Birmingham age-herald., 1894-08-26
A GROWING DISCONTENT
  Is Noticeable in the Lines of the Liberal Party,
 L4g -. ENGLISH POLITICS MIXED
 pn Both Houses of Parliament Said to Need Reconstruction. Other Gossip.
ENGLISH POLITICS MIXED

LONDON, Aug. 25. Nobody is more thankful than the ministers that the end of the legislative session has come. They are now hurrying off to Scotland and the con- tinent for rest after the exceptional weari- ness of the last week. Probably every min ister carries with him an uncomfortable feeling of having worked hard and got little thanks even from his friends. The impar- tial critics must admit, however, that the session has been fruitful Of good measures despite the action of the house of lords.
 Sir William Harcourt's budget alone em- bodied enough reform to occupy the time of a session, while the bills concerning parish councils and equalization of London rates which were also enacted are thor ouCh and useful liberal measures. Yet everybody s in bad temper and planes the ministry for his personal discontent. Many mem bers of the majority of the commons will refuse to address the voters in the fall campaign throughout the country, because the ministers have not pledged themselves to attack the house of lords and it's power to veto. Such refusals have seldom, if ever, been given before, for whatever the. discontent | n ,.ne-sifa-neIt may naVe been the ministerialists have not allowed it tol interfere with their party duties during the, recess. V
 The reason of the ministry not declaring1 it's policy against the house of lords is simply that it has none. The cabinet ~ie divided on the question. John Moriey,l chief secretary for Ireland, Henry Fowler, s secretary for India, Lord Spencer, first lord of the admiralty, and Arthur Acland are anxious to abolish the lords veto power. Lord Kim beriy, of the foreign of- flee, Postmaster General Arnold Morley, Lord Herscheii. the lord chancellor, aud the Marquis of Ripon, colonial secretary, profess radical policy.
 Lord Ro6ebery, Sir William Harcourt and MT. Asquith, the leaders in the cabi-C net, simply sit on the fence aud invite thes rest to join them there. They wish to drop the question for the present, and they un- doubtsdly have excellent reason for ignor-y, ing the issue. Some of. these reasons are purely tactical All three ministers are re- : ported to have said privately that it would be impossible to deal drastically with the lords before a measure for the payment of members should be enacted by the com- mons, or at least provision should be made 10 pay election expenses from the public funds.
 The condition of the liberal treasury is another argument for retrenchment. The party's coffers are almost empty. Very few rich men are left in the organization, and they are steadily growing fewer in consequence of the party's drift toward so- cialism. Although this drift is more nota- ble with the labor liberals and radicals, 1t is believed to be involving the other ele- ments of the organization. Heretofore the rich liberals have been in the habit of mak- ing large annual donations to the party's purse, from which the expenses of the poorer candidates were paid. They re- ceived their rewards in titles whenever liberal majority was returned. This re- ciprocal arrangement has been seriously disturbed by the importunate demsnds of the radical press for an advance pro- gramme. Probably the result of this radi- cal agitation will be that there will be plenty of liberal, radical and labor-iiberal candidates, but no money to pay their poll expenses.
 Many liberals of the middle classes are anxious for compromise program tne. Tn ey regret the increasing political diver gence of rich and poor and are opposed to the proposed surrender to the extreme el- ement in the party.
 The Hyde park demonstration against the house of lords tomorrow is mot likely to put them or the party leaders in better temper. There has been much internal pickering over the management of the af- fair. Many English radicals refuse to take part in the meeting, pretending that they need 6 rest afler the exhausting work Of the parliamentary session. The Irish conn moners who had promised to appear on the platforms then threatened to stay away un- less more English membersi should accom- pany them. The Englishmen promised sulkily to reconsider their refusal; they will go, but not willingly. The resolution which will be proposed at every meeting in the park is substantially as follows:
 "We regret that the government has. been unable to give any definite pledge as to their action regarding the house of lords. We call upon them to take imme. diate steps to abolish the mischievous and useless hereditary chamber. We call upon all electors of the United Kingdom to re- fuse to support any-candidate who will not pledge himself to advocate such steps.' si'
 The independent labor party threatens to amend this resolution with declaration that the house of commons needs reform-- ing more than does the house of lords. The executive committee say that they will not allow this amendment to be sub mitted.
 The British manufacturers of armament and amIunition resent greatly the strin1 gent enforcement of the foreign eniistment, [, act, in view of the Chinese Japanese wari It seems that both China and Japan ere ordering warships and ammunition from firms in the United Kingdom, and that each is laying information at the foreign office against the other. =
 George Nathaniel Curseon's new book on 'Problems of the Far East'' is receiv-6 ing much attention from the newspapers, as it bears directly upon many questions involved in the present war.
 Cautiously enough it is praised as highly,