Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-04-26
sGzsNZ or ME d4TzLE'

Much has been heard of late con corning the fight which is. being made on the upper branch of the British parliament The house of lords has been subjected to the severest criti- cism and 1t has been declared that this body of titled gentlemen has quite atliyed it's usefulness and that the g vernment would be better of without It's obstructive and perversive legislation. The proposal to do away with the house of lords and the pro posai to reform 1t, are neither of them new. Indeed. many proposals to re- form 1t have emanated from peers themselves. The impression prevails. however, that if the question could be submitted to the plebiscite, the pro posal to abolish the hereditary prin- ciple altogether would be negatived by an overwhelming majority; and that this majority would comprise an immense number of persons who yield to none in the value which they attach to the principle of popular rep resentation.
 And yet any stranger coming to England at present would be justified in supposing the peers could not last another month. Editorial writer's are ponSing forth columns of denpnciation on the devoted and coroneted heads of the members of the upper house. Plat form orators thunder against them menacingly Their sins of omission and commission are ruthlessly ex- posed. They are declared with entire truth to be the greatest obstacles to legislative reforms in the land. As the custodians of tremendous political power their like is found nowhere else in the civilized world. No other Flu ropean nation possesses. a purely he. reditary second chamber whose mem bers are responsible to none but them selves. No British colony would tol- crate such a system. Their continued existence is living monument to their countrymen's hatred of logic. to their fondness for anachronism, to their love of anomaly, to their ingrain- ed. and inveterate habit of putting up with things.
 Just think. several millions of Brit. ons dwelling in London, Manchester. Birmingham, Glasgow. and where not. after years of thinking about it. and talking about 1t. and arguing about 1t. come to a decision that certain politi- cal proposals shall become law. They spend a lot of time. energy and money in making that decision of theirs known to all men. Then at more trouble and expense they send repre- sentatives to the house of commons to give effect to their decision. After much more time and trouble and argu. ment the house of commons puts 1t upon record that these political. pro- posals shall become law. Then two or three hundred peers who are in vested with legislative powers solely and simply because they are the sons of their fathers stroll down to West minister between tea time and dinner time and vote that they shan't become . law. And they don't
 From the millions whose will has been thwarted there ascends a pro- digious howl of righteous indignation. This thing has got to stop. they shriek. The peers must be deprived of their power to say mo" to the sovereign people. While all this hubbub Is going on around them the equanimity of the noble hereditary legislators remains undisturbed. They are letting the other fellows do all the worrying. They just look on with that engaging ar of don't care a hangness which constitutes their most striking charm.
 They have been under sentence of political extinction several times. The cry. mend them or end them." has sounded in their ears SO often that 1t has lost all terrors for them. Glad stone raised It; Lord Rosebery uttered it: every liberal premier of modern times has threatened it They have seen storm clouds gather about them iu the past and roll harmlessIy away.
 The storm that now rages about them Is but . gentle zephyr compared with that which swept over them be- fire they yielded to the greet reform ses of Iss1 Then mobs hunted psers ed bishops through the streets and threatened to storm the kings palace. The duke cf Wellington vsz thea their lesder. Az c ssAtesman -Ensiand's Qeatsst soldier stood for all that vas rttruer1de in politics- He came psFil. 0us1y neAs getting the houss of lords