The sun., 1893-09-10

The Lords Reject Home Rule.
II was an enormous majority by which
the House OF Lords on Friday threw out tho
Home Rule BILL for the Unionists outvoted
the friends OF the Government by more
than ten TO one There seem to have been
two reasons for the unusual measures
taken by Lord SALISBURY to secure the
attendance OF his adherents In overwhelm-
ing numbers. One was the belief natural
enough in a peer and great landowner.
that his order still exercises much influence
upon English public opinion. and that the
influence would be deeper In proportion to
the energy and approach to unanimity with
which it's views should be expressed. The
other motive was the wish to reduce to an
absurdity the threat OF creating new peers,
by showing that the creation would need
to be carried out on such an unheard-of
scale as to nearly double the number OF
members in the upper chamber.
SO far as Lord SALIsBURYs course was
prompted by the last-named motive. 1t
seems to have been sagacious The vote
stood 419 to Al. and 1t follows that 979 new
peers would have to be created In order to
overcome the opposition. IT Is certain that
Queen VICTORIA would recoil aEhast from
such q proposal. even IL Mr.. GLADSTONE
should make 1t, which. OF course. Is most
improbable. Thus the extraordinary result
of the division on Friday night may be said
to have freed the Unonists from the fear OF
being overborne by newly created peers. as
were the Whig Lords in the reign OF ANNE.
There Is a precedent for adding a dozen
members to the upper House for the pur-
pose Of carrying a particular measure: and
the precedent might conceivably be held to
Justify the accession Of two or three score;
but TO create. at one stroke. three or four
hundred peers. In order to pass single bill.
would make every one concerned ridiculous.
Wemay take for granted. then. that Mr..
GLADSTONE will not follow the precedent
set by Lord BoLINGBRoKE. and invoked.
though not actually applied. by Earl GREY
In 1882. but will deal with the Lords quite
as effectually In another way. He will take
his own time about dissolving Parliament.
and, although tho consideration OF his ad-
vanced age may incline him not to post
pone a, general election beyond the next
0pripg or summer. he will see to 1t that
most OF the pledges made in the Newcastle
programme have first been fulfilled. SO far
rs titles with the House Of Commons to full
al them. 1t really matters very little. from
q political point Of view. whether the Lords
sanction or reject such measures as the EN-
pIoyers' Liability bill and the Par
ish Councils bill. In either case. Mr..
GLADSTONE will get the credit Of doing
everything In his power to satisfy the most
urgent demands OF the trade unions and
the agricultural laborers. II on the ensu-
ing appeal to the people he again obtains a
vno itx,o ~ tho ponca NJ ha will
ut once introduce the Home Rule bill anew.
probably in precisely the same form as it
now wears. in order to minimize the pre-
texts for debate. Sent up second time to
the Lords. it will. we presume. be allowed to
pass. the Unionists either absenting them
selves or declining to vote. For the Union
list peers to reject the bill a second time.
after general election turning on the
home rule issue. would be an act Of suicide.
Public opinion would then justify Mr.. GLAD
STONE in resorting to precedent furnished
IN the history of the Long Parliament. and
In introducing resolutions to the effect that
tho House Of Lords. having outlived its USE
fulness. and no longer discharging any
function except that of thwarting the ma
tion's win. ought TO be. and is. declared
abolished. Having passed such a resolu-
tion. the House OF Commons could enforce
It by refusing to recognize the existence Of
the upper chamber. That Is the way the
House OF Lords was dealt with by the peo-
PIES representatives, two hundred and forty
odd years ago.
Scarcely any one doubts that Mr.. GLAD
!. STONE will win at the next general cleo
t!on. provided he adheres to his present
programme OF first carrying through the
House OF Commons q number Of measures
calculated to meet the wishes Of the Eng
lish people. AS the chances are. there
fore, that tho Lords will have to swallow
the Home Rule bill in the end. they could
doit with better grace. 1t may be thought.
had they suffered their chamber to be
divided more equally when they threw
out the bill on Friday That Is true
enough. The prestige and dignity OF the
peers will be- impaired by the discovery that
their imposing demonstration against home
rule was, after all. a sham. But Lord SAILS
BURY seems to have thought that OF two
evils this was the less. the thing to be
avoided at all hazards being the creation OF
considerable body OF new peers. BY the
course which he pursued on Friday he has
kept the House Of Lords intact. and COM
PEELED an appeal to the constituencies.
The Revolt In Brazil.
A popularity of the republics to the south