The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-03-02


loudly cheered this afternoon as he
entered the house of commons.
The speaker put the question, that
the house of lords amendment to the
local government bill be considered.
Gladstone rose and addressed the
house in his full, resonant voice, bar
ring a slight huskiness, but with mar
Vicious energy and vigor He said, the
government felt that the operation of
sending and resembling a bill from one
house to another had continued long
enough. loud cheering) To continue
the process would be the loss of dignity
of both houses and the government had
decided to stop the operation and take
decided course The government had
the choice of rejecting the house of
lords amendment, abandoning all hope
of passing the bill, or accepting it
under protest with the hope of soon
reversing it. The government had
adopted the latter course. (Cheers)
Gladstone continued: I'VE have now
reached an acute stage. 1t appears
that the lords desire to annihilate the
whole works of the house of commons.
In regard to the present bill the gov
eminent desires to save something
from the wreck. 1t has therefore ac-
cepted the amendments, but with the
declaration that the differences be-
tween the houses are not temporary or
casual. This state of things I am
compelled to say, cannot continue.
prolonged cheers.) An issue has been
raised between the assembly elected by
the people and an assembly occupied
by many men of virtue and talents of
a
issue must go, no doubt, to a higher
authority than that of the house of
commons, namely the authority of the
nation (cheers), which must in the last
resort decide at once. (Renewed cheers
and opposition cheers) When that
judgment is to be invited is a question
which the government alone can de-
eide"
Gladstone closed by asking the house
to accept the lords amendment.
Hon. A. j. Balfour, the conservative
leader. rose. amid cheers, to reply He
said Gladstone's speech was a. declara-
ton against the ancient constitution of
the realm. He asked why the govern
ment did not start an agitation against
the house of lords, when the latter re-
jected the home rule bill? That bill
convinced the country that legislation
must be controlled by a chamber which
AT the conclusion of BaIfour's speech
the amendments were agreed to-273 to
37-and the house adjourned
There was a state of feverish excite
ment throughout the debate and the
strain was apparent in the faces of
Gladstone and other members of the
ministry. While Gladstone was talk
ing it was whispered on all sides that
the great liberal leader was making
his last speech to the commons. His
delayed attack on the lords delighted
the radicals and Irish
During the session Chancellor Har-
court announced that the government
had no information which would lead
it to believe that the government de-
sired the reassembling of the monetary
conference. The British government
did not intend to make such proposal.
Later, Balfour remarked that those
who believed in the ancient constftu-
ton looked forward without dismay to
the fight which the government had
announced. They firmly believe the ma
ton was convinced the lords had vim
Dictated their confidence of the coun-
try
Lord Randolph Churchill said the
declaration of war was made upon the
spur of the moment and founded upon
the slender basis of Gladstone's de
nUnciation of the whole house, and the
proclamation of a long and protracted
agitation throughout the country for
the abolition of the lords was absurd
and there was no justification for hold
ing up the lords to the execration OF
people, and there was no more fatal
scheme for any party to advance than
the destruction of the lords.
Samuel Storey. a Sunderland radi-
Ical, regretted the government had ac-
Icepted the lords amendment and ex-
pressed the hope that Gladstone was
lin earnest in his declaration in regard
to the lords as, according to the speak
er, he would have plenty of men be-
l. hind him in the country.