The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-09-22
A POSSIBLE CRISIS IN ENGLAND.

A POSSIBLE CRISIS IN ENGLAND
The National Liberal Federation Of Great
Britain has issued most important mani
fesso. Il vas put forth with the knosi-
edge and consent % Mr.. Gladstone. and
IL means that il the house Of lords crowd
him to the extremity he is ready 10 move
for the abolition or radical transformation
Of the house Of lords. Mr.. Gladstone does
net propose that the will Of the people.
speaking through the elective house of
commons. shall be thwarted by body OF
hereditary legislators.
of course the house OF lords would be
succeeded by an elective second chamber
OF some sort, like cur United States senate.
Some check upon hasty legislation would
be necessary In 3 country that has no
written constitution. and in which the
veto power of the sovereign has not been
exercised since the days of Queen Anne,
and is held 10 be extingnished by disuse.
II is reported that the queen viii call for
Mr. GIadssone's resignation If he should
decline 10 advise her 10 dissolve parlia-
ment. As matter Of precedent Mr.. Glad
stone would be obliged 10 comply with
this demand, but the queen could only
avail herself of IL at her peril.
IL Is true that in 1882 when
the queen was but 20 years old.
she compelled Sir Robert Peel TO resign
By refusing to remove the ladies of her
bed chamber, but had Peel asked the
house OF commons for vote of a want of
confidence in his successor, Lord Mel
bourne. he would have obtained It and
Lord Melbourne would have Informed the
queen that her right TO choose her minis
tiers over the will Of the house of commons
was a legal fiction.
IL Queen Victoria today should compel
Mr.. Gladstone to give place to Lord Sails
bury, vote of want OF confidence would
be at once passed by the house Of COM
mons, and an appeal taken to the people
under such circumstances would be GER
tain TO result in a GIadstonian majority.
The National Liberal Federation, in its
circular, issued on tho I2th inst, boldly
says that IL Is ready TO accept the issue Of
Intending or ending the house of lords"
The throwing out of the home rule bill by
tho house of lords only serves to commend
that measure to the people of Great Brit
ain, who heartily despise the house of
lords because they are a contemplate per-
sonality. A witty Englishman once said
that ''the cure for admiring the house of
lords was to go and look at it. !" and even
as bigoted q Tory as Thomas Car
IN aff
he showed him the house of lords:
Now will you tell me you don't believe in
the devil7" The usual attendance in the
house of lords is about forty peers. but for
the purpose of defeating the popular will
some $50 were brought together to throw
out the home rule bill.
Salisbury is an able man, but he was
stupid in this instance. for he has forced
the people of Great Britain TO consider
whether the country is or is not self
governing"
Thirty years ago a brilliant. acute and
profound writer. Bagehot. predicted that
the house OF lords would lose its veto. just
as the crown had lost its veto. ''if all of
its members continue to be of one class,
and that not quite the best; II its doors
are shut against genius that cannot found
a family and ability which has not five
thousand year" Thi. same writer said
that il the house OF lords did not take
heed to itself and confine itself TO its
legitimate functions. ''its power Will be
less year by year, and at last be gone, as
so much kingly power is gone, no one
knows how"
1t is perfectly clear that the English
nation will not much longer tolerate the
existence OF hereditary legislative body
like the lords. which deIics the popular
will and leaves the popular will no direct
remedy but the destruction of the lords.
The English house of lords, with the ex-
ception of Lord North, laughed and
clapped their hands when benjamin
Franklin.was denounced before ii and
described as a thief in i77i, but 1t did not
laugh in 1888. when England concluded
with Benjamin Franklin the treaty which
acknowledged the Independence OF the
American colonies.
The rejection of home rule by the house
of lords will not disturb but only strength
en- Gladstone. who knows that the peopls
Of Great Britain are heartily tired OF this
body of etieie hereditary legislators The
next step for Gladstone after the passage
of some Necessary legislation is an appeal
10 the country" should Gladstone OBJ
tain a majority the house OF lords must
yield.
II they do not the commons woul a re-
fuse 70 vote supplies until the queen
should create new peers enough TO out
vote the present majority.
In is,}9 when the lords threw out the re-
form bill Fart Grey. the head of the re-
form ministry. obtained from King WILL
lam the Fourth a warrant for the creation
of peers enough to carry the bill. and when
this fact was known the Duke of Yelling
ton advised the lords 20 Weld ana they