The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-11
Mr Asquith Gives People First Real Iouchof Campaign
 In Speech
HOME RULE FOR IRELAND
 PROMISED BY LIBERALS
Claim of Lords of Right to Control Taxation Is Challenged By the Premier, Who Demands Limi-
 tation of Their Power.

London, December 1O.-At a monster meeting tonight in Albert Hall Herbert Henry Asquith, the British prime minis ter, laid down the policy on which the lib- eral government is appealing to the coun- try. He repeated what had been said by other ministers. that if returned to power the government would demand the limitation of the house of lords, and then went a step further and pledged that the liberal party would grant self-govern- ment to Ireland.
 The audience was composed entirely of men, women having been denied admis- sion in the fear that there might be dem onstrations by sunragettes. Every corner of the hall bao been searched during the day for women. and q small ba, | nf then, was routed out, but they managed to se. two male supporters into the meet Ing who interrupted MT. Asquth momen- tarily with cries of Vote for women" They were promptly ejected.
 MT. Asquith was not alone in giving to the people their first real touch of the campaign, for Arthur J. Balfour, leader of the opposition in the house of com mons. made simultaneous plea to them in quiet, dignified election manifesto addressed to the electors of the city of London, who have chosen him as their candidate. T tell .0u in the .ai and on oens.c of the liberal party" Mir Asquith said, we have at this moment laid upon us a single task-a task which dominates and transcends because 1t embraces and in- wolves every great and benefcent social and polltlca. change upon which our hearts are set. That task is to vinaI and establish upon an unshakable founda- ticn the principles of representative gov- ernment."
 Appeal For Ireland.
 After referring to the action of the house of lords, tie matter of Welsh re- ligious equality and the fate of certain Scottish land bills, MT. Asquith turned h.s attention to Ireland. which. he said, had been fortunate for once because the measures sent up in her behalf did not come violently athwart the prejudices , of the house of lords
 Speaking last year before my access sion to the premiership MT. Asauith continued, T described the Ireland policy
 
 ish statesmanshtp. I repeat tonight what l said then, and on behalf of my col leagues. and l believe on behalf of my party, I reiterate that this is prob- lem to be solved only in one way, by a policy which. while explicitly safeguard ing the supreme. invisible authority of the parliament, can set up in Ireland a sys- tenn of full seif-government as regards purely Irish affairs. There Is not. and cannot be, any question of rivalry or competing for supremacy subject to these conditions. That is the liberal policy For reasons which we believe to have been adequate the present parliament was dis aoled iii advance from proposing any such solution, but in the new house. the lib- eral government, at the head of a liberal majority, will be in this matter entirely free'
 Defense of Budget
 MT, Asquith defended the budget as necessary to social reform and in this respect said that pensions were the first step.
 The government, he said, was con- fronted with three constitutional inno- vations. First, the claim of the house of lords to control in levying taxation Second, the claim of the same house to the right to compel dissolution of the popular chamber. And third the as- sertion of the house of lords of their power to make and unmake the execu- tive government of the crown.
 What has been done,'' declared MT. Asquith, may be done again. It be- comes our first duty to make it's rec,ir- renee impossible. We shall therefore. demand authority from tho electorate to translate an ancient, unwritten usage into an act of parliament and to place upon the statute books recognition, ex- plicit and complete, of the settled doc Urine of our constitution: that 1t Is be- yond the province Of the house of lords to meddle with any law, to any de- gree, or for any purpose of national finance"