The Irish standard., 1910-01-01
PEOPLE AND PEERS
What William r. Stead Says Of the
Great Combat,


What William r. Stead Says Of tho
Great Combat.
This is what Wm T. Stead says Of
the coming battle between the British
peers and the democracy:
Now that the decks are cleared FOR
a general election, the time has come
for presenting the American reader
with brief survey OF the field of &C.
ton. The issue is very simple-Peers
or People. Which shall in future gov
ern the British Empire? 1t seems
strange at this time of day, nearly a
century and half since the Declara-
ton of Independence, that any heredi-
tary aristocracy should attempt to
challenge conclusions with triumph
ant democracy.
But of late years the Peers have
stealthily, step by step, encroached
upon the authority of the House of
Commons. and they have at last been
persuaded that it needs but bold
usurpation of the financial privilege
Of the lower House to establish them
selves as the dominant factor in the
Constitution. The Commons are fight
ing on the defensive. Until the night
Of Nov. so, if dissolution had taken
place. the burden of the attack would
have been placed upon the Liberals
The rejection Of the Budget changed
everything. The democracy has now
to repel direct frontal attack, direct
ed against their hitherto impregnable
ctadel-their exclusive right to con-
troll finance.
+ The Peers, Of course, are fighting un-
der false colors protesting a. mon
strous desire to prevent any legisla-
ton upon which there has been IL
direct appeal to the country for q
mandate. This deceives none. Their
victory, if they achieve it, will be ac-
cepted on both sides as popular vote
in favor of enthroning the House OF
Lords upon the dust of the House o.
Commons. A victory for the Peers
would affirm their right to control H.
nance, to turn out ministries and to
dissolve Parliaments. AS ave Peers
out of six are always Tory, this would
mean the perpetual exclusion of the
Liberal party from Office. II the con-
stituencies returned Liberal major
ity under such a regime the Lords
could force them to appeal for re-
election by rejecting their first budget
The great object Of the Peers in the
pending election is to obscure this fact
by making great parade Of their def
erence to the peoples will and making
pretense that the introduction Of a
Protectionist Budget would secure
work for all. Unemployment, with
tariff reform as a panacea for lack of
work, Is the chief theme of the party
Of the Peers. And as they are also
demanding taxes on bread and meat
the electors are being cajoled by fam
tastic visions of peasant proprietor.
to be established as praetorian guayil
to defend high import duty on Amer.
can foodstuffs. 1t is all 'fee-f aw-
fum." ,.,,--.
The Liberals the Labor party and
the Home Rulers are acting as a unit
in the campaign against the Peers
Painful experience sharpens the nat
ural instinct by which they recognize
in the House Of Lords their common
foe. If the Peers triumph, farewell to
all hope of carrying out any Of the
reforms to which all these groups ar.
more ar less pledged. With then, It is
battle for life and death. TO lose
this election would put the knife t.,
their throats. Ireland, Wales, Scot
land and the North of England will
probably vote in 1910 as they voted
in 1905. London and the southern
counties are those where the land
lords Of acres and the landlords of the
saloon expect to score their heaviest
, successes. ..
If the Liberals obtain a majority
their first task will be to reform the
House Of Lords. The means for this
lie ready to their hand. Even the
Tories admit that there are many