Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1907-04-17
,zslVZ a. TIT 6AT7ZrE


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 it has been declared that
this body of titled gentlemen has
quite out!ived its usefulness and that
the government would be better Off
without it's obstructive and perversive
legislation. The proposal to do away
with the house of lords and the pro-
posal to reform it, are neither of them
new. Indeed, many proposals to re-
form it 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
pouring forth columns of denunciation
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 Eu
ropean nation possesses a purely he
reditary second chamber whose mem.
bers are responsible to none but them.
selves No British colony would toll
crate such system. Their continued
existence is a living monument to
their countrymens hatred of logic, to
their love Of anomaly, to their ingram
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 it, and arguing about it
come to a decision that certain politi
cal proposals shall become law. They
spend 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 it
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 shant 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 shrek
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
air OF don't care a hangness which
constitutes their most striking charm.
They have been under sentence OF
political extinction several tues. The
cry, mend them or end Them" has
sounded in their ears so often that it
has lost all terrors for them. Glad.
stone raised it: Lord Rosebery uttered