New-York tribune., 1908-08-10
PRIVILEGED COMMONS
A Tactician's Victory,-The Lord,
Undone-Parliamenfs Closing
London. August I

While IL has held up reform and Home Pal.
bills education and land legislation. and bock,
the energies OF a representative body arras
with power by the general electorate II b,
less authority than either the American Sera,s
or the French Senate over financial measures
They can limit and qualify money grants ara
amend and revise expenditures forcing com
promises even II they lack power OF initiatfv..
but the upper house. under the collection a.
precedents known the British constitution 4,
mechanical registering machine when hna,.
ciaI acts are passed by the Commons Apv.
thing connected with the budget is sacrosanct
and in these progressive times legislation /.
which the democratic electorate is vitaIly IN
terested is financial Mr.. Asquith IL shovinx
how easily the country can be governed with
out constitutional check
The demonstration Of the Lords helDlessuesz
has been more forcibe. since there were valid
grounds for restricting the operation OF the pen
sions scheme. IL is one OF the crudest meas
ures ever sent up from the popular chamber; Il
has been careIessly drawn and inadequately
discussed: 1t is not justified by the experiences
of Germany. Denmark and the South Seas Colo
nies in insurance and pensions; IL Is a reckless
experiment which may unsettIe and demoralizs
a nation of workers. and nobody knows what
IT will cost nor how the money can be found
for financing it. There never was a stronger
prirna facie case for the exercise Of a suspen-
siye veto. Before committing the country to 50
wastefuI and costly a policy the government
ought to have welcomed an opportunity for
systematic revision of the text, painstaking
reform Of the poor law administration and de-
iberate survey of the resources Of revenus
available for meeting largely increased expendi-
lures There never was a more urgent neces-
sity for putting the legislative brake and r.
pairing the machine yet the Lords interfer-
ence is resented. even when it is feeble and
nerveless A seven years Limitation is
meagre and ineffective substitute for thorough
revision. and even that is scornfulIy condemned
as an invasion of the constitutional rights Ot
the Commons
Instead of reveIIing in vagaries OF irrespon-
sibIe power. the Lords suddenly discover that
they are disqualified for any action this
financial measure. They cannot break the fCrcs
of continuous precedents or usurp a function
which ceased to be theirs generations ago
The dexterous Prime Minister, who has out
nanoeuvred them by superior tactics. can snap
his fingers in the faces Of the peers and decline
to take a serious view OF their position as
legislators. He has shown how unnecessary il
is for the Liberal-Labor coalition TO head an
agitation against the Lords or to attempt legis-
lation against them or TO get into any excite
requisite is to reduce a controversial measure
TO the level Of finance and the Commons
have its way. The Lords may reject the
licensing bill as they did the education bill.
but there are effective measures Of dealing with
publicans and schools which will not be de-
pendent upon the consent Of the upper house.
The peers are vulnerable and defenceless when
they are attacked in the right way A money
grant or budget detail is a more practical
method Of enforcing the will Of the general
electorate than passionate invective from the
front bench or reams of resolutions dictated BY
party caucuses-
How can the Lords regain the power Of
amending and revising financial measures? No:
by so futile a device Lord Cromers amend
ment imposing seven years limit upon PEN
sion scheme. In order to have as much author
ity In regulating national income and expend-
lures as either the French Senate or the Amer
lean Senate enjoys II must set its house in Or
der, deprive a large majority OF its members Of
their traditional privileges and delegate legis-
lative functions to an experienced body Of peers
without drastic measures Of reform the Lords
cannot hope to recover their power over the
national purse; and the Liberal government
having discovered a practical method Of pro-
tecting important measures from mutilaton
and rejection. is not likely to render assistancs
IN reinV1gOrat1nS the privileged cndInpVt "
making it a representative and respOnsiols
body. In England as in America, Germany anu
other progressive countries. the energies OF
legislators must be engrOssed for a long period
with financial questions. and the House Of LORDS
is powerless to compete with the Commons un-
der precedents which have been recognized anu
sanctioned for many decades Arbitrary use OF
the Lords coordinate powers over genera
legislation, especially when the Liberals are IN
office. predisposes the Commons 70 cling tena-
ciously to it's exclusive responsibilities. in orig
mating. limiting and revising financial leg1sla-
ton.
There were in the House Of Lords expen
fnanciers. like Lord Cromer. Lord Miner anu
Lord St Aldwyn, who could have engrafted
contributory scheme upon the proposed en-
largement of the outdoor relief for the oeneH'
of the aged poor. 4 pension could have oesH
brought within the reach Of every Workman
who was willing TO make a systematic saVins
toward it. There might have been temporary
provision for aged pensioners and eonP'e
hensive relief measure for workmen Of all ase''
and with contributions from employers anu en-
plOyed there might have been increased 'diuo
for less money. and thrift good feeling an
self-help would have been promoted \ cHsaP
er system on sOunder principles might nav
been devised if the present administration =
the poor law had been revised and the sciehtH'
methods of German insurance had been ln'r0-
duced- a great service would have been rsi
dered to the state by the Lords if they hs'
hung up the pensions bill for a year and author
lied a joint committee Of the houses TO MAKE
thorough investigation and 10 turn to praetCG.
account the experience of Germany, DenHa.
and the Australian colonies There was "s rSs
any likelihood Of so satisfactory a result -
Prime Minister. being a mastery tactlcial, -
arranged everything that there c0uid
.,syrT