New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-01
LIBERAL ENGLAND.
What to DO Nth the Lords-T'hs
Neso Party Hostesses.

gan VIXEN the privileged class of titled land
owners was divided by the rival claims OF the
stuarts and Hanoverians. The rich whig fam
flies accepted the reolution Of 1883 as an ire
yersible settlement, and. controlling the Com
mons through county members and the CONNER
ciaI middle class governed England for a long
period Under the leadership OF the Bentincks.
CsmpbelIs Ccsrenvilles, LennOxes. Cavendishes,
Russslls and B1tzroys they formed powerful
olsarchy, and never lacked social prestige IN
their opposition to Tcryism- When Eton Col
lege excited their suspicion an ultra con-
servatfys stronghold they lent their patronage
To Harrow and converted 1t into a rival nursery
Of yhig artist pcracy and they had. decade after
decade social centres like Holland House.
where painters men Of letters diplomatiSts and
rIzinz politicians exchanged gossip and set the
fashions of the day. So long as the cautious
whigs spent their money ,nd exerted their In
duence In directing the opposition to the moro
stagnant Tories the question was never asked'
.rWbat is to. be done with the Lordsr" Tbs
unnar bo,,ss WAS evenly divided between the two
great partfes, and the balance was maintained
nv continuous creation Of peerages. As Liberal
ism grew more democratic In Its tendencies tho
House of Lords became SO predominanty Con-
sarvative that there was talk OF mending or
ending IL whenever IL blocked popular reforms
Mr.. Gladstone disciplined the upper house
severely forty years ago. when. by including all
impraoticabls for the Lords to prevent the re-
peal of the paper duties without bringing every
branch of the administration to a full stop The
process was repeated when hs effected Abolition
of army purchase by royal warrant, without the
assent of the Lords; but in his declining years
he shrank from any measures or retaLaton
when the Peers contemptuously rejected the
Home Rule bill. The oldtime Wings by thar
time had become, with few exceptions. as OBJ
sttnats as the Tories themselves. and the upper
house WAS so cne-sided that It was no longer
practicable to restore the balance OF power oY
a large creation Of peerages-
with the formation OF new Liberal govern
rnent the question What is to be done with the
Iords?' is revived with cumulative force. Tbs
Prime Minister has found so small group OF
political supporters in the upper chamber that
he has been forced TO recruit his Ministry mainly
from the lower house. Only five Of the nineteen
members of the Cabinet peers. the new Aord
Chancellor Sir Robert Reid completing the Deg
carly half DOZEN. Among tWenty-tnree MINISTER'S
not In the Cabinet only three rank with ths
peers two of them being the Lord Lieutenant
and the Lord Chancellor Of Ireland, who VIII
seldom take part in the proceedings Of the LORDS
The Earl of Portsmouth. Under Secretary OF
War. will be reinforced by Lord Edmund F1tz-
maurice who will receive peerage as Under
Secretary OF Fioreign Affairs. so as TO meet MS
brother Lord Lansdowne. in the upper houso-
But of forty-two ministers, In ana out OF tne
Cabinet only ten will be members OF the upper
chamber. No previous Ministry has had SO
meagre a representation in the privileged houses
and in debate the group led by Lord Fdpon ana
Lord Tweedmolreh will be completely outmatched
as well as outn numbered. Since the secession OF
the Wings on the Home Rule question the Lib
erals have become weak in the Lords that
they cannot expect to carry any controversial
question against organized opposition If the
fiscal question were raised, they might receives
support from a considerable body Of Free Trads
peers under the leadership Of the Duke OF Devon
shire and Lord Goschen; but a Liberal govern
nent committed to the Iaisser faire principle In
economics will simply adhere to free trade and
not have legislation to propose that subject
If Home Rule were revived<on Gladstonian lines,
the Lords would be in overwhelming majority
against it. The Prime Minister is too cautious a
leader to make Ill timed attempt; but ne
cannot dismiss all controversial questions On
education amendments. trades union law. the
taxation of land values and many other matters.
the Lords will be against him heavily that
legislation will be impossible If they persist In
offering resistance. He has mounted the Com
mons horse and may be well seated in the saddle
after the general election; but SO long he has
in the Lords am unmanageabIe horse to lead he
cannot ride far nor fast
The Lords may give fresh exhibition Of their
fextblllty IN adapting themselves 10 c1TC1Il-
stances. They are experts the law Of accom-
mediation. By self-restraint they may save the
situation by avoiding anything like g. wanton
challenge of the authority OF the Commons with
the general election behind IT. They will need
to do this for the anomaly OF a second chamber
so strongly conservative to hold up all Lib
eraI legislation has been made more conspicu-
Gus by the course wisely taken by the Prime
Minister He has emphasized the fact that the
upper House is hopelessly one-sided by forming
an equally unbalanced Commons Government.
There may be Liberal recruits for the Lords
time goes on, but the time has passed when
votes can be commanded by the creation OF
peers on q large scale. Mr.. Gladstone's expedi-
ent of proceeding by royal warrant when tbs
Lords interposed a veto was hazardous ex-
pertinent The new Prime Minister IS not likely
TO repeat it. The independence OF both branches
of Parliament can be maintained most securely
by limitations OF the number OF peers empowr-
cred to sanction acts passed by the Commons
A tentative message Of this kind received the
approval OF the Lords during the reign OF
George I but was thrown out by the Commons.
The trend Of political forces Is in this d1-
rection and q precedent set in 1876 when
the House Of Lords was remodelled q court
of final appeal. AS the Law Lords were Sc
lected as representatives to exercise the rights
of the whole body, by a similar process lin
tied number Of peers can be empowered to dis
charge similar functions in connection with the
Commons The Lords themselves have as littls
idea OF being mended In this way they had
of being ended twenty years ago, when Mr.. La
bouchere proposed that oil members OF both
Houses should be elected by popular vote. but