The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-11-12

London, Nov. 6.-The house of com
mons has pas sed the third reading of
the finance bill by a vote of 379 to
l49.
The scene in the house was memor-
able. Seldom has there been a larger
attendance and the galleries were
crowded to their capacity. Chancellor
Lloyd-George, Premier Asquith and
Mr.. Balfour, leader of the opposition,
all spoke and tense excitement pre-
vailed
Mr. Asquith, in brief speech clos
ing the debate, said it was incumbent
upon those who objected to the gov
ernment's taxes to provide some al
tentative scheme to meet the nation S
necessities. Where was this scheme
he asked. Sooner or later Mr.. Bal
four must show his hand and it would
have to be hand that would suit the
game of the tariff reformers.
The government, continued the pre-
mier, might be well content to rest
in patience. There are only two is
sues before the house-taxes propos-
ed by the budget or tariff reform.
Division was taken and the an
nouncement of the vote, showing the
governments majority to be larger
than had been expected, was greeted
with prolonged ministerial cheers.
The conservatives had counted upon
score of Liberal abstentions, but ap-
parently only two Liberals joined the
Nationalist in abstaining from vot-
ing.
lords and formally passed on its first
reading, the debate on the second
reading, which will determine it's fate,
beginning November %.
Liberal Papers Pleased.
The Liberal papers are pleased that
the budget has left the house of COM
mons backed by a solid majority, rep
resenting the whole strength of the
party, including the labor members.
The only matter of discomfort is the
refusal of the Nationalist to support
the budget.
In explaining his party's decision to
abstain, John Redmond, in a speech
in the house later, emphatically de-
clared that if it was to be question
of the lords power to block the cOun-
try's legislation permanently, he
would not be on the side of the lords,
but on the side of the commons and
he would not allow himself to be ca
joled from this attitude by reason of
his opposition to increased taxation
in Ireland. In connection with the
idea that the lords had decided to re-
ject the budget, mysterious para
graph appears in the Daily Telegraph,
strong UniOnist organ, declaring
that nothing has yet occurred that can
be taken as defining the lords atti-
tude On the contrary says the state
ment, the peers will approach the con-
sideration of the bill unpledged and
untrammeled This paragraph posi-
bly, foreshadOws the intention of the
house of lords to attempt to amend
instead of totally rejecting the bud
get.
Reforms Budget Provides.
Roughly speaking, what Lloyd
Georges budget, passed by the house,
provides is this:
To place so heavy tax upon swol-
len incomes as to compel the rich to
bear a just proportion of the taxes
they have hitherto lodged.
To tax unimproved land so heavily
that it will be too expensive for the
holders to leave it longer unimproved.
To tax the reversion of leases so
heavily that it will no longer be pos
an excessive profit by withholding it
from sale.
To tax increases in realty values
sufficiently to give the public it's share
in increase which, by it's enterprise
and improvements, it has at least
helped to cause.
To break up great fortunes by the
imposition of death duties sufficient
to scatter them in the course of few
generations.
Ange ell Receives Decoration.
Ann Arbor, Mich, Nov. CDR. James
b. Angel, president emeritus of the