[Mr. Speaker - "Order, order." . . . Mr. Crick again rose. . . . Mr. Wood - "You withdraw the
expression." . . . Mr. Crick (excitedly) - "I say it was sent by a ____ ____ of the Telegraph.
If I get him to-night I will pull his windpipe out." . . . Mr. Speaker - "Order, order."
- A trifling incident in N.S.W. Parliament.]
[Mr. Watt rose to inform the Speaker that Mr. Sangster had called the member for Melbourne (Mr. Boyd)
a low cad . . . Mr. Speaker (hotly) - "Did you say it, sir, or did you not?" . . . Mr. Sangster -
"I did say it; I mean it. I withdraw it." . . . Mr. Boyd - "It is the beer talking." ("Chair!
Chair!") . . . Mr. Sangster - "Liar!"
- A little affair in the Vic. Legislature.]
The gentle politician is
An animal I love,
His glorious position is
So very much above
Our ordinary station, and
You've but to hear him speak,
Just hear his conversation, and
You'll be convinced he's meek.
The strongest word he uses is,
"Low cad." His verbal battery,
Unused to foul abuses, is
Inclined to flattery.
His honeyed phrases weary one
He speaks so low and pleasantly,
Tho', p'raps, if he's a beery one,
He'll call you "liar" presently.
Just watch him as he walks about,
Our legislative halls,
Just listen as he talks about
His enemy, and calls
Him names, that sound like tinkling of
Sweet vesper bells at eve.
(He'd damn him in the twinkling of
An eye if he had leave.
Oh, the gentle politician is
So very meek and mild,
His saintly disposition is
As gentle as a child,
Opponents jolt and jerk him, but
His self-restraint is grand,
A little child can't work him, but
He'll feed out of your hand.
In fact, he'll feed from any hands,
he is so very tame,
And hungry, tho' there's many hands,
Against him for that same.
I love his gentle, peaceful way,
I love to hear him shout,
But best I love the graceful way
He pulls a windpipe out.
First published in The Gadfly, 11 July 1906
Author reference sites: C.J. Dennis, Austlit, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Australian Poetry Library
See also.
