Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-20
LIBERALS SANGU|NE
Asquith's Speech Starts Can
vass in England.
ENTIRE MONTH FOR WORK
Remarkable Apathy in London Over
the Election.
SOCIAL DOINGS DISTURBED
Shifting Centers of Naval Strength.
Military DOGGY Working-state
Clubs Mission.
pecial Correspondence Of The Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Star.
LONDON, December IL. 1909.
Mr.. .Asquith's speech at the Albert Hall
last night gave the signal for the liberal
fight to begin in earnest against privilege.
1t was stirring. in its way. as that of
Sir Henry Campbell Bannerman. who,
from the same platform, set the pace
that swept the liberals into power at the
last election and absolutely showed the
tories under 1t is not likely, however,
that the present government will return
to power with such humping majority
as before. The whole month of January
will be devoted to the election, for it
will not be possible at short notice
to arrange for them all to be held the
same day. That will be a reform to
come. So we will have new parliament
sitting in February.
| understand that the government plans
for dealing with the house of lords in
the event of their return to power are
already cut and dried. Its plans
volve change in the constitution of the
realm. by which the power of the house
of commons over finance will be made
absolute and beyond question in the flu,
ture. Mr.. Asquith will also demand
an assu1 ance from the king that if this
proposal is rejected by the house of
lords he will have the power to create
number of life peers. sufficient to
outvote the existing majority in that
chamber. No more than this will be at
tempted for the present. The question
of the 10. DIS veto over general leglsla-
ton will be postponed until the govern
men has had time to prepare scheme
measure to insure this object Will be
coupled with another electoral reform
bill. and the sense of the county Will ne
sought upon these two measures as soon
he Mt hos Ill
ambitious program of social reform WHICH
has already been forecasted-
The complaint of tradesmen that gen.
eral election is bad for trade has some
foundation, and may be believed when 1T
is understood how large is the sum spent
in taking the opinion of the country. The
cost of the 1900 election was f1, ,h5S. of
which 9996.S61 was spent in Eng and and
Wales, E13S,3S1 in Scotland and 931,-
61J in Ireland.
OF course, the e1 .166,sjS was the official
sum returned as the cost; it is safe to say
that the general election cost double that
amount. The cost per vote varied I'M
mensely. and was high in exceptional
cases. The average cost per vote cast
was IS I'D, and the highest average was
As Cd per vote in Scotland. the lowest
average being that of 3s sgd in Ireland.
Some facts concerning illiterate voters
at the election are not only more piquant,
but they have their bearing upon the
great dispute between the two houses of
the legislature. OF the 5.645. 104 votes cast
one has to make deductions for double
constituencies, SO that there are votes
actually cast tallying 5,6O1,O46 only. OF
This last total there were 81, 800 illiterate
voters.
Observe the proportions. There were
cast in England and Wales 10, 75S votes Of
illiterate. in Scotland 2,O41 and no fewer
than 1870 in Ireland. These last figures
work out at percentage of O.4, OBS and
9.o5 per country, respectively; SO that the
ii iterates who actually voted were ac-
tualIy twenty times or so, as many in
Ireland as in Great Britain.
Further analysis. shows that the only
constituency in England and Wales where
an Hiterate did not vote was the city of
Salisbury, There We're. seven constituent
cies In Scotland where an illiterate did
not vote, but as to Ireland the absence
of contests makes ii probable that the
condition respecting illiteracy was worse
than appears.