The National tribune., 1884-08-14
THE FNcYIsu rRTsIs.

Which shall we choOse?"
THE ENGLISH CRISIS.
Thepolitical excitement ia England is simply
another battle in the long struggle for popular
rights which has been going ON there ever since
the Barons extorted some measure of freedom
from King John on the field of Runymede,
seven centuries ago. Every concession to pop
ular rights since then has had to be extorted
from the King or the aristocracy, sometimes at
the point of the sword, and always after a
struggle that approached dangerously near an
armed collision.
The Government of England consists of the
Queen, the House of Lords and the House of
Commons. The House of Lords is composed of
a certain number of Bishops, called Lords
Spiritual" and all the nobility of England, and
a certain number of the mobiles of Scotland and
ireland. These are called the Lords Tempo
raj" Thus it will be seen that men only be-
come members of the House of Lords through
the accident of birth and succession to titles
and estates. As John Bright stated it the
other day, they crawl into the House through
the sepulchers of their ancestors" The only
exceptions to this rule are the Bishops, and
few men in each reign who are created no.
bles, as Lord Tennyson was little while ago.
Originally the House of Lords was much
superior in power and prerogatiyes to the House
of Commons, but in the civil wars with the
Stuarts in the 18th century the Commons
gained an ascendancy over their most noble ="
brethren. which they have, continually increas-
Lords duties and powers have been mainly
confined to registering and asserting to the
House Of Commons acts. Occasionally the
Lords have been stubborn about yielding to
something which the people and the Commons
| greatly desired, when they have been over
| slaughed by the creation" Of enough of new
majority. Such an event took place in 1882
/ when, as now, the Lords strenuously resisted
| the extension of the suffrage. There were then
less than 100000 voters in the three King
dons, and the bill, which was forced through
Parliament by creating" enough new Lords to
| give it a majority in that House, increased the
number to 100000. In 1865 the number of
voters had become 10000, which was in
creased by franchise bills passed in 1868, after
another struggle, to 2,4500o0. The natural
growth has brought this number up now to
about 100000
Under the present franchise law only those
can vote who, if they live in the country, pay
rent of $50 year, or own real estate repre-
senting that rental. In the towns and Dor
| oughs householders can vote, or dodgers who
pay $50 year rent. This shuts out the vast
mass of tolerably well-to-do, thrifty and intel
ligent men living on farms or elsewhere
whose annual rent averages much less than $50
The present bill, which is earnestly adyo
Gated by Gladstone, and has passed the House
of Commons by nearly unanimous vote
merely proposes to give the people in the coun
try the same privileges which are possessed by
those in the cities and towns. Gladstone esti
Llldb tnio WILL tiu 10 buo 1lot Il
100000 voters in England, 100000 in Scotland
and 100000 in Ireland, or about 100000 il
the three Kingdoms, making in all 5000, 00'
voters for the 100000 people. This is some
what less than one voter to every seven people
In 1850 we had 100000 voters to $4,000, 0O
people, or about one to every FIVE and hal
people.
The feeling against the Lords which ha
been aroused by their opposition, is very bit
ter and the people listen quite eagerly to
proposition to abolish the antiquated and use
less trumpery of hereditary legislators"
is not at all likely that the House of Lords Wi
be done away with, for the Englishman is
very conservative person, and clings tenaciousl
to a great maay absurdities, which he abuse
just as heartily as any one. Nothing less tina
revolution can get rid of the obnoxiou
House. and this Englishmen are desperatel
afraid of. Were there quarter the excite
ment in France over q similar matter, til
House would be swept out Of existence insid
of week /; but France is not England.