Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-12-03

with uneXampled speed. Three weeks ano
the failure OF the constitutional conference
was announced. A week later Parliament
assembled. Dissolution followed on Mon
day, in accordance with the plans pre-
viously announced By Prime Minister As
Quith. Wrts Of election issued forthwith.
and elections will take place in a score or
more divisions today Within the present
month all members Of the new Parliament
called to meet January 81 will have been
chosen. In hEty-four days from dissolu-
ton the electoral machinery Of the Tn. ted
Kingdom will have performed tie task Of
ascertaining the popular will and lie new
Parliament assembled to give effect to the
decision OF the electors Nothing IN the
election machinery Of the United States
can approach II for CELEBRITY. The pain-
fully short time between the call and the
election to some aKtent explains the II rce-
ness Of the contest from the start Al the
tap Of the bell last Monday every politician
was off for the hastings. Accounts Of the
battle show increasing RANGER as the strug-
sic proceeds Faotisn soFimmaEes ~ lively
as a college cane rush are q daily ecour-
renee Members Of the Ministry have to
contend with the fighting suffragettes.
eggs and vegetables street. stumpsrs in the
back counties shillalahs are nourishing
from Cork to Dublin, and the orangemen
Of Belfast are on a vocal war footing To
Americans familiar With two 10 four
months OF political bombardment with only
verbal scraps to relieve the monotony. the
British contest affords a moving picture of
vim, vigor and variety OF political gym
nastios surprising any similar event pulled
off in this country since the stirring days
and nights Of 'ss.
The contest is q genuine battle between
prOgressives and standpatters On the
progressive side are ranged the liberal
7 party and its allies. representing 90 per
cent Of the voters On the other side Is
the union!st, or tory party embracing the
so-called conservative element OF the coun-
try entrenohed in the House Of Lords. The
issue is whether the peers shall exercise
unchecked the right OF veto over measures
approved by the House OF Commons Under
ordinary conditions, the two-chamber plan
Of government is esteemed the best system
Of representative government yet devised,
but under the highly developed system OF
party government in vogue in the United
Kingdom, the House OF Commons only
represents the will Of the people expressed
at the ballot box. When the liberals con,
troll that chamber every measure Of reform
I
the lords. With the unionists in control
the lords become positive supporters Of all
ministerial measures. The fight aFainst
the lords Is therefore a fight against one
party permanently entrenohed in the
upper chamber. All liberal party IeEisla-
ton is deadloeked there. It was so with
the Lloyd-George budget, which forced an
appeal to tho country year ago. Every
measure Of genuine progress originating
with liberal ministry for generations past
encountered the overwhelming opposition
OF the lords, and the few enacted into law
were the shadow Of the originals.
Three ways Of reforming the House Of
Lords are proposed, two by the lords them
selves, the other by the ministry What the
lords promise to do with themselves is out
lined in the Rosebery resolutions ana the
Landsdowne scheme. the latter regarded a.
a bit Of campaign strategy. The Rosebery
plan proposes the abolition Of the hsredi-
tary privilege. No one could sit in the pro
posed House OF Lords simply because he
happened to be born to the poeraRe The
remodeiled house would consist Of first,
representation from among the hereditary
peers, elected by the whole bOdy OF the
peerage; second, peers who would eft by
virtue Of their tenure Of office QnciudinP
bishops and law lords), and third, peers
chosen from outside in a manner to be de-
termined. LAnsdownss proposal would
abolish the veto OF the lords a. 20 finance
bills, provided such bills did not contain
legislative "ridera" In event Of deadlock
between the two houses any measure,
joint sitting Is proposed, with speaker OF
the House Of Commons as chairman, the
Joint vote Of both houses 70 settle the fate
Of the measure. Furthermore, the Lans-
downe proposal reserves to the lords the
right to refer any deadlooked measure to a
vote Of the people. Neither plan would az
ford an open thoroughfare for liberal
party measures Both preserve the present
tory control OF the upper house. This Is
the power the progressives must restrict
II not overthrow. Their plan embraces
three reforms; first, the lords to have no
control over finance bills; second. a meas
ure passed by the House Of Commons in
three successive sessions OF Parliament 20
become law, regardless Of the action Of
the lords, on royal approval being an
nounced; and finally, session Of Parlia-
ment to be limited to five years,
The standing Of the parties in the House
OF Commons Just dissolved viii be Of in
terest sor comparison IS the results OF the
election come In. At the election held last
January there we're chosen z73 unionists.
go liberals Of all shades forty laborites.
seventy-one Irish nationalist followers OF
Mr. Redmond and eleven Independent ma
tonalists, followers OF OBrien and Healy.
There have been tWenty-one by-eleetions
since then, which have resulted, however,
In no change Of party representation. OF
the total OF go members, then, SS5 were
needed for a bare majority. excluding the
speaker. who Is neutral The unionists
/ fell sixty-three short OF a majority, and
! the liberals sixty-one short Of II. But with
4 the laborites and the Irish natlonallsts, |
natural allies Of the liberal party. the full
ministerial majority was l2A With these
three forces practically united. nothing
short OF tory landslide will prevent .
majority for the liberals and their allies
In the new Parliament There Is az pres
ent no visible allies for the unionlsts, and
/ their hope OF success rests wholly on an
overturn OF the country, Of which no
signs are visible. Both sides are sbun- !
dainty supplied with the sinews OF po-
| ltical war Among the unionists money