Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-03-07
BRITISH PEERS.
Some Facts About Them md Their
Powers.

The House OF Lords consists of the
spiritual lords Of England the temporal
peers Of England, Great Britain, and the
United Kingdom, ami Of representative
peers OF Scotllnd and ireland.
The fun assembly consists Of princes
Of the blood royal archbishops. o.
dukes. % marouesses. "a enrls 70 Wis
counts, "a bishops. 20 harons. and 10
Scottish and % Irish representative peers.
making grand total Of us peers. OF the
6lS, 3i7 are conservatives l25 arc uniohists,
81 are liberals. As are independent, or have
no stated politics. and IN are minors.
The Bishop of Sodor AMI Man can sit
In the House Of Lords. but he cannot
speak nor can he vote although he pos
sessos both privileges in the Manx House
of Keys
In addition to these there arc about 100
holders of titles Of nobility who are not
members Of the House of Lords, their
peerages being those of Scotland or Ire
land only. There arc also fifteen ladies
who are progresses in their own right
twelve of England and the United King
dom and three Of Scotland
Female succession may occur in tho Inn,
which was conferred by writ of summons
but it is subject to the rule of allowance
whenever there are more than one daugh-
ter. sister, etc. eligible to succeed. The
term "imporlal' includes the three series
of peers of England" Cup to June 30
100 Great Britain" Ohencc to close of
1902 and the United Kingdom" usoo
onward)
a - a Fpt
special reminders" have been granted
to female relatives in the absence Of
ma les.
An Irish peer who holds an imperial
ti.lc has also thu special privilege of be-
ing able to seek election to the House of
Commons for any constituency not in Ire
land itself
1t was in the reign Of Edward III. that
Parliament was formally separated into
the two houses of Lords and Commons
and that the deliberations We're conduct
ed in separate chambers.
The original members in the House OF
Lords have been greatly augmented from
of the power of the Crown to add to it
Crown to create irish peers is limited by
can be created whenever three Of the
pcerage of ireland have become extinct.
The judicial functions of the lords and
their power to pass bills affecting the
peerage which the Commons may not
amend are the only properties peculiar
to them apart from their personal priv
ilcgcs.
The chief powers vested solely in the
pf z
taxes ana voting money for the public
, service, Bills for these purposes can
only originate in that house. and the lords
may not make any alteration. except for
the correction of clerical errors
In addition TO the power Of EXPRESSING
| assent or dissent by vote, peers may
record their opinion and the grounds of it
by a protest" which is entered in the
journals, together with the names of all
the peers who concur in it.
When the Commons have passed a bill
they send it To the lords. Formerly it
was forwarded by one of their own MEM
bers, who was usually accompanied by
no fewer than eight other members.
The lords sent down bills by two mas
tiers in chancery unless they relate TO the
crown or the royal family, In which case
they are generally sent by two Judges.
According to an arrangement made in
1855. one of the clerks of either house
may be the bearer.
The British constitution Ia not founded
on any single written instrument but it
| rests upon few fundamental principles
which are unchanscable since they have
developed from the people themselves.
| In theory the sovereign is invested with
| supreme power and authority, and the
| hereditary House of Lords enjoys equal
| influence with the elected House of Com
mons, and every change in the laws OF
the country must receive the independent
sanction of all these powers
In practice the entire power of the
crown Is vested in the ministry for the
| time being, and It would be an offense
| against the unwritten law OF the const-
tuition for the sovereign To refuse assent
| to any mi that had passed both houses. -
| It'd Bits.