New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-12-15
BRITISH ELECTIONS
The Old Order-vet0 and Home
Rule.
London, November 81

r,nle as q check upon democracy is pass
;rr away. This is true without ref
erence to the results of the general cleo
.ions now in progress. If the coalition
.,,nnorfine the government remains in
mower. with a working majority IN
creased or not seriously impaired, the
Lords will be forced to surrender and
che veto bill will be enacted IL that
,.,eioritv be wiped out and the Unionists
o+,,rr 70 office with the help OF a score
of o,Brienites-this represents the re-
v,otest reach of party eXhilaration-the
lords will be under obligation to set
+,e;r House in order TO carry out the
scheme of joint sessions when there are
5eadlocks between them and the Com
mons 10 provide mechanism for the ref
a-a,d,,r,1 in grave emergencies and to re-
,,o,,nce their privilege of holding up or
,a;ectins money bills. Even sweeping
Y-,,onist victory, which optimists on that
eide do not expect, will be too late for
.re preservation of the old order
d. year ago the Unionists won 100 seats
be,, they had the House of Lords on
.ba;- hacks and were defending unprece-
denied interference with the rights OF
Whatsoever may be their fortune in the
present campaign, they are committed 10
reforms. experiments and breaches with
the past which would have thrown them
into q panic during the budget canvass
The Lords, instead of fighting for their
traditional privileges. are in full retreat
from every stronghold ever occupied
Bv adopting the Rosebery and Lans-
downe resolutions they have Virtually
confessed that a budget must never De
touched after il has left the Commons,
that the old order OF hereditary leglsla-
tors is indefensible, that there must be
q reformed second chamber with two
thirds of the present peers left out. and
that there must be new-fangled expert
r,oents. with Joint sessions and referen-
d1Ims. whenever the houses disagree
What has become of the old Iorylsm'
when the Unionists have abandoned the
ground for which they fought strenu-
ouslv twelve months ago and have left
their guns behind them2
There is at least one thing for when
they are still man9uvring with prliilaI'
dexterity and logged determination
This is the retention by the second
chamber of its power of holding up LID
e-aI measures The backwoods peers are
following orders and surrendering their
seats in the gilded chamber; they are
agreeing to drop money bills like not
Goals and 10 reform themselves out Vi
existence as legislative lords, but they
are holding a tight grip upon Ne'o
mower over Liberal legislation pE ne"
annliances in Joint sessions and IN the
,ntroduction of the referendum All the
other privileges of the old order are
abandoned in the shadowy realm OF ios'
causes but resistance TO democratic reg
;e,a+ion stiffens and hardens at the
single point where caucus OF Ciiioliiet
,.eers can hold up measures WHICH tie9
consider announcement or undeslrapie IoI
-1,o MINER classes If this had not been
20 +l,e conference would not have failed
,rt< ,efarendum would not have been
thought of nor the outcry against single
chamber government have been raiseu
e tho I-nionists had been willing to give
the government Of the day cohlrol oNei
,,,e ioint session and TO secure the
massage of measures favored ny ma
ioritv Of the Commons
-hars iS also one issue on WHICH
7-pionists are LAYING the strongest stress
in the hope of reducing the coahlioh
majority and impairing the force OF 'he
Prime Minister'S contingent demand LOT
-,,orantees This is not tarln reIorih
ticI, ie not unnecessarily emphasized
o,-a, Inv Mr. Bonar Law on the hshtine
,;,,o CT Manchester when there is rally
AGAINST the government IT is Home Rule
II the dictation Of Mr.. Redmond anu HIS
American and Canadian bankers 1ila'
is the question which is illustrated pE
cartoons in newspapers and on hoafo-
irps discussed by candidates ana
Ieader-writers with passionate intensity
and converted into p menace TO KING
dom and empire. The headWaE fnaoe
by the ITnionists since dissolution was
announced is mainly due to the revival
n British prejudice against Gladstoniah
r4o,,,. Rule John Redmond is the
enemy rather than Keir Haraie with
his crude socialism or Lloyd-George Will
his land taxes and vulgar rawlings
against the Lords 1t is against 'he
Ser.arstjst Dictator, who is master a'
Westminster and encroaching upon the
prerogatives of the Crown, that the
energies and passions of the Cnlonis1
orpasition are concentrated In TINS not
test and most embittered Of canVasses'
The T-nionists have their allies III
ireland. Mr.. O'Brien and Mr. Healy are
boasting that they will return to west
minister with twenty in place OF ten
men: and the Conservatives, headed by
Lord Dunraven, are doing everything
in their power to help them by SUD
scril,ing 10 their election funds, with
drawing candidates against them ana
voting for their men Mr.. O'Brien HIM
self reproaches his rival for killing lana
purchase. obstrucing reconciliation ana
peace on the lines of the All for ireland
League. stirring up strife with Ulster
and stalking everything upon SOCIALIST
uDheaval in England and the chances
Of bullying the sovereign into the crea-
ton of hundreds of peers. Lord Dun
raven and the Irish Conservatives work
ing with him are supporting the OBrien
movement with energy and resources Of
organization and denouncing Mr.. Red