The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-07-14
lathe HOUSE OF PEERS DOOMED

,,~.vol and on the election may depend the
,..,,;on vbs.be, Great Britain is to continue
n tho future TO have hereditary House OF
| p.s-s as one branch Of her law-msking power.
Much ~ what we are about TO write IS no
doubt very familiar to the learned. but Tor
Tho benefit of some Of our readers who are
not familiar with the facts we shall without
o,o,oov state such elementary matter a. IS
necessary for fully understanding and appre-
ciating the case.
Mr.. Gladstone. leading the Liberal party
proposes to give to England local fariiA-
rnent and Home Rule. The great body OF the
| Conservative people OF England, including
the great bulk OF the peers. look upon this as
a dissolution OF the Union and as the hrst
step towards the disintegration of the Brush
Empire. They look on it as the great BODY OF
| tho people of the United States would view
the attempt to legalize the secession Oh Mas
sachusstts from the Union.
So alarming to the Conservatives OF Eng
land is the Home Rule proposition that 1t IS
believed the House of Peers will refuse 10
pass the Home Rule bill when It has passed
the House of Commons. and then England
will be confronted with an emergency which
her well-wishers would contemplate with inc
most acute anxiety.
Whilst. under the British constitution, the
House Of Peers has had an immemorial and
prescriptive right. not founded on statute
law. however. to sit as one branch OF the law
making power, the majority in the House OF
Commons IS looked on as representing the
majority of the people Of the king
dom and the sovereign is expected
TO appoint the leader OF that ma
iority Prime Minister, who is thereafter prac-
tically the real sovereign. The nominal
sovereign must recommend to Parliament all
measures which the Prime Minister brings
forward and make all appointments 10 office
which he recommends. 1t is the prerogative
of the Crown TO create new hereditary Peers,
and the King must create all the Peers that
the Prime Minister asks for. II is darkiy
limited that if the House Of Peers refuses TO
pass the Home Rule bill Mr.. Gladstone as
Prime Minister will demand that Her Majesty
create sufficient number OF new Peers TO
swamp the present House and pass the bill
over their objection. The Queen may. OF
course, refuse to make the appointments
and then indeed will Englsnd's 'heart-of-oak"
institutions be put to strain that will make
mankind shudder. But she would probably
accede to the demand, when the question
would at once arise, is there any longer an
effective House of Peersf This crisis has
been once before upon the English people,
and their constitution survived IL; but 1t was
in day when education and liberal princi-
pies were far more restricted than now. and II
this thing happens now it will probably be
the end of the House of Peers 40 political
fcctor in the affairs Of the world.
In the first thirty years of this century the
English people we're engaged in struggle.
which was faint echo Of what the French
people had Just emerged from and which bad
many features in common with tho struggle
now being made by the American people
against the Carnegies and other protected
monoposts. They called their struggle
movement for reform and the repeal OF the
corn laws. The reform part OF the movement
was to give the body of the people representa-
ton in the House Of Commons. The corn
laws feature was to repeal those protective
statutes, which gave English landlords
monopoly of what the people had to live on
The bill passed the House of Commons. but
was rejected in the House Of Lords.
The Ministry demanded of the King-Wi-
liam IV.-that he should create enough new
Peers TO pass the BILL He refused and they
looked for civil war. The tension was so terri
BILE that William broke down under 1t and
sent for Grey and Brougham, the Ministers
who had madeIthe demand, and agreed to make
the creation. Broughan, who knew the
vacilIating character of his man. would
accept nothing short of written agreement,
the suggestion of which shocked Earl Grey.
But Broughman was obdurate and left their
presence with this document
The King grants permission to Earl
Grey. and to his Chancellor, Lord Broughsm,
to create such a number of peers as will be
sufficient to ensure the passing of the Reform
bill. first calling up peers eldest sons. Will
liam r., May II, 1892"
The Lords yielded and the bill passed with
out the creation of the new Peers.
The peers have really had no power from
that day to this but if the same act is re-
peated it will be the end of that venerable
old landmark. to be followed by consequences
that no man can foresee.
That charming humorist, Mr.. W. S. Gilbert
tells us in 'Iolanthe"
when Wellington thrashed Bonaparte,
As every child can tell,
The House OF Peers, throughout the war.
Did nothing in particular,
And did IT very well"
There was no malice inths. II came from
one who has an affection for England's old
institution as deep and tender as any that
warns an English heart. And when the
nobility is gone. it will be remembered of
them forever that whenever Englsnds dig
nifty or safety needed heroic spirits to defend
| the one or maintain the other, she always
called upon her Peers, and never called in
| vain.
| The rottenness of an industrial civilization
whose standard Of merit is money not honor
can never degrade the English race and
subordinate everythiEg-pri sspirs-
tions, sentiment. and ALTO the corrupting
sway of money. until it shall have overthrown
and Frustrated the peerage of that little sea-
| grit land
FEW PLAIN WORDS TO THIRD PARTY.
lies
Colonel Charles T. 0'Ferraii, according to
O. Washincton disnatch IL ranortad ss gu WING