Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-12-02
Creates Situation UnpreCe-
denied in Three Hundred
Years of History.
Action Makes 1t Illegal, in
Theory, to Collect
Taxes

in direct disregard of the advice Of
some of it's ablest and oldest mem
bers, the house of lords yesterday Gre
ated a situation unprecedented in Eng
lish history. at least in 800 years, by
refusing assent to the budget bill and
referring it to the country itself for
Judgment, thereby in theory, making
it illegal to collect taxes and carry on
the government.
After six days of debate, notable for
a high standard of oratOry, and able
arguments for and against the budget,
and placing in every possible light
all the aspects of the great cOnstitu-
tional questions involved, the house
of lords cleared for division at 11:3O
last night. The scene was impressive,
not exciting, except that the house
was packed to its utmost capacity
and great array Of strange faces
we're on the benches, owing to the
presence Of numbers of peers who
only appear in the house in the most
exceptional cases. None would have
supposed that the event proceeding
was destined not only to prove mem
OrabIe in British history, but possibly
also far-Teaching changes in the Brit
ish constitution. There was unusual
animation in the galleries, which We're
crowded by peeresses, members of the
commons, ambassadors and Others
! but in the house itself complete calm
! prevailed There was none of that
tense excitement or eXuberant enthu
siasm so distinctive of similar Occa-
sion in the lower house.
| The vote was on Lord LansdOwne's
amendment that the house was not
| justified in conserving to the bill I'M
| til it had been submitted to the judg-
ment Of the country. Nearly Is min
utes was occupied in clearing the
! house for division.
When the vote was announced, just
before midnight, $50 to IS in favor
of the amendment, a few mixed cheers
were heard. Adjournment was i'm
mediateIy taken.
! An expectant crowd awaited the
result in Central hall. When the vote
! became known there was a slight at
tempt at counter demonstrations, but
the officials speedily cleared the hall.
Lord St. Aldwyn, who as Michael
! Hicks Beach, was one Of the ablest
chancellors of the exchequer Of the
| conservative side, absented himself
! from all the budget debates and was
! 81. 10
! account Of his disapprOval of Lord
| LansdOwne's course. His attitude
will have great effect. The earl of
Wemyss, who is in his 92d year, was
| present and voted.
| When the division was taken there
was no excitement in the streets, al
though earlier in the evening consid-
| cradle crowds gathered in the vicinity
! of the house and attempted a pro
| budget demonstration.
! Yesterdays debate again was dis
tinguished for oratOricaI excellence,
particularly the speeches by Lord
Curzon, former viceroy of India, and
Archbishop York The latter made a
deep impression and strongly opposed
| the rejection of the measure passed
by so large a majority of the peoples
representatives in the house of com
| mons.
| Lord Curzon maintained that the
! lords had an absolute right to reject
| the finance bill He agreed that tae
country is on the eve of a momentoUs
struggle, which might lead to a reform
of the house of lords, from which,
however, the lords do not shrink"
Earl Cawdor, former first lord of
the admiralty, maintained that there
had been an attempt to evade the
! lords ancient right to reject each
tax, by placing all taxes in one bill.
He quoted Asquith, who said on as
Stunning the premiership, that the func-
ton of the house of lords was to check
slovenly, precipitate legislation. This
the earl thought, fairly represented
the action that the lords proposed to
take
Referring to the lacking on the H.
.cense proposals and land valuations
to the budget, he said that as these
previously udu DeeH rejected Dy the
lords, it would destroy all the power
of the upper house if the lords were
unable to veto the bill wherein these
were included The government
wanted single chamber, independent
of check, while the lords are fighting
for the principle of separation of iu-
dicial and administrative functions.
The earl of Crewe. colonial secre-
tary and lord of the privy seal, closed
the debate. Lansdowne's amend
ment, he commended, flouted all usage.
All agreed that it was necessary this
year to raise a large. extra amount by
taxation, necessitated by the needs 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 I
and that that justified revo-
luton.
When Lloyd-George, chancellor of
the exchequer, April %. presented the