Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1909-12-08
LORDS Reject BUDGET;
DEMAND REFERENDUM

lords had an absolute right to reject
the finance bill He agreed tnat the
country is on the eve of momentous
struggle which might lead to reform
Of the house of lords, from WHICH,
however. the lords do not SHRINK.
Earl Cawdor, former first lord Oh
the admiralty, maintained that there
had been an attempt to eyade tie
lords, ancient right to reject eacn
tax. by placing all taxes in one Dill
He quoted Asquith, who said on as
Stunning the premiership, that the rune
ton of the house of lords was TO check
slovenly, precipitate legislation. Thls,
the earl thought, fairly represented
the action that the lords proposed to
take.
Referring to the lacking on the IL
cense proposals and land valuations
to the budget, he said that as these
previously had been rejected by 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 a single chamber, Independent
of check, while the lords are fighting
for the principle of separation of jul
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 contended, fiouted all usage.
All agreed that it was necessary this
year to raise 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
illusory, and that that justified revo-
luton
mons began May 3, but not until No
vember 4 did it pass, the vote being
$40 to 149, majority much larger
than expected.
The following abstained from vot-
ing:
The duke of Connaught, archbishop
of Canterbury, Viscount st. Aldwyn,
Earl De La War;, Earl Lytton, Mar
quis Dufferin and several other peers
and bishops. Archbishop York and
Bishops Birmingham, Chester and ST.
Asaph voted against the resolution.
The bishop of Lincoln voted for the
resolution, and Lord James of Here
ford and Bishop Hereford were paired
against the resolution Otherwise the
division was on strict party lines.
To Collect Taxes Anyway.
London, Dec. lit is practically
certain that parliament will be pro-
rogued Friday until the middle of
January.
1t was stated with an air of author
ity that Mondays cabinet council de-
cided upon uninterrupted collection
of taxes on tea, spirits and tobacco,
until the new parliament is able to-
pass a retroactive law, reguIarizIng
the situation.
Premier Asquith will go to Sand
bingham to confer with the king.
New York, Dec. 1T. P. O'Connor.
one of the Irish nationalist leaders of
the house of commons, said last night
that the peers by their rejection of
the budget, had announced their own
doom. He believed it would precipi-
tate an uprising of the masses in one
OF the bitterest fights known in Eng
l1sh politics for century. 1t was
impossible to have any steady liberal
progress as long as the house of lords
retained power to defeat all demo-
cratic legislation. Ireland has been a
special sufferer, for the house of
lords consists almost exclusively of
landlords, always enemies of Ireland.
The house of lords now stands alone
in the way of home rule. s'This
means the emancipation of the Eng
llsh masses from the grip of feudal
ism and of Ireland from the govern.
ment of an alien parliament.