The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-01-05
POLITICAL FIRES
/ BURN IN ENGLAND
Speeches Of Peers Are Criti-
cised For Their Bitterness
LIBERALS ARE CONFIDENT
Asquith and Lloyd George Hold Up the
House Of Lords to Ridicule and
Make Great Impression
BY Their Speeches.

London, January 4.-Every available
prominent speaker of both parties, as
well as a host of minor men, were en-
gagged tonight in addressing political
meetings in various parts of the coun-
try.
Premier Asquith at meeting at Bright
on from which women were excluded and
Chancellor Lloyd-George at two meetings
in London. made great play at the ex-
pense of the peers oratorical campaign.
The premier thought that IL the peers
could only be induced to prolong this
campaign another fortnight at the same
rate as to volume and venom, Il e lib
erals might almost be content to hold
their tongues altogether
The chancellor expressed the belief that
the peers seemed to think that the house
of commons was an assembly of lunatics
and that the peers gere their keepers.
The peers, he said. were walking through
the valley of humiliation in order to find
work for the unemployed
The chancellor also caused great laugh
ter by describing nus budget as simply
revised and enlarged edition of Kip
lings ballad. Cooks sons. Dukes Sons,
Sons of the Belted Earl, Pay. Pay Pay. =
Arthur ]. Balfour. leader OF the op-
position in the house of commons, speak
ing at Hanwell, said that 1910 would re-
main in the history of the empire as
the opening OF a struggle which might
last for years, perhaps generations, and
become dominant influence upon all
that they, as citzenr. hold most dear
This tone in Mr.. Balfours utterances
on previous occasions has been comment
ed upon as an indication that he realizes
the hopelessness of unionist victory in
the coming elections.
The Marquis OF Londonderry in an ad-
dress at Belfast, declared that the union
lists would rather occupy the opposition
position till the cracT of doom than
hold tafice- for five minutes dependent
upon the Irish vote.
The Rev. Robert Forman Horton, pas
tor of the Lyndhurst church, Hampstead,
addressing a political gathering at that
place tonight. made an interesting dec
laration to the contrary. He asked what
would not Germany or Russia give for
parliament controlled on such popu-
lar lines as the house of commons. He
believed that the real leaders In the pres
ent situation were not Lansdowns and
Baifour, but Curzon, Miner and perhaps
Cromer, all men trained In governing
subject races, who had returned to Eng
land imbued with the idea of renouncing
the representative principles of govern
ment which they had learned to disregard
elsewhere.
The speaker then reminded his hearers
Of the curious parenel In the overthrow
of the Roman empire by the pro-consuls
who returned from their admirably ad-
ministered provinces filled with impa-
tience at the popular government which
had appointed them. He warned the
British people that unless they bestirred
themselves history would repeat itself.
Lord Rothschild, speaking in Liverpool,
repeated the statement made by Chancel-
lor Lloyd George a few nights ago that
Lord Rothschild declared that nearly
there was 30 per cent of unemployed in
New York state, there was only per
cent in England.
Lord Rotschid declared that nearly
a million emigrants went to the United
States every year and that most of them
landed at New York. Therefore there
must always be a temporary amount of
unemployment in New York.
The best proof, he said, that the Unit
ed States had recovered from the great
financial panic was the increased prices
of American securities. His own observa-
tion had been that when the diamond
trade was brisk there was no unemploy-
ment in America and that during the
American financial crisis the South Az
rcan promoters were at their wits end
to sell diamonds. He was informed on
unimpeachable authority that during the
last six months more diamonds were sold
than ever before in the memory of living
man and that the majority-if not all
of them-had gone to America.