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dwelling, worked on the whole to the advantage they had some guarantees for the prompt GREAT BRITAIN of the Conservatives. The verdict was generally passage of a veto measure, Ireland would not interpreted as carrying with it no popular approve their policy. When this was brought mandate for any radical reform of the House up in the debate following the opening of Parliaof Lords. It placed the Irish party in a strong ment, Mr. Asquith denied that he had ever position, for it was not possible for the Gov- said that the Liberal Prime Minister ought not ernment to disregard them. not, therefore, settle the main questions con- obtained in advance guarantees for Parliament could to meet the House of Commons unless he had cerning England without regarding the demands tingent exercise of the royal prerogative." To of the Irish members, and the latter were not demand such assurances in advance as to a likely to support the Liberal party unless they measure that had not even been submitted was, 66 'the conreceived substantial concessions. The Irish op- in his opinion improper. The Government inposed certain clauses in the budget, especially tended, however, to present at an early date, the whisky duties, but if the Government pur- resolutions which could afterwards be embodied chased their support by giving them Home in a veto bill and this would be carried through Rule, the English voters alienated and the Lords would certainly oppose. affirmed and it was necessary for the House to were likely to be in the present session. The budget must be reIn short the election revealed a comparative deal at once with the redemption of the 1900 indifference to the constitutional question and war loan, and then the renewal of the treasury turned mainly on so-called practical issues. It bills as they fell due; also with the suppledid not seem that the Liberals could carry out mentary estimates and with certain necessary any very radical plan for the reorganization votes of supply which must be passed before the of the Upper Chamber. the Conservatives could not put through their the Labor members declared their understandOn the other hand, end of the financial year. Both the Irish and tariff reform scheme. reform movement had clearly made great head- took office they would deal with the House of Nevertheless, the tariff ing of the situation to be that if the Liberals way throughout the country. It was estimated Lords at once. that the Unionist vote was nearly eight times made clear the policy of the Government in the Liberal and Labor vote if Scotland, Ireland, this matter, moving that down to March 24 the and Wales were counted. The Labor party was Government should have all the time of the On February 28 Mr. Asquith placed in strong position by the elections, in- House for necessary business, which must be asmuch as the Government, if it disregarded disposed of before the end of the financial year. it, must have the support of either Nationalists When the House met after Easter on March or Unionists on account of its diminished ma- 29, the Government would, he said, present the jority. Soon after the elections certain cabinet lords' question in the form of resolutions dechanges were announced. Mr. W. S. Churchill claring that the Lords must be excluded from became Secretary of State of the Home Depart- financial legislation and that in all legislation ment, Mr. Sydney Buxton President of the their veto power must be so far limited as to Poard of Trade, Mr. Joseph A. Pease, Chancellor insure the predominance of the House of Comof the Duchy of Lancaster, and Mr. H. Samuel, mons in the life of a single Parliament. Postmaster General. OPENING OF PARLIAMENT. cpened by the King on February 21. The speech Chamber was contemplated and he declared that Parliament was clear that a democratic basis for the Upper also said that the resolutions were to make it from the throne referred to the consummation the Government staked its existence on passing of the South African Union at the end of May a measure that would rid the Commons of the and to the meeting of the Legislative Councils veto of the House of Lords. In the course of of India. As to the financial situation it said the debate the Government made it known that that estimates would be laid before Parliament it would not take up the budget until the Lords' in due course. last Parliament for the year about to end had days of the session were taken up with measThe provisions made by the resolutions were out of the not been acted upon. The expenditures author- ures for temporary loans to meet the financial ized by that Parliament had been incurred, re- emergencies and after some debate and critiway. The early course being had to the temporary expedient cism these financial emergency bills, the War of borrowing. naval establishment had been necessary. A substantial increase in the Loan Redemption bill and the Treasury bill, to the constitutional question it announced that proposals would be laid before the House of resolutions for the reform of the House of As were passed by the House of Lords. Lords to define the relation between the two Lords, of which the following were the leading On March 14 Lord Rosebery introduced his Houses, and to secure the undivided authority of features: the Commons in financial affairs, and its pre- Upper Chamber is not merely an integral part dominance in legislation. In the opinion of of the British Constitution, but is necessary First, His Majesty's ministers the House of Lords to the well-being of the State and the balance of "that a strong and efficient ought to be so constituted that it would adopt Parliament;" second, an impartial attitude toward proposed legis- can best be obtained by the reform and relation. The debates in Parliament soon showed constitution of the House of Lords;" third, "that such a Chamber the necessity of conciliating the Irish party to avoid a political crisis. leader of the Nationalists, had referred in a session of a peerage should no longer of itself Mr. Redmond, the is the acceptance of the principle that the pos"that a necessary preliminary of such reform speech at Dublin to certain guaranties which give the right to a seat and vote in the House he understood the Government was to obtain of Lords." The main points brought out in the from the throne for the passage of a veto bill debate on these resolutions were the increasing this year. He reminded his hearers of the criticism on the part of the nation of the prinLiberal pledge that they would not retain office ciple of heredity in the constitution of the unless they were assured that the Lords' veto House of Lords; the evident need of change would be limited, and he declared that unless in spite of the services of the Lords in the

He

past; the necessity that the House of Lords down during the present year. He said that the should reform itself in view of the Govern- Admiralty programme rested on a knowledge ment's evident intentions virtually to destroy of what the other Powers were doing and going the House of Lords, substituting for it an im- to do, and that Germany had 13 Dreadnoughts potent and mongrel Upper Chamber, which now building and had called for four more which would leave the House of Commons absolutely in might be laid down on April 1, and could be control. The Government would endeavor, it commissioned in two years and two months from was said, to pass a resolution declaring the that time. The naval administration was criticomplete domination of the Commons, accom- cised by the Labor party for its excessive expanying it by a promise of some time setting penditures, and by the Opposition for its nigup a phantom Second Chamber. Meanwhile gardliness. they would pass the Home Rule measure; hence the Lords ought at once to set about their own reform. Moreover, it was necessary, that when the Government plans were made known, the Lords should have an alternative proposal to lay before the country. The Rosebery resolutions were carried in the House of Lords on March 21.

