Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-09
THE ENGLISH ELECTI)H S
1.-THE Constitutional Conference.
Bv FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

| The armistice between the two battling
parties In British politics which followed
| the death Of Edward VII cooled the
passions OF men on both sides and led to
| a general desire to settle the controversy
| between the two houses of parliament by
! compromise. The party leaders agreed to
confer and they selected four radicals.
| representing the ministry, and four tories,
representing the opposition, and gave
| them p!enary powers to treat. This un-
| Official commiss on to decide the fate OF
the constitution Of the greatest nation on
earth had no standing in law. but with
the spirit Of confidence in public servants
| SO characteristic Of the British people
practically all discuss.on Of this great
question was stopped. 1t was a truce Of
God. With charming simplicity the Brit
ish empire delegated its future to eight
men and called them the conference.
Sometimes some one would say ''constitu-
tonal conference" but usually the one
word with its capital &C. was sufficient.
| The conference met twenty-five times.
Not a word leaked out or the councii
| chamber. The whole nation waited
breathlessly for the decision, but it also
waited patiently and with confidence.
| The British people were divided into two
camps and each camp was represented IN
the parley by four men. AS matter OF
| fact, there was not the ghtest chance
| of an agreement. The question under
consideration was fundamental. If one
| of the four radicals had wavered. the de"
| nlocracy Of the nation would nave torn
| him limb from limb. If one OF the tor es
| had capitulated In the slightest material
! matter, the aristocracy of Britain would
have drunk his blood.
Finally the end came Tie prime min
| lister announced through the press in four
lines Of type
Conference Fails the fact that
to Reach Agreement. ence hao
come to no agreement. The truce was
ended and matters we're back where they
stood when death claimed Edward VII
and elevated George to the throne. The
LIBERAL government was unwilling to pro-
coed to its business Of legislation unless
1t was assured that it had a chance OF
passing its measures into law. With the
house Of lords controlled by an over
whe.ming majority Of tories, there was
no such chance under the existing consti-
tuition. The commons had won before the
peop.e in their contention that they might
control the money bills. But the govern
| n1ent was not content to go on unsess us
powers were enlarged so that 1t might
consider other matters Of legislation with
some reasonable hope Of success. the
par lament reassemoled and the veto Oil
was brought out.
The prlme minister, with that directness
Impossible in an American statesman,
who Is slave to the calendar, said the
conference had failed and that there was
no use OF keeping up the farce any longer.
Either the peoples chosen representatives
had the tight and power to legtslate or
they did not have that right and power.
to the dilatoiy but not conclusive veto
Of the upper chamber, was sent to the
lords. The lords ignored the bill ano
countered by proposing q scheme for the
reform Of the upper chamber. voluntarily
abandoning the hereditary principe In
part and making sweeping CONCESSIONS
with respect to the form Of their house.
But their concessions were not such as to
convince the liberals that they would re-
suit In the control OF the house by any
clements now dominant there. The radi-
calls oesireo TO e.u, MT ...eau, the eecvnd
chamber in its present character.
&H
So the lords passed their reform" reso
luuons and the commons passed their
veto bill,
Each House Ignores each house
Action Of the Other. action ., the
other. and the king, by advice OF his
ministers. dissolved the parliament ano
the campaign for a general election
| was ON.
| represented by three con1moners and