The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1907-02-28
THE HOUSE OF LORDS
CHECKS 1T HAS RECEIVED AT THE
HANDS OF THE COMMONS.
The Long Parliament Put the Peers
Out of Business Altogether For
Number OF Years - Dolingbrolse's
Way with the Noble Lords.

the Long PHrlinment fut tHe Tecf'
Out of Business Altogether For q
Number OF Years - DolingbroIse''
Way with the Noble Lords.
There is IN idea in the minds OF very
many persons that the British house OF
lords Is supreme and can do pretty wei
what II peases. This, however, Is =
mistake. On several notable occasions
their noble lordships have been para
lyzed and have got very much The
worst of II in stormy arguments witt
the gentlemen OF the house Of com
mons.
s-,.v a.~. ~ssaesea on which this hap
pened was when the peers ventureI 70
differ with the long parliament, which
was at the time engaged In life and
death struggle with Charles l. Til"
commons on this occasion wasted no
valuable time In talking, but promptly
abolished the lords altogether and
turned them, archblshops, dukes, belt
ed earls and all the rest of the gor.
geous coroncted crowd, into the street.
The gllded chamber was vacant
For half a 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 Il
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 iii the prime minister Of the
day, the daring and unserupulous Wis
count Bollngbroke, was anxious to ter
inmate the desolatlng and ruinous war
with France, which had been raging
on and off for twenty years.
TO effect this purpose he had drawn
up the treaty of Utrecht II was ncces-
sary at that time that lords and com.
mons should agree to treaty before
II would become valid. The commons
assented 70 the treaty, but the lords
declared that they would have none
OF II and that tho war must go on,
whercupon Bolngbroke co0lly but
firmly Informed them that, rather than
see himself defed by them, lie would
create whole army Of new peers TO
vote for the treaty.
The story goes that he had a regl
ment Of the Life guards paraded under
the windows of the house of lords and
Threatened to make every trooper into
d noble lord II driven to IT, He did
make twelve new peers, and then the
lords gave in.
The Liberal government OF 1882, with
Earl Grey as prime minister, used the
same threat. They wished to pass the
first reform bill. The lords hated this
bin bitterly.
Until then they had been practically
an oligarchy, with all the real power
IN their hands. The franchise had been
so limited thnt only rich men. and gen
orally only the nominee Of some great
nobleman, could get into parliament.
The reform bin altered that II gave
the smaller men chance. The lords
expressed their deliberate intention OF
wreckiue the bill
Earl Grey retorted by extorting from
King william Iv.-who didn't Ike re.
form bills. but dared not oppose the
wish Of the nation for fear Of reyo-
lution--permlsglon TO call up 70 the
house of lords as many new peers as
should lie necessary 10 carry his IN.
The mere threat was enough for the
lords. They bad no wish % see their
order made cheap and Ridiculous, AZ
would have been the caae had peers
become as plentiful as blackberries.
II used 10 be the custom Ia The Bit
lsh army for al officers commissions
10 be purchased That II, an officer. IN
stead Of getting into the army by
means or competitive examination
and rising by merit. came straight
from school. without knowing anything
of the new duties he was aboa, 70 %
snn,e and had commission bought
for him After that. instead Of being
promoted ns q reward for bis services.
be used to hny each promotion.
II be had no money bis ehanees os
being promoted sefe about q thousand
10 one. The result was that officers
who bad grown gray In tis service and
fought in lnany battles remained sub