Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-01-24

Makeup of Commons So Closely Divided
That 1t Is Puzzle How to Dispose OF
The Lords, Pass the Budgets and Act
On Home Rule===Nationalist Happy.

London, Jan. 23-Never IN the rec
objection of the Oldest politicians have
the British parties been in such per-
picking position as they find them
selves today and are likely to face
when the next House of Commons is
organized SO evenly divided will be
the mern bership OF the next House and
so close Is the popular vote, that the
result of the elections for all practical
purposes may BIZ considered tie.
No human mind can divine which
of the principal and different questions
before the electors had the most in
fuence at the polls, or whether the re-
suits mean that the people demand
tariff reform, or are loyal to the Lords
or anxious to reject Chancellor Lloyd
Georges budget or whether all three
OF these had an equal effect. Under
these circumstances neither party
wants the responsibility of attempting
to legislate and. since division must
he so close, the Unionists are better
satisfied to be in opposition than to
have won by a very small majority.
Mr.. Balfour's speeches show plainly
that with the existing conditions he is
glad not to have control of the gov
eminent supremacy. Premier Asquith
would be equally pleased to escape the
perils of plotting the party Though the
troubled waters. There are precedents
for him to ask the King to summon
another leader to form the govern
ment, but no one expects him to haul
down his flag. All the prophets make
the prediction that the new cabinet
will lind itself in the minority within
year and that the country will
plunge into another general election.
The remarkable figures recorded at
this stage of the balloting foreshadow
u!ar vote ad the membership of the
House Of Commons will be divided be-
tween the two great factions. The
popular vote stands: Tnionist 1885,
6z7; Liberals 2.224,315; Laborites 3y5. :
lis. This gives the United Liberal-La-
Dor marty a majority OF 153,SO3 in a
total vote of 5,2S5,157
Today the membership of the House
of Commons is a tie, the Unionists and
the combined Liberal and Labor party
each having elected 21S representa-
tives One hundred and sixty-sevcn
seats remain to be filled of which 102
are English. In the last Parliament the
seats were: Unionists Sc, Liberals lis.
Nationalist &c. Should the present
trend of voting continue. neither the
Uniorists nor the Liberals can muster
majority of moro than dozen and
fhp Nation nlictc
wholly masters of the situation
The Peers and the Irishmen will be the
dominating forces of the next Parliament.
Premier Asquith has two battles to fight
To reform the Lords and to pass the bud
get which failed and the budget for the
coming year. The prospect is that both
the Peers and the Nationalists will vote
for the budgets. The House of Lords
can be reformed only by bill which the
Lords must all swallow. They may deny
that the country has given a mandate for
this The Unionists insist that the cleo
tons have not proven that the country
desires a change in the historic status of
the upper house. They argued that a bare
majority is not enough. No country with
n written constitution such as the United
states. they point out, can make such
changes by bare majority.
The position of the Nationalist is
unique. With them all questions are sub
sequent to home rule! The tariff reform
ers claim that the Irish are all protec-
tionists II they could vote that issue
without complications. The Nationalists
In the last Parliament declared against
the budget principally because they were
opposed to increased whiskey taxes, but
they would probably help it through the
next House as measure of political
strategy. Home rule is not likely to get
far next session, according to well versed
politicians. because the reform of the
House of Lords which the prime minister
has written at the head of his program
will bring a great fight.
The Conservatives believe that the older
wing of the Liberal party, represented by
Premier Asquith. War Secretary Haldane
and Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grew.
new repents of having permitted Radicals |
like David Lloyd George and Winston
Spencer Churchill to commit the party to |
budget which is so far on the road to |
wnat their opponents term Socialism The |
Liberals claim that their enemies are |
trembling in their boots lest they find the |
government on their hands with the ne
cessity of raising revenues for old age |
pensions and larger navy. The surprise |
or the campaign has been that the manu-
featuring centers with a few exceptions
nave gone for free trade, while the
squirearchies shifted to the protection
party.
The Conservatives are convinced that
this campaign is the first milestone in a
bitter struggle in which history will re-
peat itself and in which their party will
return to power by gradual steps as 1t
has in the past whenever disastrously
overthrown, and will firmly establish I'M
perialism and protection,
That the struggle is bitter even at the
present moment there is no question. The
one time chivalrous atmosphere OF Brit
H. Is rf,,1ly char 20