Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-19
PEOPLE NOT YET AROUSED
Indications. However. of All Un-
usually Bitter Contest.
RIOTERS D1sPERsE MEETINGS
Police on Guard When Socialist
Leader Delivers Address-Suf-
fragettes Issue Manifesto.
Special Cablegram to The Star.

columns TEEN with reports of speeches
which are being made daily all over the
country. and not yet is the campaign in
full swing. The drums are beating, but
the people are not yet thoroughly aroused
1t is. however. already clear that the
campaign will be one of almost unpre-
cedented bitterness. Meeting after meet
ing in every part of the country has
either been broken up or rendered futile
by riotous interruption.
John Burns. the socialist labor member
OF the cabinet. has opened his campaign
at Battersea by declaring that the dis
trict will incur an ineffaceable stigma i;
1t does not return him. His meetings have
been enthusiastic, but a small army of
police have been guarding the doors
through which only carefully scrutinized
ticket holders have been allowed to lass
Where such precautions have not been
taken the speakers have generally been
unable to obtain anything like fair
hearing. This has been especially the
case at unionist meetings. Even Austen
Chamberlain. a couple of nights ago. had
to abandon an attempt to speak at a
meeting Of his own constituency.
Activity of the Peers.
4 perfect flood Of peers has been let
loose on the country. They have been
carefully selected. They are good speak
ers. but their public meetings have not
been successful, though they have
demonstrated that the hereditary peer,
at any rate, is a good-tempered fighter
When writs for the elections are is :
sued these members Of the upper house
must retire to private life, for they are
not allowed to take any part in cleo
tfons. As Is only natural, they defend
their own house. but 1t Is becoming
clearer every day that the unionists do
not wish to fight the elections on the
question Of the house of lords. Home
rule. the budget. unemployment and
tariff reform they seek to make the
chief planks OF the platform.
A feature Of the week has been the
publication OF a series of articles by
Robert Blatchford, the socialist leader,
in the Daily Mail. These articles are
devoted to proving that Germany IS
British empire. They are strongly
worded. and although they contain
nothing new to students of European
politics they attract attention in quar-
ters where the subject has hitherto
been little regarded and are being used
to attack the government for its neg
lect of both the army and the navy.
The government supporters taunt the
unionists with deliberately fomentiag
q war scare.
Spectator Approves. Blatchford.
The Spectator. while admitting that
the articles may be used as a stalking
horse during the election, acknowledges
the sincerity Of Mr.. Blatchford, and ex-
presses agreement with his views. Ger
man warships,' says the Spectator, ARE
being built to engage our SHIPS
Together with these various points
there is being discussed, somewhat aca-
demically. but with great interest, the
question of how the government. if re-
turned to power, will free itself from the
yoke Of the peers. The creation o, a
iIuge number of liberal peers to commit
political suicide in the upper house is
no longer even suggested. and II has
been declared that the cabinet has de-
cided to withhold writs Of summons to
conservative peers.
On the reassembling of parliament the
peers have no statut,ry right TO be sum-
.Iioned to the house. with the exception
of three bishops. f, ur law lords and III =
Scotch and Irish representative peers. by
getting the king TO within Id the writs,
therefore, the government could assure
a majority. A semi-official agency de-
clares that this is not cOntemp I'd, the
governments plan being, if retui ned, to
first press the budget and then a bill de-
claring that the house of lords. IN the
case OF money bills. has no power to
amend reject, and in the case Of otLer
bills its veto power does not extend be-
yond one session.
The government is said to consider that
such proposals coming from the new
house of commons, in the election OF
which the question of the house of lords
was such a prominent issue, could not be
resisted. Then, the veto POWER only linn
tied, the government would be c; ntented
for time to leave the initiative as re-
CARDS a scheme of reform to the lords