Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-21
Some Things You Want to Know
The English Elections.

The general parliamentary election now
In progress in England is in many re-
spects the most important political cam
paisn since the ballot box was invented.
peculiar issues involved are such that
Whatever the result of the voting, the
constitution of the British empire will be
radically changed. Usually IL is impossi-
bic to weigh the Importance Of a political
campaign In advance, but from the first
1t has been known here that a liberal
victory would mean the reduction Of the
power of the House OF Lords 10 the extent
that IL might not veto or amend bills af-
fecting revenues and thai a conservative
victory would mean that the power Of the
House Of Lords would be augmented and
that Of the House OF Commons reduced
to a point approximating the condition Of
affairs before the revolution under oliver
Cromwell.
Here England decides whether it will
adopt the newest notions Of political re-
form and advance toward socialism or
whether II win return to a more pro-
nouncedly individualistic system. The
campaign was the most exciting that Eng
land has ever known-far more fast and
furious than any campaign the United
States ever has known. The most i'm
portant reason for the unprecedented in
terest in this particular campaign is the
fact that there was a real, living, burning
issue. AT the beginning Of the campaign
this issue of the people against the peers
was clear-cut and 1t was sufficient to get
the country thoroughly awake. Then other
questions were injected, until, at the close.
the speakers were compelled to discuss
many side issues, each Of overwhelming
Importance. Seldom has so much been
crowded into one campaign, never has so
much depended on the result Of an cleo
ton.
To begin\at the beginning. The liberal
party came into power in 1906 by an over
whelming majority. It attempted to leRis-
late along progressive" lines, but its
great majority in the House Of Commons
was of no account when the House of
Lords could veto or emasculate every
measure. The House Of Lords is always
overwhelmingly conservative. The first
prime minister. Sir Ii. Campbell Banner-
man, died and was succeeded by Mr.. Her
bert Fl. Asquith, the present premier. Mr..
David Lloyd-George became chancellor of
the exchequer, a position which amounts.
II transferred to the United States. to a
combination OF all the power held by the
secretary of the treasury, Speaker Cam
non. Senator Aldrich and Chairman Taw-
ney OF the house committee on appropria-
tons.
Each year the chancellor of the exche-
quer makes up the budget, a bill providing
for the collection and expenditure Of all the
revenues Of the country. This budget gees
into effect as law on the day It is intro
duced in the House of Commons. 1t is
just as II Secretary MacVeagh had the
power to draw up a bill fixing all taxation,
including the tariff, and making all ap-
propriations, including fixed charges upon
future administratio n that such a bill
would become law at the moment 1t was
transmitted to congress. However, the
budget, although already in effect, must
be passed by Parliament and approved by
the king. The kings approval is purely
~perfunctory. as the crown has not exer-
cised the right of veto since the days OF
Queen Anne.
The budget introduced on April 20, 1903
is the cause of all the trouble. 1t provided
for the revolutionary process OF taxing
land values. After mucn stormy debate II
was passed by the House of Commons by
a huse majority and sent to the House OF
Lords. That body, on November 90, 1909
rejected and vetoed the budget, in effect
by adopting an amendment to it declaring
That this house Is not justified in glvins
its consent to this bill until it has been
submitted to the judgment Of the country. 4"
This action was taken by q vote OF $50 to 70
Whereupon the campaign was on.
Some understanding Of the nature of the
British constitution, and OF the SHARP
practice by politicians Of both liberal and
conservative parties, is necessary to ex-
plain this crisis. TIT British constitution
is not a written document like that Of the
United States, but Is the collection OF gov
ernmental precedents from early times
until the present. Since the reestablish
ment of English affairs after the Crom-
we'll revolution the House OF Lords, under
the accepted constitution, has had no right
to reject or materially to amend revenue
bills. The budget has been exclusively
the work of the House Of Commons, and
the assent OF the lords has been given
just as the pertunctory approval OF the
king is required.
The liberal government was unable "a
pass its proposed progressive" legislation
in separate, bills, so the whole social re.
form scheme was tied up with revenue
measures and introduced in the budget.
In this form the budget might nave been