Press, the Commons were not surprised to learn from Mr.
CHAMBERLAIN, _a propos_ of the beer-tax, that he is not responsible
for what may appear in _The Times_.

There is still something of "the eternal boy" in Major WEDGWOOD
BENN. It was with an air of "Now I've got him" that he propounded the
question, "Is paper a raw material or a manufactured article?" But
Mr. BRIDGEMAN can always solve these Cobdenite conundrums, and quietly
replied, "Both." Whereupon Major BENN, with an engaging blush, retired
from the fray.

In moving the second reading of the Aliens Restriction Bill the
HOME SECRETARY said that, while national safety must be the first
consideration, no unnecessary hardship should be inflicted on our
foreign immigrants. But his proposal that the Government should rest
contented with its present powers for another two years met with
little favour from Members whose knowledge of history seems to date
from 1914. In the opinion of Mr. BOTTOMLEY, who led the Opposition,
every alien was _prima facie_ undesirable; Sir ERNEST WILD, from
his experience in the criminal courts, took the same view, and
patriotically demanded the exclusion from our shores of persons whose
principal occupation, we gathered, was to furnish him with briefs
for the defence; and Mr. JOYNSON HICKS, Mr. BILLING and Sir R. COOPER
urged that the SHORTT way with aliens should be made considerably
shorter. Before this massed attack the HOME SECRETARY gave way and
agreed to reduce the operation of the Bill to one year.

The temperature of the House rose so appreciably during the debate as
to upset the nerves of some of the ladies in the Strangers' Gallery.
At least that is the charitable explanation of the behaviour of Miss
SYLVIA PANKHURST and her friends, who interrupted a discussion on
soldiers' pensions by shouting out, "You are a gang of murderers!"

_Wednesday, April 16th_.--A crowded House, the Peers' Gallery full to
overflowing, the HEIR-APPARENT over the Clock, and the new Editor of
_The Times_ among the representatives of the Press--the PRIME MINISTER
could have desired no better setting for his speech upon the labours
of the Peace Conference. His original intention was to hold his forces
in reserve and invite his critics to "fire first," but, as none of
th