The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-04-09
IN PALM
OF KINGS HAND
The Premier Thought to be
Influenced by Edward in
His Programme.
What the King Says Goes Is
the Opinion of a Noted
Newspaper Man.
Between Veto and Budget
the Fight on the Lords is
Not Strenuous.

Col. Arthur Lynch, NJ. P, writing
from the House of Commons to the
st. Louis Republican, says:
Edison once said that he never be-
lieved he had made any progress with
an invention till insurmountable diff
culties seemed to arise. So it is with
wrestle for Irish liberties is within
the sphere of practical politics. be-
cause I behold such strenuous endeav-
ors being made by Ireland's enemies to
stave off the evil days, and because also
I behold that crisis arising in which
men must declare themselves. The
first shock of testing, for instance,
showed an unexpected flaw in Premier
Asquith's program.
I could express the same matter in
another curious way. 1 begin by say
ing that the most daring man in Eng
land is W. T. Stead, editor of the Re-
view Of Reviews. He is especially dar-
ing because in an article in his Review
he has put his finger on the spot, and
declared the king to be the crux of
all this timidly, and with much cir
cumspection and fattery, and with even
a certain abdication Of the Liberal po-
sition, but after all, he does it. And
"in the country of the blind, the one
eyed man is king" ...
"A strange mixture, it may be re-
marked, in passing, is w. T. Stead.
Sometimes in the forefront of demo-
! cratic movements, always ready to TAX
up anything that has about it an air
Of faddism or the simmer of false cul-
ture, he is yet defender of the Rus
sian tyrannical system, and was very
proud when he told the czar there were
no Republicans in England.
He is journalist above everything.
This is what he says: "At this crisis
we are in the hollow of the kings hand
Our Lord, the King is no more
courtier's phrase, it is the solidest
reality Of the politics of the day-is 1t
likely that the present king will make
less objection about creating 400 peers
than William Nv. made about creating
60? We are in the hollow Of his
hand, and what he says goes"
Now all this is what members have
been saying to each other in the lob
bies of parliament ever since this par
lament began. But when I ask, why
do you not say so on your platforms
the average member turns aghast. 1t
is the theory of the British constitu-
ton that the king reigns but does not
rule, and that he holds himself aloof
from interference, far above the strife
of parties something like a divine
Buddha, with passion only for open
ing bazaars and distributing colors
And so we have the whole momentum
of the Liberal wave broken by force
that we cannot name and dare no,
criticise.
The juggle between the Veto ant
the Budget will also end in a fizzle
The situation is this: The Liberals
i, appealed to the country because the
Lords threw out the budget. But BY
this act they threw down the gage Of
battle on the question Of the preroga
tives Of the Lords, and the Liberals
having taken up the challenge, swort
to overhaul the whole system Of thu
House Of Lords itself. We all rejoiced
We thought at last the mediaevel in.
stitution had been called to it's day o.
reckoning.
The Liberals came in with majorit,
, of 1874 on this question, and we expected
, them to shout hosannas. Instead, they
as represented by Premier AsquitD
, and the other members Of the cabinet
began to plead all sorts Of excuses To-
proceeding very warily They wished
E especially to pass their budget frs
before dealing with the Lords. Joh1
! Redmond, as leader Of the Irish party
+ warned them that by doing so the!
would lose the support Of the 1risl
vote, and this would probably meal