The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1909-01-05
|ENGLAND'S FIGHT
TO SAYEFHBRSBLF
Confined from page one.)

kCononueO from page one.D
accomplish three things: To revise
Scottish landlordism, to place their
common school education upon
something like a modern basis; 10
curb the liquor interests. which have
attained such dangerous political
power in England.
Landlords nm.
The Scottish landlords bill passed
the commons. went up to the lords,
was mutilated SO as TO be wholly in
operative, was returned to the lower
house and was dropped as useless
in its new form. The education bill
was laboriously worked into salts
factory shape and was about to be
passed by the commons when so
plain an intimatson was received from
the church OF England element in
THE upper branch, that Il, too, would
be rejected as TO make further ae-
tlon upon II a waste OF time. SO Il
was dropped. The licensing bills
defeat was the last straw. The men,
beers of the Liberal cabinet and tn.
leaders OF their party In the house
of commons talked the situation over
and made up their minds that either
the house of lords must be abolished
or the maintenance of the Liberal or
ganization might as well be abandon
ed They took up the gage OF battle
on the abolition issue. The fight. II
was decided. win be made upon
financial lines.
In next April's budget. the bin
providing governmental appropria-
tons and tax levies to meet them,
will be several clauses, II Is consid-
erred certain the lords WILL never
willingly submit to. One will speci-
fy tax OF as high as IAN per cent
on all excessively incomes. A second
will give the nation a 20 per cent
tax OF large estates upon the death
of their owners. A third will tax
land values so heavily that the hold
ing OF extensive unimproved tracts
will, be rendered impossible. A
fourth will require a liquor license
fee Sufficient TO drive one-third OF
the saloons In England out OF bust
ness and to bring in $4,000. 900 in
-evenues. The measure will purposes
iy be designed to bear heavily oil
the class of peers represented.
Power Of the Lords.
The British constitution allows
the lords to do one OF two things
win a finance bill. Thcy may re-
ject II or pass without alteration.
No changes IN any OF It's provisions
are permitted. Whether they will
pass the proposed constitution meas
ure no one knows To refuse will
mean the stopping of all allowances
for the army, navy and civil service
To think OF the lords daring to IRISH
such a step appears almost as ridi-
culous as the other alternative.
Which ever course they may adopt
will be followed by the cabinets
resignation, the dissolution OF pas
lament. and a call for a general
election. The issue Will be reform
of the house OF lords. Premier As
qulth. the Liberal leader. Is confident
of victory. II his appropriation blii
is passed, he believes II will give his
party such popul;f.y as to insure its
enormous support. II rejected he Is
sure II will bring the lords into &c
testation so bitter as TO guarantee a
majority TO any party which prom
Uses their abolition.
The FIRST request will not be. how
ever, for absolute extinction OF the
lords. At the outset II Is proposed
merely to deprive the peers OF their
present veto power. Having accom-
plished this much. the Liberals pro,
pose to proceed toward the complete
reform of the upper body. No one
wants to abolish the lords. but sim
ply TO make an end Of its hereditary
feature. The most popular plan.
vaguely discussed by the radicals Is
the election OF life representatives.
The lords themselves are Brighten
ed. One plan has already been out
lined by committee under the
of Lo'd Rosebery for
a. - - - L..