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it was decided that the terms which were finally insist on the dissolution of Parliament at the regarded as acceptable by the Liberal leaders earliest possible moment. They held that the would not be accepted. The nature of the House of Lords, as at present organized, had a scheme under consideration was not made veto power by which they might wreck any known, but it was thought to involve a joint ses- legislation that they did not like; that the sion of representatives of both Houses in case of Upper Chamber had used its veto to destroy the a deadlock. This was said to have brought up budget and to paralyze the executive and that the question of excluding from the jurisdiction the present House of Commons was subjected of this joint session matters involving organic to the same intolerable restraint. Some of the change in the constitution, as for example, the Liberal papers charged the failure of the consubject of Home Rule. The failure of the Con- ference to the refusal of certain peers to be deference was received with relief by the Irish prived of their powers on the ground that if Nationalists, but in the country at large, great that were to be done it could be brought about disappointment and concern was manifested. only by the constituencies and not by the conTHE BUDGET. On April 14 the House began ference This, however, was denied by the to discuss the budget of 1910 and after some Unionists. In the House of Lords, Lord Lanssharp debating in the course of which the gov- downe moved a resolution, asking the Governernment was accused of buying the Irish vote, ment to submit, without further delay, the proby the promise of crippling the House of Lords visions of the Parliament bill. He pointed to so that Home Rule could be carried the Finance the fact that the House of Lords was willing to bill was passed. It passed the Lords soon after- proceed with the reform of the House, as was wards without division and received the shown by their readiness to deal with the Roseroyal assent on April 29. The second budget bery resolutions; also that if differences arose, was introduced by Mr. Lloyd-George, Chancellor means could be devised for an amicable adjustof the Exchequer, on June 30, to replace the bud- ment. He condemned the veto resolutions as an get which had failed of passage on the dissolu- incomplete attempt to deal with the matter, and tion of Parliament in the previous year. He an- as merely preliminary to a bill covering the nounced an anticipated surplus of £861,000, whole subject. He did not see why a plan could part of which would be applied to the removal not be devised whereby Lord Rosebery should of the pauper disqualification for old age pen- proceed with his resolutions and the Government sions after January 1, to local grants for the go on in both houses with its Parliament Bill. higher education and to other specified objects, He said it was not reasonable to assume that beleaving a balance of £309,000. It was necessary cause the eight gentlemen, meaning members to provide for a deficit from last year amount of the late conference, had failed to agree, Par ing to £26,248,000 besides arrears of payments liament would not agree. Lord Crewe in reply into the Local Taxation account, and the ex- said it was plain that Parliament would not penses of the current year amounted to £171,- agree and that the discussion would be an ab857,000. He admitted his failure to estimate the solute waste of time. The question of reform revenue from the whisky tax, which had been had been before the House for many years, but wrong by several million pounds. On behalf of nothing had been done. The Government would that tax he declared that there had been a great place the Parliament bill before the House, but reduction of drunkenness, which began to decline would not enter into any discussion of amendfrom the moment when the tax was imposed. ments. The Parliament bill and the Rosebery (See above, Finance). The Chancellor an- resolutions were offered in the House of Lords nounced that the Government saw its way next November 15, and the former passed its first year to start a comprehensive national scheme reading. At the session of the House of Comfor insurance against unemployment and dis- mons on November 18, Mr. Asquith announced ability on the contributory system with a liberal that the Government had decided upon a disState subvention. Recalling last year's national solution. He briefly reviewed the situation refinancial disorder he made light of what he minding his hearers that on April 14, the House called the well organized attempts at despon- had given its assent by large majorities to the dency and declared that all signs pointed to a Government resolutions upon the House of greater commercial prosperity than ever before. Lords. Thereupon the Parliament bill had been Referring to the amount of revenue that had introduced and read the first time. After some been raised during the last ten or twelve months discussion of the budget, Parliament had separhe asked what country could show such a record, ated for the spring recess, expecting on its re and what fiscal system could boast of a similar assembling to deal promptly with the constitu success. In the debate that followed, Mr. Red- tional question. Then had occurred the sudden mond renewed the protests of the Nationalists and unforeseen death of the King, which was fofagainst the whiskey duty and repeated the rea- lowed by a truce between the parties and the sons that he had formerly given for supporting holding of a friendly conference on the constituthe budget. The Nationalists upheld the Gov- tional issue. Many meetings were held and it ernment on account of the pledge which they had was not until the week before that agreement given that the Veto bill would be carried against was found to be hopeless. As to discussion of the House of Lords The Labor Party expressed the subject in Parliament, it was idle to suppose its satisfaction at the financial provisions made that when an agreement could not be reached for the removal of the pauper disqualification by the conference it could be hammered out in of the Old Age Pension act. There was also general satisfaction with the fact that no new tax was proposed. An important feature of the Government's financial announcement was the promise that it would undertake next year the readjustment of local and Imperial taxation. THE QUESTION OF DISSOLUTION. It soon appeared that the Liberal Government intended to

the din and stress of Parliamentary debate. Therefore the Government recognized that it was a matter for the electorate to decide. He mentioned November 28 as the date of dissolution Mr. Balfour in reply referred scornfully to the course of the Government in attacking the House of Lords for delaying the budget and yet now throwing this year's financial bill over to