The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-18
OF LORDS MAY
 SURVIVE ONLY A FEW YEARS

rare and costly. and I need hardly as- sure you that such a common and yul- gal doctrine as the survival of the fit- test does not apply to them. Daughter Now that Is how we started, and we would say to the Australians, Have won anything like that?' They would say. Well. stop minute; we had a few bushrangers, but we must inform you they only stole cattle. Gaughter.) Oh. we would say, cattle won't do; it must DO land, and that on large scales
 We'll says the Australian, it really does not matter; we hanged the last of them short time ago-(cheers)-before they had an opportunity of founding a family. Have you anything else?
 Well, let us give you our second quality. Our second quality are those in tnls way We had a religious reforma- ton in this country and we had certain people who took advantage of 1t to an- propriate to their own uses land and buildings which had been consecrated .o reed the needy and to tend the sick. There was great distress in the country. the poor never knew where to turn. and after years of discomfort and hunger ana famine and rebellion. at last they set up system whereby these poor people were provided for out of the rates, and you and I are now paving rates In order to make up for the rave nue which has been appropriated by those noble people who rejected our bud get And these are the people whose .uescendants huri at us the epithets of
 roppers, 'thieves.' "spoliators," be- cause we dare put a tax of A halfpennv on the land they purloined.' A voice. Make 1t shilling My friend, the home secretary, and I the other day paid 4 Vlslt to Dartmoor and on that bleak. mlst-sodden upland I saw an old man In a convicts garb. He had been sen fenced to 13 years penal servitude be- cause, under the influence of drink. he nad broken into a church and stolen two shillings. fCries of 'Shamei) And the next time I am called a thief and robber by one of these noblemen T VIII say, You are living now, and living we'll upon the proceeds of church poor por your ancestors pillaged.' (Cheers. l Then would say to the Australians,
 Have you anything to match that?' And they would say, We never have been quite as bad as that in our worst days In this countrty.' GAughter) Then I would say: I am afraid we cannot help you. We have given you our two best quailties. We might go on and spread out few more. The peerage is created to ennoble the indiscretions of kings. If can go on, but 1t is hopeless. Don't you think you could find an aristocracy, or something of that sort?' They would say Rather than be governed by men ike that, we would have a senate of kangaroos.' Daughter and cheers.)
 lhen I would go to Canada and ask the canadians the same questions about having hereditary chamber made uu O ,x1 xryl,A l T or think. And if they should inquire as to how this was to be done I would say PICK out the most ancient stock in this land. They must have something to do With the land, but take care that they have never cultivated 1t themselves. (laughter), neither they nor their ances- tors They must not do any work. They must hunt, ride shoot, recreations of that sort 'Ah,' says the Canadian, we have got sort of people who meet that description. They have never done any work in their lives. They are the most ancient stock In our country They do nothing all day long, year after year, except hunt and shoot and ride-neyer have done a decent days work They are very stately, they are very dignified, they are very idle. Tn fact, they have every qualification of an aristocracy, but we shut them up in reservations to keep them out of mischief
 Tt Is true the tory party are doing their best to put life into the old horse They are fitting up electric wires to his tail--just to make him go for time And Lord Rosebery wants to give him hind legs. HAughter.) Well, on hu- manitarian principles. am opposed to cruelty to animals. would turn the poor old thing to grass and convert his old tram into cucumber frame Uaugh- &>~ I late. They are inapplicabie. We want a parliament that will attend to the busi- ness of the people. Let us clear the en. cumhrances from the road. SO that jus.