Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-23
REGARDED AS COVERT THREAT
LORD LoREBURN'S SOLEMN
WORDS IN BUDGET DEBATE.
Lord Lansdowne, Leader Of the OPP
position, Moves to Reject and
Makes Speech.

LONDON, November 2s.-The main in
terest in the historical debate In the
house OF lords on the budget centered in
grave declaration OF the liberal policy.
which fell from. Lord Loreburn. lord high
chancellor In the course sof an eloquent
peroration., Deliberately ipausingp and ad-
justing his glasses, he read slowly from
a piece Of paper:
ut is my opinion. that 1T is impossible
again bear the heavy burden of office un-
less 1t. is secured against repetition OF
treatment such as our measures have had
to undergo for the last four years.
This statement had AN. electrical effect
upon the liberal members Of the house of
commons. who crowded the public gal
leries. They surged in the Hobbies In a
state of excitement under the conviction
that they had heard the governments
last word before the general election: that
Premier Asquith would make similar
declaration in the house of commons next
week. and that the long delayed campaign
against the lords was begun in real ear
nest.
It was held that Lord Loreburn's
statement can only mean hat no lib
eral leader henceforth will accept Of
fice until he receives a pledge from the
crown that sufficient peers will be ap-
pointed on the premier's nomination to
assure the house Of commons against
interference by the house OF lords In
financial matters.
Lord Lansdowne's Warning.
After the Earl of Crewe, lord privy
seal. had formally moved the second
reading Of the budget bill without COM
ment, Lord Lansdowne, leader Of the
opposition, who was so hoarse that he
could scarcely be heard, moved its re-
lection. He quoted precedents to show
hot p1t ,~h hn
not amend a finance bill. 1T had full
right to discuss it and to throw 1t out
If it so willed.
What he asked was to prevent home
finance bill. There was no limit to such
abuses. The unionists opposed license
duties because they were crushing In
their severity; the same objection ap-
piled to land taxes. The peers. ne salo,
not having been consulted. had clear
duty, not to decree the final extinction
of the bill, but to insist that before II
became law the country should be al
lowed an expression OF opinion.
Free Trade No Longer Possible.
The time had come. Lord Lansdowne
said, to reconsider the question OF free
imports With more and more restricted
markets higher barriers had been erected
by foreign countries. and free trade could
no longer be maintained. He ridiculed
the notion that. the rejection of the bill
would provoke irreparable chaos. the
real chaos, he said. would come from Its
passage, not its rejection.
Peers swarmed to Westminster today in
numbers not seen since they came to Kill
Gladstones home rule bill in 1885. Many
of the lords had never before taken their
seats in the house. The police and the
officers had to exercise most careful scru-
tiny of these, to them unknown, peers
lest any who were not entitled should
gain admittance to the house.
Seats in the strangers gallery had al
ready been allotted to distinguished Wis.
itors, the most of these being reserved
for diplomats who take interest In the
proceedings. Every seat reserved for
women below the bar was occupied.