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14
THE ELECTIONS TO THE
'Concilium Hebdomadale' must,
Consumed and conquered, be consigned to dust[1]!
And here I must relate a little fable
I heard last Saturday at our high table:—
The cats, it seems, were masters of the house,
And held their own against the rat and mouse:
Of course the others couldn't stand it long,
So held a caucus, (not, in their case, wrong:)
And, when they were assembled to a man,
Uprose an aged rat, and thus began:—
'Brothers in bondage! Shall we bear to be
For ever left in a minority?
With what "fell unity of purpose" cats
Oppress the trusting innocence of rats!
So unsuspicious are we of disguise,
Their machinations take us by surprise[2]—
Insulting and tyrannical absurdities[3]!
It is too bad by half—upon my word it is!
- ↑ 'This conviction, that while we have Elections to Council we shall not entirely get rid of party organization and its evils, leads me to venture a step further, and to raise the question whether it is really necessary that we should have an Elective Council for legislative purposes at all.'
- ↑ Sometimes, indeed, not being informed that the wires are at work, we are completely taken by surprise.'
- ↑ 'We are without protection against this most insulting and tyrannical absurdity.'
