New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-07
A LIBERAL WHIP.

prNINISCENCE AND A FORECAST:
,n EDWARD MARJORIBANKs IN THE
HOUSE OF COMMONS AND LORD
rwEEDMOUTH IN AND ON THE
HOUSE OF LORDS; WITH A
BRIEF GLIMPSE OF THE
POLITICS CALLED
PRACTICAL
London. August 20.
,ord salisoury's sharp comments on Lord
.-.sdmouth's speech in the House Of Lords last
..x have had one good effect. They have
'N,,obt n reply from Lord Tweedmouth and a
..,.ment that he is not for ending but for mend
=. the body OF which he is a member. He
"a not he said. ground any charge on the con-
.,utjon Of the Upper House. but desired TO
:, the Second Chamber different and
,oader basis. If he had stopped there he would
ATE done we'll. There is a great force of public
Union in favor of putting the Second Chamber
. broader basis. A large measure of reform
!, essential to the continued existence and use
h,ness OF the present Second Chamber Without
~, II must ultimately be swept away. and
.Asher anything, or what, would be set up in
a. place Is doubtful
That is why the Radical is opposed to reform
l., the House Of Lords. He wants to end 1t.
IA 10 leave the House of Commons supreme,
md In order to strengthen the argument for
,a,ne he wishes the House he hates to remain
!, It's present unregenerate condition once begin
q, mend ii and you not only weaken the argu-
IAN, for ending which matters less the less argu-
csnt you use, but you check the impulse Tor
addition; you chill such enthusiasm as there Is
!. the abolition party: you tame the passions
mich. after all. have more to say in the current
ascusfion here than argument or reason to this
.-,sade against the Second Chamber in its
,,esent form. You must. therefore expect TO
and the Radicals the most unbending opponents
~ reform They nurse every abuse, they gloat
aver every mprudent use Of what they call the
veto power they rejoice in every mistake, they
s.vise provocat.ons and lay traps, they assume
:, air Of patriotic indignation every time the
Lords give an independent vote and they use all
,hssa articles as so many means of creating
that popular dislike for which they find the
tricks Of the caucus so Intellectual substitute
rnluckily. Lord TweedmoUth, though he Is not
"a he COMPOUNDED with the mere caucus Radical
Mos consciously or unconsciousy language
which certainly tends to put hlm in this matter
An the same platform with the Radical. I'm
IKE the Radical, he would reform. but he would
sso like the Radical, restrict He denies that
be used buster or menace in his previous speech
and he seems now TO have avoided the foolish
and not overhonest word veto" which the Rad
,cals delight in and which they profess TO think
accurately descriptive of the vote by which one
,esislative body rejects a bill which another
ksislative body has passed. He does, however.
talk of one chamber as having the power to
"nullifv" the action of the other. IT Is as true
NJ one as Of the other but what would the Radi-
cal saw II anybody should presume TO describe
the House of Commons as multiplying the action
Of the House Of Lords? When he comes to sum
M his statement. Lord Tweedmouth Is IA vague
a every other responsible Minister Is with re-
spect to methods. But he says this
The power Of the Lords should be greatly re-
stricted in the future. do not care what par
ticular method is adopted but something must
be done to secure complete performance LOT
the will OF the House of Commons.
The phrase marks a stage In the political edu-
cation of this country, and shows you how FAR
the English have got on the road TO true and
rational Democracy. The complete predom-
nance Of the will Of the House Of Commons =
that Is the present Democratic ideal In England.
What should we say in America to a man who
talked about the complete predominance Of the
House OF Representatives 1T Washington. or in
any State Capital as aim in politics or a
method Of constitutional reform? We should not
nx ANYTHING We should simply let him alone
Nobody would pay the least attention to him
He would be reckoned a crank. Yet Lore
rveedmouth Is one Of the most practical poll
ucians. and one of the most experienced and In
,e,ligent men in English public life.
The American IL there be such an American
who has been taught to regard all lords as in
enables. cannot afford to dismiss Lord Tweed
mouth in that summary way. His accession t'
the Peerage is of recent date. Until last spr,ne
he was known TO every man in public life, and tc
4 great many in private life as Mr.. Edward
Narjoribanks pronounced Marchbanks), th'
kading Liberal Whip in the House OF Commons
To explain in full the duties and powers OF Chie
Whip would require much space and perhaps b'
needless though there is no office In the Pariia
mentary life Of America precisely analogous u
this II is enough TO say that Parliamentary
success or failure depends on It, Inc "hip
the Executive OF the party in the House OF Ooh'
mons Technically. he is Parliamentary
Patrona ee Secretary to the Treasury, and ne MAJ
under him the three junior lords Of the Ireasur!
a Junior Whips-Mr. T. Ellis. Mr. W. A. NC
Arthur and Mr.. Causton. Mr.. Eilis has sine
kcome Chief Whip.-a clever man iacKihB II
uperience
Mr. Marioribanks held the post during IN
whole Of MI Gladstone's last Government
has seldom been a more difficult one. the nor
nal majority Of the Government never e*ceeue
forty. or never by more than one 'r '"o al"
atteriy fell below that number. The parry wa
split into sections ard honeycombed with Jea'
ousies Without the Irish Natiohaiis's l"e'
vas no majority at all for Irish Home h"''
The one thing a Whip therefore had ever
keep In mind was the absolute ascendahcS Vi VI
Irish faction To h!m. as Whip, IL ih"''eie
nothing whether this independent group WI
Irish or Scotch or Dutch. They were the esSe'
tial element Of a majority and his business "''
on all occasions and In all circumstances ~ -
vide the Government with majority
al