Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1899-05-20
70 REDUCE REPRESENTATION.

tribution of parliamentary seats,
with the result that the number of
members from Ireland and the rural
districts of Scotland and England
will be reduced, thus giving to the
cities and "boroughs" larger pro-
portion of the House of Commons,
with better chance to control that
branch. As the House of Lords is
inherently aristocratic, opposed to
all movements to advance popular
e rights and interests, which mean an
eventual deprivation of prestige and
privileges, if not entire abolition, OF
royalty and hereditary class govern
ment, this proposed redistribution
of Parliamentary seats can have
but one object-the limiting, if not
reducing to an ineffective minority,
the popular representation in the
House of Commons, which Of recent
wears has menaced the stability of
the titled aristocracy rule, being
restrained only by the vote of the
House of Lords, which in addition
TO the humiliation of being forced
to vote for themselves against pop
Mar demands, intensity the i'll
feeling of the people, arouse more
vehement and active antagonism
that is manifested by occasional
ADVOCACY of the Limitation of the
powers or the entire abolition of
the House of Lords as factor in
affairs of government.
In the past thirty years these
contentious between the two
branches of Parliament have been
frequent, each recurrence being
more marked and bitter, and the
obstruction of the House of Lords
more manifest and productive of
increasing condemnation and radi-
cal demands by the popular leaders
and parties.
The result of the recent cleo
tons in Ireland, indicating a solid
and united delegation of anti Tory
representatives; the unrest of the
tenantry in Scotland and rural dis
tricts of England, and the persist
ent petitions of colonies for modif-
cation of existing laws, all desiring
abrogation of privileges to class
and wealth, with the possible, If
not the improbable, uniting of all
those advocates of reform in British
government, tend to cause alarm
among the aristocracy and nobility,
who seem 10 conclude that it may
be easier to prevent such a crisis,
or at least to overcome it, by cur
failing its power in legislation
through reducing the representa-
ton from the disaffected sections of
the empire.
The proposition to deprive por-
ton of the people of their just rep
resentation in the government,
however, shrewd it may be, is
confession of weakness, as well as
a violation of the fundamental
principle of modern government,
and in spite of all protestations to
the contrary, indicates unmistak-
ably that the British government
dare not trust the people; that the
reign of Toryism in British affairs
is to pass through a struggle for
existence, and has been compelled
to resort to course both unjust
and fraught with danger, for the
people will not likely submit to be-
ing throttled into silence and sub
mission to what they believe unjust
and oppressive; that they will re-
ject and perhaps resist such sum-
mary disposition of their petitions
for reform, and deprivation of their
rights, can hardly be doubted, and
the result the future alone can
demonstrate.
1t was taxation without repre-