Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-13
THREW OUT THE BILL
Spectacular Killing of Pro-
posed License Measure.
HOUSE OF LORDS ANIMATED
Romantic Incident in the Life of
Lord Sackville.
SONS FIGHT FOR THE TITLE
Mother a Spanish Dancer Named Or
tega-London View of Balkan
Situation.
SONS FIGHT FOR THE TITLE
Special Correspondence Of The Star.

Specia1 correspondence OF star.
LONDON. November IS. 1908.
The house of lords presented a re-
markable spectacle Wednesday night. 1t
was crowded as 1t has not .been since. in
September, 1899. the tory peers mustered
in battalions to kill the home rule bill.
The opposition and the cross benches
were packed, and some of Lord Lans-
downe's followers had to find places on
the ministerial side OF the house. The
space in front of the throne was closely
occupied by privy councillors, while the
side galleries were lined with peeresses.
whose costumes added something to the
brightness of the scene. The members
Of the house of commons crowded the
bar and the seats allotted to them in the
galleries.
For the first time for many sessions
there was an immense pressure in the
strangers gallery. Members of the trade
and temperance reformers jOstled each
other in their anxiety to hear the debate.
and when one surveyed the whole cham
Der not a vacant seat could be seen. The
peers decided to kill the licensing bill. and
they assembled to give it an imposing
funeral. They were determined that its
obsequies should be conducted with some
degree Of splendor
And the episcopal muster was very in
teresting. There was some surprise
among the brilliant throng of peers and
peeresses when the Archbishop of Canter-
bury hobbled painfully in with a walking
stick 1t was generally supposed that the
injured prlmate was still confined to his
room. Perhaps there was even greater
surprise at the appearance of the vener-
able Archbishop of York. DIR. Maclagan,
who is so soon to surrender ecclesiastical
pomps and labors. Twenty other prelates
were present. The 1,eereSses, who lined
the side galleries and the galleries over
the throne without a break, were for the
most part dressed in subdued winter
colOrS. but here and there was found a
vivid flash of scarlet or green.
The lord chancellor sat moodly on the
WOolsack surveying this triumph Of hered-
tary arrOgance'-to quote the word
which rings through liberal denunciations
with which the air is filed. Ministers on
the front government bench looked equally
moody. Indeed for them it was not
pleasant sight. Most unhappy of all was
the colonial secretary and leader of the
house. the Earl of Crewe. On him de-
volved the tragic task of commencing to
this naughty and hostile assembly bill
already doomed.
Lord Lansdowne Dramatic.
Lord Crewe commented severely upon
the fact that the killing of the bill had
been decided upon at a meeting at Lans-
downe House and not in the house of
lords, and made a general defense of the
measure. His words were listened to with
no degree of sympathy by the members Of
the gilded chamber many of whom are
deeply interested in the manufacture and
sale of liquor. They were anxious for
the talk to cease and the killing to begin.
Lord Lansdowne followed immediately
A culver Of new interest ran through the
brill ior
leries turned their Iorgnettes on the sim.
composed, eXpressioness peer who was
facing the government benches. Lord
LansdoWnc was as imperturbable as if
nothing more serious was in question
than small amendment on a bill of fifth
rate Importance. The great crowd of
lords and commons was waiting for his
every word. but he paused and purred and
coolly parried in just the old familiar
way. There is a famous picture In The
Hague Gallery of surgeon at work-cold-
iy absorbed, scientifically imperviouS to
all extraneous things. Lord Lansdowne
made one think of that picture as he
stood up to start his vivisection of the
licensing bill. He was master of the sit
uation. He was prepared to make such
a deadly analysis of the measure as might
convey even d chilling sense of doubt to
the bishops.
ured way through what may be called
the dramatic preliminaries of the subject.
He was cody impenitent about what had
occurred; had not a word of apology to
offer for what was going to occur. On
others be the blame His own conscience
was clear. He and his supporters in the
house of lords had done, and were doing,
absolutely the right thing; indeed, the alb
solutely inevitable thing. They were no
enemies of temperance. Far otherwise
The house of lords would always be ready
to give it's mind to any well considered
temperance legislation. But this bill? All.
Where did temperance come In? 1t was
one thing to improve and humanize pub
lie houses so that they should become
centers of refined and intelligent social
life; it was another to assume that re-