The Washington herald., 1907-02-24
LORDS NOT OPPOSED
Liberals Do Not Want the
Upper House Abolished.
OBJECT TO ALL REFORM PLANS
Government OnerS and viii Agree
TO No SuEgeStiOns-Nceds Peers as
Buffer ON Whom 10 Blame Failure
in LegisIafioH-Big Demonstration
Against the London Council.

London. Feb. 23-It is beginning TO be
apparent how empty is the present gov
ernmenCs agitation against the House of
Lords. Prime Minister Sir Campbell
Baunerman and his followers have let it
be known that they are opposed to al
schemes. no matter how democratic, 50
far advanced for reforming the unrepre-
sentative character Of the upper chamber.
The Unl0nists themselves. including
Lord Salisbury. who. during his life. was
the most prominent among them, have
advocated radical revision of the mem
bership OF the House Of Lords and Lord
Newton. Conservative. on Thursday in
tr0duced his bill, The chief features OF
which were described in these dispatches
a week ago. The qualifications for a seat
Ia the upper muse, according 10 the bill.
are the same as was then stated 1t pro-
vides that life peers shall be limited 10
one hundred. appointed by the Crown.
This was strongly advocated by the late
Lord Salisbury
Liberals Oppose Referendum.
Az interesting feature Of the bin is
permission for any hereditary peer to seek
a seat in the House OF Commons. Lord
Salisbury al one time thought this pos
sible under the present constitution, and
contemplated testing the point personally.
Lord Newtons bill has little or 10
chance OF passing the present Parliament
/ because the Liberal matority in the House
Of Commons does not really want what
/ it is demanding Neither viii ii support
/ a referendum Of disputed bills TO popular
vote nor the substitution OF an elective
I body for the present upper house.
Tile government has also declined TO
meet the present crisis by the most OBJ
yiOns methods at its command. namely
/ dissolution or sending the education bill
/ back Co the House OF Lords backed by
/ two-thirds majority OF the House OF
1 Commons. II the latter course is adopted
/ it Is extremely doubtful If the House ol
/ Lords would go TO the extent of reject
/ ing it,
/ Want Peers "a Blame for Failure.
/ The situation really amounts TO this:
/ The Liberal government while inveighing
/ bitterly against the peers. would be very
sorry 10 lose the valuable political ad-
vantage Of being able to throw the re-
3
tiOn upon the Lords. There viii be vast
amount of irnammatory talk or the sub
+ ictt at the present session, but IL is safe
4 to pTophesy that nothing viii be done
while the Liberal government is in power
/ The greatest popular demonstration seen
/ i'm London i'm many years occurred this
/ afternoon when uucoUntcd thousands
marched through the principal streets to
I inc
was held IN opposition to the Socialist
policy of the London county council. The
municipal reformers were themselves
/ astcnished at the evidence given Of the
popular revolt against the extravaganza
land Incompetence shown in municipal
! ownership experiments. which have 50
/ damaged LOndon's credit
| The procession was more than a mile
long. and included many unique features.
/ Fifty men carried hods of rotten bricks
/ from the councils famous bTick-malting
yards at Norbury. Others carried some
Of the councils surplus Austrian blan-
kets from lot OF two thousand unloaded
upon the municipality because requiSi-
ton for two hundred had cipher added
to il.
Great IatereSt in City Election.
There were fifty powerful gramophones
| In line. which ground out feTvid comments
npon s'WastreIs'' for the delectation Of
the great crowds along the route. Car
looms and election mottOs without num-
Der were carried upon drays and floats.
/ A huge representation of a county cOun-
/ ell steamboat was inscribed One man,
/ one boat
! Down with the Wastrels!" was the cry
most frequently heard among the cheer
/ ing multitude. The enthusiasm was
! greatest in Trafalgar Square. which was
/ literally packed many thousands being
unable to get within eershot Of Nelson S
monument, which was used as a rostrum
London Is now plastered from end to
| end with election posters and cartoons.
and il Is no exaggeration to say that pub
| lie interest IN the pending campaign sur-
passes that in a national election This
! augurs well for the reform movement. for
! II heavy vote is cast. nothing can pre-
vent the overwhelming defeat of the
| party which has had control OF munich
! pal affairs for the past eighteen years.
Municipal ownership. it should be re-
membered. is the sole issue involved. and
it is upon the first great and thorough
test of this policy that London will pass
| judgment a week hence.
J. Il. Small & sons, Florists,