Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-18
IF LORDS Reject VETO BILL
Essential Features of Budget to Be
Passed First.
BALF0UR ATTACKS PROGRAM
Ministry Determined Peers Shall Not
Reform Upper House,
He Says.

the income tax, tea duty and sinking
fund provisions; to remove the pauper
disqualification for old age pensions and
to dissolve parliament November 2s
should the lords, in the meantime, reject
the veto bill
Presenting this program in the house
of commons today, Premier Asauith said
he had hoped. up to the last moment that
the veto conference would reach a settle
ment There never had been a. more
honest or more sustained attempt by men
of strong and conflicting convictions to
find basis of agreement upon which to
build a structure promising stability and
endurance
Estate of War;"
In view of the failure Of the conference.
Mr. Asquith said, it would be useless to
attempt to hammer out an agreement, in
the present parliament to the accompani-
ment of the din of party collision.
The result is that we revert to a state
of war;" declared the premier, who con-
tinued:
tunity of saying Yes or No to the
governments veto bill in the coming
week. This is no question Of amend
ment or Transformation. 1t is question
of acceptance or rejection.
The time has come for this contro-
versy, which obstructs the whole path of
progressive legislation, to be sent for
final decisive arbitrament to the national
tribunal
Mr.. Asguith denied the assertion of the
conservatives that the government was
acting under pressure. saying he under
stood that the charge was that pressure
was being applied by the sinister hand
Of the black angel of this political drama
Mr.. Redmond.'s -
Mr.. Asquith then detailed the LEGISLATION
which the government proposed to pass
before the dissolution of parliament and
said that 1t would be necessary to ap-
propriate S2.J00,0DO to carry out the pro-
visions of the act removing the pauper
disqualification from Old-age pensioners;
and concluded by promising that, IL the
government obtained the requisite parlla-
mentary majority, he would next year
bring in bill to provide for the payment
of members of the house of commons.
Balfour Attacks Ministry.
Arthur j. Balfour, leader of the oppo-
sitioh in the house of commons, who made
the unionist keynote speech at Noting
ham last night, today attacked the gov
ernment program as announced by the
premier.
Speaking in the house of commons, he
described the government method of pro-
cedure as unprecedented and unconstitu-
tional. The ministry, he said, 'had made
up their minds that all chance of the
lords making moderate and reasonable
proposals for the settlement Of the ques-
tion at issue between the two houses
must be avoided at all hazards, and SO
was rushing through to dissolution of
parliament before it would be possible
for the moderates on both sides to form
judgment.
George Nicoll Barnes. labor leader,
voiced the revolt of the laborites against
The government, who. he declared had
failed to meet the demands for imme-
diata legislation to reverse the Osborne
Judgment. The laborites, he said, were
altogether dissatisfied with the premier's
suggestion for the payment of members
of the lower house as a palliative for
the wrongs sustained by the trades unions
through the Osborne judgment.
The labor party, Barnes added, believed
that the governments conduct of the
business Of the house and country had
not been such as to Justify giving the
ministry a free hand, and that the labor
members would abstain from voting IL a
vote was taken.
Speech of Balfour.
Politically yesterday was an unevent-
full day, with the exception of Arthur
j. Balfours speech at Nottingham, which
was awaited with keen anticipation as an
exposition of the unionists' election pro-
gram.
Curiosity was aroused as to whether
the unionists' leader would make any
was quickly evident that, except on the
question of the reform of the house of
lords. on which the unionist party is now
firmly committed to Lord Rosebery's
scheme. the unionist platform stands the
same as at the last general election In
its principal plankS.
Mr.. Balfour referred only incidentally
to the home-iule question, but sufficiently
position to it as ever. Thus the union
lists election policy in the main will be
to pit reform of the house of lords
against the liberals demand for the aboli-
ton Of the veto power Of the lords.
Extension Of Time for Peers.
The situation between the opposing
forces last night appeared less aggra-
waited. There was a disposition on the
part OF the NDeral Slde TO give the peers
longer time to debate the veto bill, pos
sibly even to the extent of admitting q
reasonable amendment, provided this
does not interfere with the principle of
the bill.
Mr. Balfour has now set the seal of
his approval on the adoption Of "Ameri-
can dollars as a unionist election motto.
The Standard, I'm an editorial, declares
that there would be no constitutional
crisis but for this American subsidy of
the natiOnalists
.'It Is Redmond's, not Asquith's CRISIS"
saws the paper. "Redmonds patrons are
not the poor, like Parnells, but the af-
fluent.
1T is the American business man, the
American capitalist and millionaire who
are financing the home-rule party for
n. rposes of their own. They do not love
England, and they want to prevent the
adoption of tariff reform"
Rosebery Scheme Passes Lords.
without division last night the house of
lords passed Lord Rosebery's resolutions
for the reform of the upper house except
the one dealing with tenure. which was
withdrawn.
Lord Rosebery. In urging the adoption
of the resolutions. said:s
The ,ime Is short my lords You may