Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1907-02-27
THE HOUSE OF LORDS
CHECKS IT HAS RECEIVED AT The
HANDS OF THE COMMONS.
The Long Parliament Put the Peers
Out OF Business Altogether For n
Number OF Years - BoiinxbroI<e's
Way with the Noble Lords.


Number OF Years - BolInxbroISe'r
Way with the Noble Lords.
There is an idea I'm the minds of very
many persons that the British house OF
lords is supreme ard can DO pretty well
what II pleases. This, however. is
mistake. On several notable occasions
their noble lOrdships have been para
lyzed and have got very mucl. the
worst Of it in stormy arguments with
the gentlemen OF the house OF com
mons.
The first occasion on which this hap
pened was when the peers ventured TO
differ with the long parliament. which
was at the time engaged in a life and
death struggle with Charles /. The
commons on this occasion wasted no
valuable time in talking. but promptly
abolished the lords altogether and
turned them. archbishops. dukes. belt
ed earls and all the rest OF the gor-
geOus coroncted crowd. into the street.
The gided chamber was vacant.
For half dozen years or so the
country got on without any house OF
lords
All the checks the house Of lords
have received have not been of such a
drastic nature as this. of course.
Various ministries finding that the
peers were unwilling 10 pass their pro-
posed bills. have resOrted to the threat
To create enough new peers to swamp
the house OF lords. These new peers
would. OF course have been pledged
beforehand TO vote for the ministry
creating them.
IN lsll the prime minister of the
day. the daring and unscrupulous Wis
count Boinsbrokc. was anxious TO ter
inmate the desolating and ruinous war
with France. which had been raging
on ana Off for twenty years.
To eject this purpose he had drawn
up the treaty of Utrecht. 1t was neces-
sary al that time that lords and com
mons should agree To treaty before
II would become valid. The commons
aSsented T. the treaty. but the lords
declared that they would have none
of II and that the war must 90 on.
whereupon Bolingbroke coolly but
firmly Informed them that. rather than
see himself dened 10y them. he would
vote for the treaty.
The story goes that he had a regi-
ment OF the Life guards paraded under
the windows OF the house Of lords and
threatened 10 mako every trooper into
noble lord IL driven to it, He did
make twelve new peers. and then the
lords gave i'm.
The Liberal government Of 1872. with
Earl Grey rs prime minister. used the
same threat They wished 10 pass the
first reform hin The lords hated this
bill bitterly.
Until then they had been practically
an oligarchy. with all the real power
in their hands. The franchise had been
so limited that only rich men. and gem
orally only the nominee OF some great
noblemau. could get into parliament.
The reform bill altered that. II gave
the smaller mcn chance The lords
expressed their deliberate intention Of
wreckiHg the bin.
Earl Grey retorted by extorting from
King William IN.-who didn't like re-
form bills. hut dared not oppose the
wish OF the nation for fear Of n revo-
lution-permiSsion 10 call up 10 the
house of lords IS many new peers as
should Ice necessary TO carry his bill.
The mere threat was enough for the
lords They had 10 wish to see their
order made cheap and ridiculous. as
would have been the case had peers
become rs plentiful rs blackberries.
Ii used 10 he the custom in the Brit
iSh army for all officers commissions
TO be purchased. That is. an officer. in
stead of getting into the army by
means OF competitive examination
and RISING 10y merit. came straight
from school. without knowing anything
OF the new duties he was about TO as
sumo. and had 4 commission bought
for him. After that. instead of being
promoted as a reward for his services.
he used 10 buy each promotion.
If he had no money his chances OF
being promoted were about 4 thousand
10 one. The result was that officers
who had grown gray in the service and
fought IN many battles remained sub
ordn1teS all their lives, while the sons
OF wealthy families who had not seen
quarter Of their service jumped over
1900 NAN'''+' ~ AAst \ AA4S NAltlI WAY Dur
chased up for them to be colonies and
generals.
Mr.. Gladstone decided to do away
with this purchase system. The lords
did not wish il 10 be abolished. Con
Sequently. when Mr. Gladstone intro
duced bin 10 abolish purchase in the
army the house Of lords was not dis
posed 10 give il Il kind reception.
They thre1 ont the bill and imagined
that they had won a glorious victory
But Mr.. Gladstone found that Queen
Victoria had the power To abolish Dur.
chase in the army by her own act If
she pleased. He induced the queen n
do this 10y means Of a royal warrant.
And the house of lords could no mora
Interfere with q royal warrant than
they could knock the dome Oft s.
PauiS by throwing their coronets n il
-PearSOn'S London Weekly.