New-York tribune., 1909-11-23
THE BUDGETS END
DEB-1TE OPENS IN
THE LORDS.
Loreburns 4bIc Speech
Hdlsbury's Reply-Kmg of
Portugal at Session.
BY Gable - Tho Trihune.l

London. Nov. 22.-The Lords do not
exaggerate the importance of a consti
tutional conflict by having recourse to
horid oratory or partisan excitement.
The gilded chamber was crowded for
the debate on the second reading. or
rather the suspension, of the budget,
with the King of Portugal. the Marquis
de Several and Ambassador Reid and
many other diplomats among the spec
tators. and scores of peeresses i'm the
gallery. II was a splendid social func-
tion, but as the debaters rapidly FOL
lowed one another i'm conversational
tones. il was difficult for the watchers
in the press and other galleries TO realize
that anything Of momentous conse-
quence was going on.
Lord Crewe astonished the audience
by moving the second reading with dry
fOrmality and without an unnecessary
word. but this was q neat device for
emphasizing the fact that, according to-
the practice Of centuries. the upper
house sanctioned the financial work of
the Commons without venturing either
To amend or reject it.
Lord Lansdowne began quietly, but II
was not long before his voice deepened
with earnestness as he referred TO thu
finance bill! as an unprecedented meas
ure, which could not have the concur
renee of the Lords without a direct man.
date from the general electorate. His
voice dropped into a conversational key
as he discussed the budget from many
points of view and laid stress on the
unusual practice Of the Commons in
tacking upon il a series of highly contro-
Versial measures. What the speech
lacked was concentration Of energy on
one or two fundamental points. II was
a discursive harangue, covering too
many details of the general controversy.
The Lord chancellor made the most
effective speech of the evening. contend
ing with great force that the business
transactions of the country made il nee
cssary for the representative chamber to
have exclusively the power over the
purse, and that the stoppage of supplies
had never occurred i'm the whole history
Of Parliament. In his most solemn
tones he warned the Lords that they
were invading the prerogatives Of the
crown and the privileges of the Com
mons and bringing on a constitutional
revolution. He closed an exceedingly
powerful speech by declaring that the
ministers had neither sought nor de-
sired a conflict, but assuredly were not
afraid of IT.
Lord Halsbury attempted 10 minimize
the financial effects of the stOppage of
supplies. but did not succeed in break
ing the force of the Lord ChancellOr's
speech. There We're a dozen other
speakers, and an adjournment was
reached without argument from the
more important Conservative peers, who
were opposed to the suspension of the
budget.
The whole constitutional issue was
summarized by Lord Sheffield when he
declared that the Lords have always
had the legal right 10 reject the bud
get, but their uniform practice has been
against the exercise of that right. The
votes of the peers will not be influenced
by what any one says. They want 20
get rid Of an obnoxious budget, and will
kill il under the pretence of obtaining
a referendum from the country.
J. y. f