Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-25
LORDS BATTLE ON
Rosebery Resolutions Open
War in Parliament.
TORIES WERE CONSULTED
Liberals Find It Hard to Criticise
Argument That Second Cham
Der Il Essential.
Foreign Correspondence Of The star.

Foreign Correspondence Of The Star.
LONDON, March Il, 1910.
The announcement OF Lord Rosebery's
resolutions dealing with the reform of
the house of lords is the first shot In
the battle between the opposition and
the government for the strengthening
or the weakening OF the upper chamber.
Unionists are explaining at the outset
that Lord Rosebery is acting on his own
responsibility in these initial steps. al
though it is clear that the ex-prime min
lister has been in consultation with the
tory leaders in both houses.
Lord Rosebery and the opposition. now
ever, will find it a delicate matter to win
over the .backwocdsmen" to the proposal
to modify the hereditary rights to lesis'
to modify the hereditary rights
to legislate. The totaf elimination
of the hereditary element would
not be tolerated for a moment oy
the tories, but many of the back bench
peers. who have been neither regular III
their attendance nor active In the d,s-
charge of their legislative duties. lOoR
askance at any limiting Of the hereoi-
tary basis Of the chamber.
Praise for Resolutions.
IL IS dumltteQ on all names tidt ehe
resolutions have been framed with extra
ordinary cleverness The initial argu-
ment that it is essential for the we'll
being OF the country that there should
be a strong second chamber is one which
even the majority Of liberals found 1t
difficult to criticise. AS is pointed out.
indeed. any tendency on the part of the
government to adopt the single-chamber
doctrine would Immediately wreck the
ministry. There is a substantial and
influential ma jority in the cabinet which
demands the setting up OF reformed
second chamber as a corOllary to the
veto proposals. which. it Is understood
were under discussion at the cabinet
council yesterday. Ii they had their way
they would have insisted upon the schemes
being entwined and dealt with stimuli
taneously, and it was only the necessity
OF conciliating the Irish that led them
to modify their attitude in some degree
Lord Rosebery's second resolution oe.
clares that the reformed second chamber
can best be found In the recons1ructio !.
of the present house Of lords. This II
is noted. does not rule out any or tht
schemes based upon the Introduction OF
an elective element OF nominated mem
bers or of life peerages. These are
points which are wisely left to be settled
as a result of discussions in the mouse
itself
Lord Rosebery's third resolution in hi:
mild plan of reform that the acceptance
of the principle that the possession OF 9
peerage should no longer of itself give tn,
right to sit and vote in the house OF lords
may raise a sort of hullabaloo among thu
peers OF England, but 1t will be hard fol
Lord Rosebery's aristocratic countrymef
to find anything new in the idea A pubic
reminder of this comes their way in the
return of the lord clerk register of Scot
land, who off1ciated at the meeting a
Holyrood House, Edinburgh. last night, te
commemorate the fact that Scots peer
is less than an English peer by electins
sixteen Of their number to represent them
in the house of lords.
Conference Was Melancholy.
The record of this melancholy confer
ence begins with the grand words. II, the
most noble Douglas-Beresford Malise-
Ronald, Duke Of Montrose. knight Of the
most ancient and most noble Order Of the
Thistle, etc, oficiated in my own per-
son." But while these words are rum
melting overhead we have only to turr
to the lists of the thirty-seven peers who
did NOT think the business worth a visit te
their ancient capital to see how empty
the farce is getting. The lord napier's
entire list is the Earl Of Mar and KEEL
lie Lord Dingwall seems to have re-
membered two-Lord Balfour of Burleigt
and Lord Dundonald. Lord Fairfax OF
Cameron, the American gentleman whit
recently proved his right to vote here, as
sisted to extinguish Lord Torphfchen. the
one Scots peer who voted against the re-
lection Of the budget.
Lord Torphichen received thirty-thret
votes; Lord Sempill, who was elected, re.
ceived one more. Lord Dundonald go'
ifty-four, the highest number of votes
and perhaps rightly so, for 1t must have
been very gratifying to a group of gen
tlemen so little known to the public to bt
able to show one of their number who hae
done a notable thing. 1t Is rather inter
esting to see the order in which the ma
jority of the peers voted for themselves
The Marquis of Queensbury's rule Is t.
put himself first. Lord Mar and Keliie
puts himself third, Lord Lauderdale fifth
Lord Carnwath seventh. Lord Falkland
tenth, hut the majority are content te
tuck their own names at the end. Lore
Rosebery was present, and had the fur
of voting for his own selection Of Scots
peers to represent him. while, as peer OF
England, he has also the privilege tG
represent himself.