The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-12-24
COALITION LEADS
WITH 126 MAJORITY
Unionists at Last Convinced That
They Are Identified With
Losing Cause.
The Return of the Liberals Gives
the Party Greater Prestige
Than Ever.
Lords Will Accept Fate Rather Than
Force King to Create $40
Puppet Peers.

The government party will have Il
coalition majority of 1875 in the new
parliament as a result of the elections
which closed Monday. That is two
over the Unionists in the preceding
parliament.
The state Of the parties is as fol-
lows:
Unionists, 272; Liberals, 271; Irish
Nationalists, IS; Independent Nation
alists, II; Labor members, 43.
James Gilhooly, VINO was an
O'Brienite, has long represented the
west division OF Cork county, was re-
turned with a majority of 255, adding
one to the Independent Nationalists.
In the south division Of Kilkenny
county, M. Keating, Nationalist, was
reelected with majority of 1878.
The English political situation is
perfectly clear and simple. The Lib
eral government is returning with 2
clear majority to insure it's being able
to carry through it's program. The
parliament bill will De passed and
the lords will accept 1t. They will
doubtless seek to introduce amend
ments, but finally they will bow to
the inevitable and accept it. There
is much cry and little wool in the
Tory protestations of resistance of
an outrage. Mr. Balfour himself ad-
mitted this week that the parliament
bill will be passed and that the lords
will do just as they did with the re-
form bill and several other measures
/ they swore they would never accept.
and then accepted.
! The Unionists are defeated party,
and their representations of what
they will dc later are baseless. The
facts are that they are losing ground
in the country. The results they OBJ
tanned in Lancashire were partly due
to their Juggling with tariff reform.
Nowhere else, except in the west,
where Home Rule fears probably in
fluenced the vote, have they made
any impression.
In considering the question Of ma
jorities sight must not be lost Of tho
fact that the polling was on the old
register, which was much more un-
favorable to the Liberals than to the
Conservatives. Altogether, the Union
lists are in losing cause and their
future is not brilliant one. Mr.. Bal
four cannot continue to lead them
much longer, and whom have they to
take his place? They are already at
skies and sevens on the referendum,
the Juggling witt tariff reform hav-
Ing antagonized an important section
of the party.
The week has brought about great
change in the views taken by many
observers of the future course of Brit
ish politics. While it was hardly to
be expected that Unionists would sub.
scribe to these opinions expressed by
H. w. Massingham, there is feeling
among the moderate men of the party
that, so far as the parliament bill is
concerned, its enactment is practi-
cally a foregone conclusion for the
lords will pass it rather than lay
themselves open to an invasion Of
500 new members.
| King George took exactly the same
position as his father regarding guar
antees, namely, that on such great
question as the veto Of the upper
house he could not regard the last
election as conclusive. When the
country should be consulted on this
direct issue his majesty would, Of
course, be guided by the advice Of
his responsible ministers. Premier
Asquithi has carefully avoided making
any statement relative to the royal
prerogative, but Mr.. Lloyd-George in
speech this week allowed 1t to be
distinctly understood that the fire.
rogative of the crown would be at the
disposition of the ministry in case Of
necessity.
I The chancellor replied to the Tory
ltaunts about the 500 "puppet peers."
~ sf a CA sssz 81 4.