Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-02-16
OTHER LANDS THAN ouRs.

isterS on the reassembiing or tue BRITISH |
Parliament is a determination to deal"
with the House OF Lords. All other ques-
lions are necessarily subordinate to that |
Of mending or ending the veto power of
hereditary legislators. Just what meas.
ures will be adopted to secure the end |
desired has not been disclosed Evidently |
the ministers fully realize the gravity Of
the issue and the difficulties involved No !
matter what legislative means may be |
adopted by the Commons. the measure |
must receive the approval OF the peers |
and there is ne likelihood that the upper
house. now constituted. will vote to
diminish its power This fact was made
clear and uneorivocal in the second rejec-
ton OF the education bill. Then the peers
gave the Commons to understand that It
proposed to exercise its prerogatives un-
deferred by ministerial threats and de-
family challenged an appeal to the country
on that issue. A fate similar to that of
the education bill awaits every important
measure of reform on the liberal party
program. Home rule for Ireland, land
legislation and fiscal reform will receive
scant consideration from the tory ma
tority i'm the upper house. Confronted by
obstructive tactics against progressive legis-
lation the liberal party must change the
character Of the House of Lords or cease
ship. Whether the change win come by !
creating a sufficient number of new peers
to overcome the tory majority or by an
appeal to the country. time will deter
mine. The situation possesses elements Of
a political upheaval, the development of
which will be followed with keen interest.
The House of Lords consists Of the
spiritual lords OF England, the temporal
peers of England, Great Britain and the
United Kingdom and of the representative
peers of Scotland and ireland. The full
assembly contains princes Of the blood
royal archbishops, % dukes, q mar
quisses, 124 earls, 40 viscounts, "a bishops.
1886 barons and IA Scotch and 2S Irish repre-
sentative peers, making a total of 61S. The
conservative or tory party has clear ma
jority of the membership BAL Afnnating
with them are 125 unionists. The liberals
strength is only 81; IS are classed as in
dependent and 10 are minors The great
preponderance of the tory strength in the
upper chamber readily explains why lib
eral party measures are pounced upon and
doformed beyond recognition. Even where
party expediency does net influence action,
the nature Of the measures proposed by
| the liberals, designed to promote the gen
eral welfare, constitute a menace to the
privileged class which is resented with the
arrogance of false pride. A nation which
boasts of being in the van Of progress
"the torch-bearer of civilization" presents
the paradox of possessing a chamber of
/ hereditary legislators less responsive to the
electoral will than any similar body Of the
nations of Europe. The French Senate Is
changeable practically at the will of the
ministry. So are the members of the
! Bundesrath of Germany. The upper houses
! Of Austria Italy and Spain are amenable
to the will of the respective governments
| Among all the chambers Of aristocracy
! that of Great Britain stands alone on the
highway of progressl defying the onward
rush of the locomotive.
Far different from the parliamentary
! situation in Great Britain Is that which will
greet the German government .on tho
assembling of the Reichstag next Tuesday
The response OF the country to the appeal
of the emperor's ministers was an en-
phatic endorsement of the imperial policy
of colonial expansion, and the measures to
provide the necessary revenue. The most
! remarkable feature of the elections is the
1 tremendous losses suffered by the socialist
| party, it's strength of seventy-nine In the
! old Reichstag diminishing to forty-three
| in the new. Every other party represented
scored a gain. That the government Is ex-
/ ceedingly pleased with the certainty Of a
strong working majority in the Reichstag
was made apparent by the remarkable
stump speech of the kaiser. delivered in
response to the cheers of partisans in
Berlin. 1t is worth repeating:
81 thank you from my heart for your
ovation. The result of the election shows
the truth of the, chancellors words that
Germany can ride in the saddle and If my
people remain united, both Of high and
low degree and all confessions of faith, It
, will not only ride but knows how to ride
down everybody and everything which
stands I'm its way. l hope that this demon
stration is not a temporary burst of pa
triotsm. but that IT represents the fixed
determination of my people to stand to-
gether for all which contributes to the
glory and greatness of our fatherland.
Germany has learned the ort of victory, and
I have no doubt It will continue to use the
art 1t has learned"
Probably one of the most notable results
Of the return of the liberals to power In
England is in the progress that has been
poada toward the esta blishmcnt of repre-