Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-11

step. The budget. he continued. had
been thrown out by the house OF lords
after weeks of debate. and the govern
ment as a result, was confronted with
three constitutional innovations-frst, tho
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 assertion OF the house OF lords
of its power to make and unmake the
executive government Of the crown.
What has been done" declared Mi.
Asquith. may be done again. Ii be-
comes our first duty to make its recurs
renee impossible. We shall therefore.
demand authority from the electorate to
translate an ancient, unwritten usage
into an act of parliament and to place
upon the statute book recognition, ex-
plicit and complete. of the settled doc
the province of the house of lords to
NEEDLE with any law. to any degree or
for any purpose. o. national finance
No Longer Submits to Rebuffs.
The premier, continuing. said that nei.
Their he nor any other liberal minister
supported by a majority in the house
of commons was going to submit again
to the rebuffs and humiliations OF the
last four years.
The liberal party. Mr.. Asquith declared.
house of lords or the setting up of a.
single chamber. but IT asked of the cleo
torate that the house of lords should be
confined to the functions proper Of the
second chamber, and that the absolute
veto must GO
He, personally, did not underestimate
the odds against which he had to con-
tend. but the government was unanimous
in demanding the absolute control Of tha
finances by the house of commons. the
maintenance of free trade, and an effec-
tive curtailment or limitation Of tho pow
er OF the house of lords.
The meeting carried a resolution de.
claring undated confidence In Mr. As
quith's leadership. David Lloyd-George.
the chancellor of the exchequer, and who
framed the budget rejeoked by the house
of lords, moved a vote of thanks to this
chairman of the meeting He received an
ovation.
Mr. Balfour's manifesto will be dis.
appointing TO an enormous section of his
political followers. inasmuch as 1t briefly
dismisses. tariff reform as the first
plank OF the unionist program.
Review of the Crisis.
The manifesto is exceedingly long. 10
reviews the history of the crisis and
declares that the governments claim is
that the house of commons should be the
uncontrolled master of every class. and
without appeal to the country, even in
most extreme cases.
He cited the United States, where the
fundamental principle OF the Constitution
is that every class OF property should be
taxed alike. and says no such measure
as the British budget could be adopted
there without a two-thirds majority OF
both houses, or become law without a
national mandate from the still stronger
majority of the country. while even lie
the House of Representatives imposed
special taxation 1t could be rejected by
or President
Il am not SO immoderate," says Mr..
Ralfour. "as to demand such security for
the British citizen, but only that, If ex-
ceptional taxation is imposed at the ca
price of a minister. he should not be de-
prived of the only means known to the
Constitution by which an appeal to his
fellow-countrymen may be secured
Mr.. Balfour charges the government
a conspiracy to secure what would vir.
tually be a single chamber of legisla-
ton.
Advocates Tariff Reform.
After a brief criticism Of the budget
the manifesto refers at length to the
problem of unemployment as the one ex-
treme difficulty which 1t is impossible to
remedy by the government proposals. 1t
then proceeds to state that Mr.. Balfour
anticipates great results from tariff re-
form.
1T seems to me-" Mr.. Baifour declares.
"a truism that tariff reform will stimu-
late home industries. Only by tariff re-
form can you hope to retain colonial pref
erence, to modify commercial treaties i'm
your favor and secure home produce from
unfair competition in the home market
ION other aspects of tariff reform I
will say nothing. The very fact that it
is the first plank in the unionist program
has prevented it ever receiving less than
its due NEED of attention, whether from
friends or foes