New-York tribune., 1909-12-12
BRITISH cAnPAIGY ISSUES.

Two points stand out clearly in Mr..
Asquith's opening speech of the British
electoral campaign. One Is the demand
for what would be practically single
chamber government. He says that the
Liberals demand from the people au-
tbority 10 enact that il is beyond the
province Of the Lords 10 meddle in any
way with any bill which relates 10 Da-
tional finance. That is. of course. vastly
more than saying that the Lords shall
not amend or reject supply bill or
budget. IL means that they shall accept
without question any hill which the
Commons may pass which has any
financial provision i'm il, no matter how
distinct from finance the chief purpOrt
Of the hill may be: and also any finance
hill with any number or kind of nom
financial riders Thus a bill granting
Home Rule fer Ireland. or rdiseStablishing
the Church or changing the title of the
sovereign. or altering the standards OF
currency. might he made To appear III .
degree financial" and therefore exempt
from consideration ny the Lords. That
would mean single chamber legislation,
pure and simple.
From a disinterested point of view ID
may be questioned whether instead Of
thus practically demanding the abolition
or the notification of the upper house
Mr. Asquith would not have done better
to have asked for such a radical ref
ormation of il as would make il
representative chamber worthy of a CO.
-.
tion. There can be- little doubt that
many En"liShmen, probably Il coll
Sidcrabl ma iority Of them. regard the
present constitution of the House of
Lords as anachrOnistic and as seriously
impaiFing the practical utility of that
chamber as "A part of the government
of the empire. and would therefore be
glad 10 see il reformed. Bmt we must
doubt whether anything like Il majority
Of them would favor the practical aboli-
tion of that house and the investment Of
Il single chamber with entirely unbridIed
and absolute authority. II may bc, of
course. that Mr.. Asguith's words were
intended for campaign effect only. TO fire
the heart of the Commons. and that he
has NO thought of their literal and eX-
tTeme fulfilment I'm case Of Liberal VIC
tory. Even so. II may be questioned
whether the other policy would not be
more effective for getting votes in the
campaign.
The other salient point is Mr.. ASquth's
declaration on Irish affairs. We must
confess our inability To find in IL the ele-
ments which Mr.. Il. J.. O'COnnOr seems
10 perceive when he halls II as one of
the most hopeful things for the Irish
cause which have been said in years.
and of meaning real Homo Rule on
GladstOnian lines" IL would be difficult
10 say just what "Gladstonian lines"
were. seeing how greatly Mr.. Glad
stones various Home Rule plans differed.
But certainly Mr.. Asquith's words give
no hope of any such thing as breaking
''the last link that binds Ireland 10
England" which we have often been
told is the ultimate sine qua non of
Irish satisfaction. or even Of giving an
Irish Parliament power 20 establish a
tariff against England. which is some
thing which MIR. Gladstone never con
fempln'ed but which Mr.. Redmond now
appears 10 regard as essential. The
Liberal policy in Ireland. according In
Mr. Asquith, absolutely refuses anything