The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-01

Who Are Heirs to Peerages at the
! Back Of the Measure-The House of
Lords to be Depleted Of It's Ablest
Men if the Bill Becomes Law.
Copyright 1894, by the United Press)
London, March 31.-The suggestion of
/ tpe destruction the House of Lords
as a hereditary legislative body,
is rapidly gaining strength, and
is in much more vigorous condition
than its most ardent supporters have had
reason to expect. William Broderick,
member Of parliament for Surrey; Sir
George Nathan Cursor, member Of par
lament for Southwest Lancashire;
and v Miner, member of parliament for
West Edinburg, all heirs of the pcerage,
/ are living in daily dread of their elevation
to the upper house, and, to mitigate their
fate, they have prepared a bill, noticeof
the introduction of which they have given,
10 change the present order Of things,
which removes member from the House
Of Commons upon his succession to the
peerage. The bill prepared by these gen
tlemen provides that any person elevated
TO the peerage shall have the option of
remaining in the House of Commons, if
he be a member Of that body at the time
of his succession to the House of Lords,
or of offering himself as a candidate for
election to the House of Commons in
preference to the seat in the upper house.
DIsREPUTE OF THE LORDS.
No more striking proof of the growing
disrepute into which the House
Of Lords has fallen has ever been
afforded than is found in q public
appeal which has Just made its
appearance in the columns Of a lead
ing monthly magazine bearing the sigma
lures of the gentlemen who are pro-
noting the anti-hereditary legislation
bill just mentioned. Through the
death of another, these gentlemen set
forth, mans political existence may be
terminated in a moment and he be con-
signed to burial alive in the House of
Lords. His translation to the upper body
causes the world at large to regard him
as very fortunate individual who has
inherited one of the highest of gifts:
whereas, in reality he is the helpless
victim of an accident of birth. In some
countries in the east, the article goes on,
it is the custom to execute criminals CON
demned for heinous Offenses by
immuring them within walls of clay
England treats her peers in a manner
similar to the punishment inflicted upon
these malefactOrs, but, even so, the con-
demned felon has the better of it. He is
walled up so tightly that he is physically
sutfOcated within a few hours and his
misery ends. In the case of the peers
they are condemned TO a walling UP that
intlicts political strangulation upon the
victims for the remainder of their lives.
WIDESPREAD COMMENT.
The announcement of the provisions of
the proposed bill and the publication of
the appeal signed by the trainers Of the
measure have excited widespread COM
ment. The radicals admit that if the
bill were to become a law it would deplete
the House of Lords of all of the ablest
men in that body and leave it without a
shred of political vitality, but they also
contend that the House will still
be able when their hereditary
privilege should be assailed to offer
as much resistance TO the House of
Commons as they are enabled under
the present condition of things.
MEN WHO WOULD COME OUT.
The conservatives also recognize the fact
that the measure would have tendency
to deprive the upper house of such men
as Lord Salisbury, the Duke of Devon
shire, Earl Rosebery, the Earl of Kim
berry, the Duke of Argyle,
Earl Spencer and other peers
of conspicuous ability. and such
deprivation would inevitably lead to the
extinction of the House of Lords as a
legislative body. They are mindful, too
of the indisputable fact that whatever
authority, legislative ability and states
manship still appertains to the House of
Lords is due to the presence in
that body Of statesmen who have
received their training in the House
Of Commons, and many of them
admit that if peer were permitted to go
before the country as a candidate for a
seat in the House of Commons, the very
next election after the passage of the bill,
would find every one of the recognized
leaders of the House of Lords seeking the
Endorsement of the voting classes for
seat in the representative body.
AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CALENDAR.
The bill will have very small chance
of being discussed in the House of Com
mons during the present, but that will do
it no harm. Now that its purport has
been made public, it will receive enough
attention In the columns of the news
papers and on the platforms at public
meetings to prevent its becoming a dead
issue before the House of Commons can
reach it, The measure obtained place
very near the bottom Of the calendar and is
far in the rear OF mass of public and
private bills that must be disposed of be-
fore 1t can be taken up. The possibility
is suggested, however, that before MIR
Broderick becomes Lord Middleton, Mr.
Cursor succeeds TO the title of Viscount
Scarsdale, and NiscOunt Wolmer becomes
Lord Selborne, their proposal may become
embodied in drastic law abolishing the
veto powerof the House of Lords The
radicals will raise no objection to
peers sitting in the House of Commons, if
the law that permits them TO sit as com
moners also destroys the principle of
hereditary legislation Both Messrs.
Broderick and Cursor are exceptionally
able men, and each aspires to the occupa-
ton of higher office. Mr. Cursor even
entertains the ambition to become the
conservative leader in the House of Com
mons.
SEALS OF BERING SEA.