The San Francisco call., 1909-12-01
LORDS REJECT
THE BUDGET BY
DECISIVE VOTE
Intense Interest Awaits Action,
With House Crowded During
Brilliant Closing Debate
Earl OF Crewe Sounds Warning.
That Rights Of Ministers
VIII Be Safeguarded

Lord Lansdowne's resolution, declar-
ing that il would be unprecedented for
the lords to reject a finance bill passed
by the house Of commons with such a
majority.
Lord Curzon was plainly suffering
from his recent indisposition and had
10 ask the indulgence of the house, but,
despite physical weakness. which sew
eral times in his 80 minute speech
threatened 10 overcome him. he spoke
with his accustomed vigor and art. He
maintained that the lords had an alb
solute right to reject the finance bill.
and he agreed that the country was
on the eve OF a momentous struggle
which might lead to the reform of the
house of lords.
ATTEMPT AT EVASION
Earl Cawdor, former first load of
the admiralty. who closed the debate
for the opposition, maintained that
there had been an attempt to evade the
lords ancient right to reject each tax
by placing ALI taxes on one bill Re-
ferring to taclSing on license proposals
and land valuations TO the budget, he
said that, as both these had previously
been rejected by the house of lords. it
would destroy all the power of the
upper house if the lords were unable
10 veto the finance bin. in which these
were included He asserted the budget
already had driven capital from the
country to an alarming extent, had
stunned the building trade and had in
creased unemployment.
The people. Lord Cawdor concluded,
could get rid of the decision of the
second chamber by an election, but they
could get rid of an autoeratic single
chamber only by revolution.
The earl Of Crewe, secretary of state
Tor the colonies. delivered a speech fire.
quently interrupted by ministerial
cheers. Lord Lansdowne's amendment,
he contended. was the negation of all
precedent and flouted all usage. All
agreed that it was necessary this year
TO raise a large amount Of extra money
by taxation. necessitated by the claims
of national defense and the adoption of
old age pensions. The sum total of the
long debate, he declared. was that the
opposition considered the governments
method of raising money iilusory and
that that justified revolution.
EARL SOUNDS WARNING
The position of liberal ministers in
the house of lords. declared the speaker,
was becoming almost impossible. In all
the years he had been a member he
could not remember a single case where
suggestions of his had the slightest
effect In conclusion the earl of Crewe
said:
we must, after the action you are
taking tonight. set ourselves to obtain
guarantees-not the old guarantees
sanctioned by the course of time and
enforced by accommodation between
the two houses but, If necessary and If
there is no other way, guarantees
fenced about and guarded by the force
OF statutes, which viii prevent the in
discriminate destruction of our legisla-
tion Of which your work tonight is the
climax and the crown
The following abstained from voting:
The dr. c OF Connaught. the archbishop
OF Canterbury, Viscount st. Aldwyne.
Earl de la War;. the earl of Lytton and
the marquis OF Duferin and several
other peers and bishops. The archbishop
of York and the bishops of Birming-
ham. Chester and ST. Asaph voted
against the resolution. The bishop OF
London voted for the resolution, while
Lord James OF Hereford and the bishop
of Hereford paired against the resolu-
tion. Otherwise the division was on
strict party lines.
Premier Asquith has called another
meeting of the cabinet for 10 O'Clock
this morning TO complete formalities
following the action OF the house 'of
lords. and it is practically certain that
parliament will be prorogued Friday
until the middle of January.
Irish Leader JubiIant
NEW YORK. Nov. 30.-Commenting
on the action taken by the British
house Of lords T. p. O'Connor, one of
the Irish nationalist leaders in the
house Of commons and now in this
country in the interest of Irish home
rule. said tonight that the British
peers had, by their rejection of the
budget. announced their own DOOM
4 am greatly pleased" he said. 'and
SO is every one who is an enemy of the
house. Of lords. Every liberal and, still
more every Irish nationalist has
known for several generations that it
was impossible TO have anything like
STEADY liberal progress so long as the
house of lords retained its power to de-
feat or postpone all democratic agita-
ton
IRELAND THE SUFFERER
ireland has been the political suf-
ferer from the present power of that
body. for the house of lords consisted
almost exclusively of landlords who
have been always the curse and the
enemy Of ireland; and, from the days
of OConnell downward, every single
reform Of the scores we have won has
had 10 be won in the face of the oppo-
sition of the house Of lords. Its hostil-
ity to Ireland has been maintained
steadily to the end. for now it alone
stands in the way of a home rule
measure.
las to the effect in England. I be-