The Alaska citizen., 1910-12-26

hcient upper house, related to the commons somewhat as the senate of the United States Is to the house of repres sentatives.
 On one vital point the lords re fuse to yield, namely. that in case of disagreement bill should return 10 the commons and on passing tha' body a second time should become law. That would reduce the upper house to a mere form: 1t would put the whole legislative power in the lower house. It is on this that MT. Asquith's government has insisted; this Is the gist of the parliament by Lord Crewe and put aside con- temptuOusly by the house of lords. It Is difficult to understand. in the face of this action. how MT As quith can maintain that he favors parliament of two chambers There is no evidence that in the confer. enCes any discussion of the merits of the two types of legislature took place; the inference is pretty clear that the ministerial members re garded only the immediate needs of their party, the obligation to put through at once radical legislation, and that the chief cause for in- sistence on the emasculation of the upper house was nc obligation to force Irish home rule through al
 lis session.
 Though Mir. Asqu. | is apparent" 1T. ing to minimize Ihc home rule
 influence, it must play all hnportant part in the election The ir'sh mem bers, on whose support lie counts in the next parliament, are boast ing of the hold they have on the Liberals What may have more weight is the fact that the Lord Chancellor of England. before the lords adjourned, went out of his way to declare that the Irish diff ficulty must be adjusted" While it is natural and right that MT. Red mond and his followers should make the most of an opportunity which may not return soon. It will be no help to the Liberal side that it's leaders have declined to deal in a ,.-;tb constitutional matter because they had to yield to the Irish demands.
 Under the circumstances it will be more difficult than usual to forecast he result of the voting. The re j ction of the budget allowed the cry to be used at the last election that the lords were infringing on the rights of the commons. The returns gave 275 Liberals to 273 Unionists. At this election the issue between the two houses is clearer and may Influence votes regardless of party affiliations. The S2 Irish members will be elected probably, as usual; he 10 Labor members may become more. Whether these latter will support the Liberals seems a lit tle doubtful now, for they are em- bittered against any government through the strike agitation and dis satisfaction with the Osborne judg- ment; they will hold together at any rate. The by-elections throw lit tle light on the results in the other constituencies; gratifying as it would be to Englishmen to see ma jority for either UniOniSts or Liber- als large enough to be able to do without entangling alliances, that outcome seems unlikely. MT. Red mond with his Irish phalanx may easily retain the balance of power, whether it is Mr. Asquith or MT gain with.
 In a year of landslides, however, there is the possibility that the Brit ish voter may understand the i'm portance to the empire of the ques- tion he is called upon to decide, and may answer it unmistakably one way or the other-Kansas City Star.