The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-13
POLITICAL EVOLUTION RERB
AND IN ENGLAND.

4 ~ H4DANoA W NJ o0N 80
one. IL seems 60 me. having even . very
limited instinct for the study Of political
/ history and present contemporary legis-
lation at the capitals % the great Powers
% the world including Warrington and
I.OodOn. can fail TO b- profoundly inter
estsd in she pending debates in Parlla-
rueni regarding the relations 10 one an
other Of The King and the two houses
The closing sentences Of the speech by Mr.
Asquith opening the debate on March ~.
in which he presented vision % the cere-
mOny ON the recent opening Of Parliament
the King on the throne. the Speaker
At tbs bar. and in between the stately
aplendor q peers. magistrates. commons.
reminding one Of the days of the Plan
taSsnsts. and then sketched the coDstitu-
tional transformations stimulate thought
He said
The sovereign siu there the ihrOas Of Queen
Ehzabeih. WnO. - history tells us on one Ocoa
| .ion a. the eud Of single session opposed the
I royal veto 70 not less than forty etght out OF
ninety one hills which had received the assent Of
! both houses Of Parliament. That royal veto.
thea aud Tor long AfteTwsrd active and potent
enemy Of popular rights. Il literally a. dead
Queen Anne Yes. air. and has monarchy suf-
| tered There IL not . man amoag Ne. Ia what.
ever quarter OF this house he sits. Who does not
know that the Crown Of this realm. with lie hered
iiary suecessaoa. La preToGatives adjusted from
generation 10 generation 20 the needs % the PEG
| pie and the calls OF the empire. IL held oy our
gracious sovereign By . far seeurer tenure than
ever fell 70 the lot Of any Of HE Tudor or stuart
| ancestor
The reason Of the non-existence OF the
veto has come 40 we all know Of the Growth
Of the system by which the King must
act. ~ our Pres ident need not. on the
4 advice % his Cabinet Of Ministers. No
Cabinet could well advise the King to
veto ball passed by q House % Commons
controlled by the Ministry. Thus the
only remaining veto power over the Conn
mons IL the Lords. which MIR. Asduith's
Government intends TO destroy and leave
! all political power even over the King
In a Commons chosen by the voters and
free from all judicial restraint by any
courts OF Law
On a frat superficial look az what IL
going on in London you might think
that Britons wish they had a hard and
fast written fundamental Law and a
judicial power TO declare null Rnd void
| all resolutions or statutes IN conflict
with IL. such al everywhere exists IN
the United States: but on a second look
the contrary appears and especially IN
the proposal TO give 30 the Speaker. and
not To a court Of Law. power to decide on
lacking putting ia finance bills ITrele-
want legislation Mr. Asaaith said that
he deprecated introducing that which
exists in America and wherever there 10
Federal Constitution. which is. he ex-
( planned:
the alervrnt Ion Of the courts Of la~ to deter
mtne whether not the Legislature had acted
I iHfra HhVd and submitting q question
which = not question really appropriate for
ludiria dsssrIninat ion 70 body properly charged
Ntth other mnctlons You have here an Impair
/ ual representative % eli parties In this house
Vho sits iudiCistN IN our rhAir functionAry who
l by tradition bJ ~Nprrisnce and BY the univerSSi
r~~p-~t slih Uhcn hts decisions are REGARDED
snd ob>sr,~d IL In our opinion . fAT BITTER uibu-
nal 20 determine ,uch mAttrrs thAn the courts o.
| Law
! The last sentence sets forth the differ
ence heiN cen an American and a British
Speaker although there are tendencies
az work IN London which many perAons
think viii make the British speaker az
partisan and IyraDn,cal a. The American
I Tn" Use ~ the cIouIr- or closure. ~ pre-
vioua question. by th. Ministry. as at
forth in an elaborate programme. by which
the first % Mr. Asauith's resolutions had
to be voted on 10y half past 10 on a fixed
day and the second by half past a wsek
Later. indicates that the Commons IL not
far behind our Congress in applying the
Euillotins
Probably the American who studies
the text - the elaborate debate now going
On IN the houses 81 the British Parliament
will he startled AZ he discovers how near
our Federal Constitution came 10 putting
Congress IN the position in which Parlia-
meu' 10 That document declares that
all revenue bits must originate ia
the House huJ that the Senate may pro
po-~ or concur with amendments a. on
other bIll- That but saved u-' Aud
vet what ~ the constitutional mem
ing - -origInIt~-' Can the President
originate and send down to the SENATE
what Is known in England az -G6vern-
ment bin II n - revenue btll can
the senate pass u and send Il 10 the House
Until recent days Government balls were
~ unknown IA the United States a. IL
Vet speaking va favor 81 them on the
Hoor u either house by the President
or any head 10 a depa And vet
the recent corporation tax was a Gov
eminent hall" sent t. the senate by the
President and by u put Into a tariff hill.
Was u a permissible amendment
There ~ abundant evidence herea bout
thar a strong body Of American opinion
~ tending generally toward the British
political system under which our existing
State lines shall Ire Obliterated. our Su-
prsme Court restrained from interfering
so much with the exercise Of political
power by Congress- and aSsimiIated TO
the position occupied by British courts
Whoever studies critically current doings
here and IN London cannot fail 70 detect
the tendency 81 professional politicians
in the two countries 20 act on the zane
lines and put political power in 'he hands
Of omniporent legislative bodies fresh
from the people and unveXed by written
constitutions or by judicial restraint
OBsHRvtR
WASHINGTON D 4 April y