Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-02-04
BRITISH POLITICS.

OF the News" the opinion of the Den
yer Post about the recent English
political campaign were quoted under
the heading. Facts About British
Elections"
The article began as follows:
AS the people of the United King
dom OF Great Britain and Ireland have
rejected the Lloyd-Gcorge budget ana
as the house OF lords. by refusing to
adopt that budget when Ii came be-
fore them, gave the people OF the king
dom aforesaid the opportunity OF exer-
cisng that power of rejection. and as
the house of lords have been supposed
TO be. but actually were not, an Issue
in the general election now closing in
tho United Kingdom; this statement OF
the facts is submitted with view 10
presenting the truth"
AS the foregoing and following
Statement OF facts appeared in the
columns of this paper without com
nlent, it might appear that the "News'
endorsed the opinions or vouched for
the facts" This was not the case. and
simple Justice requires some comment
upon the subject matter Of the Posts
article. 1t is, OF course, impossible
to forecast precisely what the British
or any other parliament will do; but
enough is already certain to show how
far tho Post has erred in its most
positive statements.
in the article a laudation OF the
House of Lords follows, and this House
IS designated the progressive element
in British politics, Yet English his
tory does not disclose especial progress
slveness on the part OF that body, but
rather It has seemed to play the part
OF an obstructionist, to most of the
measures that are praised by the his
torians of England.
The Post says:
1T is true that the lords stand for
privilege They are very candid
aristocrats. They believe In the rule
OF the best But their chamber Is not
exclusive. 1t is by no means as eX
elusive as the senate OF the United
States.
The lords are house OF family and
intellectual privilege but they are
not a house of wealth in the modern.
commercial sense. Under the unwrit-
ten constitution of Great Britain. the
people can make the lords an elective
boqN MltuGNti lllcl SuCn a
decislon and, until they do reach that
decision IL is proper to assume that
the people of Great Britain prefer tho
lords TO remain a house OF inherited
landowners"
on the day when the above was writ
ten. the London Times, the great Tory
paper. declared the election returns to
be such that "to pass tariff reform in
the face of the solid hostility OF the
great Industrial centers in the north OF
England and in Scotland is impos-
sible"
The Times also suggested a confer
ence between the leading men of both |
sides to agree upon scheme for House
OF Lords reform. or possibly the forma-
ton OF a neutral ministry under some |
influential moderate politician to tide
over the crisis until the next general |
election.
But the Liberals. emerging victorious |
from struggle in which the declared |
party represented by the Times had |
used every engine of intimidation and |
corruption against them, derided the |
idea of comforting with the vanquished |
The immediate reformation of the |
House of Lords is therefore not at all |
unlikely.
AS to the alleged superior intellectu-
ality of the members OF the Lords. their |
campaign contributions to the recent |
election do not justify the extravagant |
praise of our contemporary
Compared with those of the Com |
mons their speeches seem very dull. |
Lloyd George. the man OF the working |
people. was easily the foremost figure |
as campaigner. The main reliance |
OF the Lords was to talk about another |
issue. especially the tariff. AS the
Post says:
The real Issue was free trade. or |
protection; reciprocal tariff with tho |
Brush domlnions, or n gradual break |
ing up OF the empire; a living wage |
LOT iarm workers and artisans. or Eng |
land the manufacturing "dunnlno-
ground OF the Industrial world +"
III this were the real Issue" and
the Lords tried to make il such tbon
they have apparently lost upon that
also, for the dispatches show that tho
Liberals and their allies have a largo
mhJority-over one hundred-and that
they can carry out their entire program,
II they Will The attractive statement
about the living wages loses much
OF its force when it is known that Brit
ish wages are by far the highest IN
all Europe
Tho S1lance OF power In the comIng
British Parliament will be held by the
li1sh Nationallsts. Before the Lords
threw out the Lloyd George budget ana
brought about the general election tho
IRISH Nationalists. numbering elebtv
three. were without power TO impede
or direct the course OF legislation in
the House Of Commons. The Liberals
were strong enough to carry through
any bill. with or without Irish votes.
VSaile normally the Nationalists acted
on the side OF the Government. they
rcfraincd as a body from voting on
the final passage of the budget Tho
various issues raised by the Conserya-
tives about land taxes. socialism. free
trade and German armaments have not
hurt the Nationallsts but have 40
drawn from the strength Of the Lib
erals as TO render them dependent upon
the Irish members for n majority In tho
new House of Commons.
This entirely unexpected result makes
probable not alone the abridcment y,