Arizona republican., 1909-12-01
The English Crisis.

ne ftJtCllon Ol the 'DuuSel Dy the house of lords yesterday has pre- cipitated the long expected crisis in British politics. It is more than d political crisis affecting the fortunes of the two parties in British politics, however, for it involves the funda- mental principles of government in the United Kingdom For this reason. readers of newspapers in the United States are following with unusual in terest the developments at London. A better understanding of the questions which confront government and the people of England. Scotland. and Ireland, may be gained by The Re puhIican's readers if We review the present deadlock between the two houses of parliament.
 Ordinarily, the house of commons is the whole thing" in the British gov ernment The house of lords in more or less perfunctory manner ap- proves the acts of the flower" house The cabinet" is the government" and the members of the cabinet are members of the house of commons. They hold office at the pleasure of the house; that is. if at any time majority of the house votes against any bill which has been made d gov ernment measure the members Of the cabinet resign, there is a dissolution or parliament, an appeal to the coun- try on the issue presented, and a general election of a new house of commons. Upon the result of the cleo ton being ascertained, the king sum mons" one of the leaders of the ma jority party to form a cabinet; the new government takes hold, and con- tinues in power until it meets defeat in the house of commons, as a usual thing, although sometimes the gov ernment takes new appeal to the country without waiting for deefat, if its leaders conclude that the issues and times are ripe for gaining a new grip. Failing dissolution for cause, a parliament lasts seven years. Very rarely has there been a dissolution and an appeal to the country because of a rejection of a government bill by the house of lords. Gladstone appeal ed to the country when lords re- jected his home rule bill for Ireland, and was defeated at the ensuing cleo ton. the unionists gaining control and retaining it until several years after the Boer war
 Never. until yesterday, did the lords dare to reject the budget The budget is the annual appropriation bill. and as occasion requires it pro- vides new means of raising revenue The unwritten British constitution, like our own written constitution, pro- vides that revenue bills must origin ate with the representative house.
 Following Gladstone's example in .iie case of the home rule bill, Pre- mier Asquith will no doubt dissolve parliament and appeal to the country, and there will be a general election in January.
 In the campaign two questions will be uppermost for discussion: To what extent shall the lords be curbed in
 
 acted by the house of commons? The more radical element of the liberal party is in favor of abolishing the house of lords. The danger that the wave of democracy may rise until it destroys the lords has been pointed out by Lord Rosebery and other far sighted members of the nobility in speeches of the past few days. The l second question will be: Shall the country re-elect the liberal party. and thus approve the extremely radical taxation program of the present gov ernment? A popular verdict for the unionists will mean rejection of this program and the adoption of the prin- | ciple of protection. advocated by former l Premier Balfour, as the best means of reforming the revenue system and bettering the conditions of the people. i
 MT David Lloyd Georges schemes 1 Of taxation, embodied in the budget, | are the most socialistic ever present | sd to the English people. and the bit ter opposition of the lords to these schemes caused the defeat of the | budget The most concise summing | up of this new taxation question that | has been made by any American was 1 stated the other day by Mir. Darwin | p. Kingsley. president of the New | York Life Insurance company. on his | return from a tour abroad He de- | scribes it as a sweeping movement