The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1910-01-29

civilian CURTIS, in the Washing
ton Starr
In answer to an inquiry | would say
that there is no possible means by
which the house of lords can be abol-
ished without it's consent, and that the
only thing that can be done by the
liberal party, if successful at the ap
preaching election, is to limit its veto
power and deprive it of participation
in legislation affecting the revenues
and the expenditure of public funds.
1t is probable that in case the liberals
continue in power they will give tue
/ lords an opportunity TO crlticise bills,
| but if the commons pass them again,
over the objections of the lords, with
or without modification, such action
will be final Some or the radicals
are not willing to go Cnat far; others
are willing to give the lords a larger
chance; that is, two opportunities to
discuss and criticise all legislation by
providing that if a bill shall pass the
house Of commons three times in the
| same session it shall become a law
the objections of the lords to the con-
trary Notwithstanding. To guard
against delay it will doubtless be pro-
vided that unless the noble lords re.
turn a bill within a reasonable time
silence will be taken for consent ana
the bill will become a law without
further action.
The talk about creating enough new
liberal peers to overcome the present
conservative majority IS tmpral-ca-
BILE, because no administration would
dare elevate 500 commoners to the
peerage, and besides, if it should do
so, it would not make a liberal ma.
jority permanent, becSuse the irresis
tible tendency of the members of the
house of lords is to become conSer-
vative within a few years after their
elevtion to the peerase. A majority
of the seyenty-five peers created by
= the liberal government since Glad
stone became prime minister are now
conservative, and if contact with the
upper classes" does not alter the
, point of view of newly created peer
the effect of the elevation upon the
next generation is certain. OF the
$50 peers who voted against the
budget twenty were liberals created
during the present administration.
ORIGIN OF THE PEERS.
The house of commons owes its
origin to the ancient Saxon WitenagC
, mot, the assembly of tribes to discuss
matters of mutual interest. The house
of lords owes its origin to the habit
of the king in early Norman times to
l summon large Landowners and the
l abbOts to discuss with him measures
l of Importance. When a baron was
| summoned once there was at least u
j presumption that he would be sum
c moned again, and ultimately the de
l scendants of a man who had been is
the habit of receiving a summons tC
parliament claimed the right to re
l ceive a similar writ; and the lords
themselves laid down and maintained
the principle that no other deed OF
document or ceremony was necessary
: to create a peer. The theory that
the kings writ ennobIes the blood
was fully established, and by the MID
die of the fifteenth century the house
of lords had become recognized as r
hereditary body.
Benjamin Dsraeli, who was himself
a newly created peer" as Lord Bea
consfield, had a favorite trick of ut
tering through the mouths of the
leading characters of his novels optn
ions and maxims when he woulC
never have dared express with his
own tongue, and in that way Otter
satirized and ridiculed the mos
sacred theories and traditions Of Brit
ish society and politics. And belong
ing to the oldest of races, he nevel
attempted to conceal his contempt To-
the British peerage. The only pedi
gree Lord Beaconsfeld believed il
was that of Israel, and the only heral
die symbol for which he had any rev
erence was the lion Of the tribe O
Judah.
| In one of his novels he makes hi
leaaing character say: 81 never hear
Of peer with an ancient lineage. IN
real old families of this country ar
to be found among the peasantry
The gentry, too, may lay some clan
to old blood, but a peer with an al
cient lineage is to me quite a novelt
When Henry VII called his first parli
ment there were only rwenty-niT