El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-07-06
The British Crisis
WAR ABROAD OR REVOLUTION AT HOME.

In this respect the situation is much
the same as it is in the United States,
F; where both Republican and Democratic
: parties are divided into conservative
and radical groups For that reason
I there is a chance that the present ne
/ gotiatiOns held under the presidency Of
| king George, between 3Ir. isQUitn, as
! head of the government and the Lib
! eral party, and Mr. BalfOur. as head
! Of the opposition and the Conservative
Z party, may result in a compromise
which viii postpone the elimination Of
! the crisis But as soon as another cleo
ton is held. and that cannot be much
later than next May when the new king
will be crowned, all of the old issues
will come up again and the struggle
between privilege and aristocracy on
the one hand and industry and democ
racy on the other will be resumed
Financial Element Not Partisan.
Of course, the most powerful factor
in the efforts to bring about a COM
promise is finance. The financial ele-
ment is not a partisan in politics, but
it always is interested. In Great Brit
ain the financial element is interested
in privilege on the one side and in in
dustry on the other. but It cares moth
ing whatever for either the aristOc-
racy or the democracy.
came about that the Liberals had a
large majority of the house of COM
mons. In the course of three or four
years the house passed many progress
sive measures only to see them de-
feated in the house of lords Since the
time of Oliver Cromwell the commons
had exercised sole and complete con-
troll over the revenues and expenditures
of the government But until 1907 the
commons had been controlled by the
landlords
In 1908 when the government intro
duced the annaul budget it was found
to contain revolutionary provision for
a tax on land. Contrary to the consti-
tutionaI presidents of three centuries,
the house of lords refused to pass the
budget. Parliament was dissolved and
the. whole question was referred TO the
people IN the general election of last
January.
But the issue was not clear. The
Liberals attempted to make their fight
on the issue Of Peers VS.. People, but
the Conservatives countered with the
demand for tariff reform. which IN
Great Britain means protection. and
with the German war scare. while re-
ligion. the liquor question and a great
many other questions became mixed up
in the struggle. It was one Of the
most exciting campaigns in the his
tory Of popular elections.
When the polling was over it was
found that the government might stay
in power as the result of a coalition
with the labor party and the Irish Ma
tionalists, the Irish possessing the
power to end the governments career
at any time by voting with their enc
mics, the Tories and Unionists-
Peoples Wishes Respected.
Political chaos threatened. but the !
LIBERAL leaders decided before all else /
to insist that the house of commons |.
has complete and absolute power in all /
matters of taxation and revenue. en-
tirely free from the action Or will Of |
the house Of lords This proposal was /
known as the abolition of the veto. The 1
lords passed the Lloyd George budget, /
land taxes and all, in obedience to the
will of the people as expressed in the /
election.
Then both parties squared themselves
for a great constitutional battle. know
ing that parliamentary action must be
by another general appeal to
the country. The Liberals were about
10 insist upon practical abolition Of
the house of lords. so that the party
in power in the commons might be
able to make its legislative program
effective despite the permanent Com
sentative majority in the upper house
The Conservatives were about TO pro- /
pose a reform Of the house OF lords,
which would strip it Of some
admittedly Objectionable features. but
which would leave it stronger and. more
powerful than ever. and just about as
reliably conservative.
Before the first shot was fred in this
great battle the whole nation was
bowed in sorrow and grief by the death
1f king Edward. That melancholy
event and the succession Of king
George, brought about the declaration
Of the truce which now holds.
1t is the purpose Of this series OF
articles to tell in simple fashion what
he crisis in Great Britain means, both
q the British people and to the rest
IF the world. and to give a review Of
he events which have led up to the
present situation, a situation in which ]
Great Britain faces the possibility of
| foreign war with q powerful mill
airy state and at the same time Is con-
.erned with a social and political revo- s
ution at home.
Tomorrow-II. The German Menace.