The Irish standard., 1911-03-04
IRISH WON'T WITNESS
KINGS CORONATION
Nationalist Party Decides Not to
be Officially Represented
at Festivities.
Entertain Good Will Toward Monarch
and Wish Him Long and
Glorious Reign.
Asquith Confident the People Are
Behind Him in His Fight
Against the Lords.

Following the first vote on the gov
ernment bill for the abolition of the
House of Lords. the Irish party held
II meeting at which it was decided
that the members would refrain from,
official participation in the coronation
ceremonies. The attitude of the party
ment:
"Entc"taining as We do the hearth
est good wishes for the king and join
ing with the rest Of his subjects in
the hope that he will have Il long
and glorious reign, and ardcntly de-
string to dwell in amity and unity with
empire. who, living under happier con-
ditions than exist in ou- country, Will
stand round him al his coronation. we
feel bound as representatives of a pco-
pie still denied the blessing of self
government and freedom TO stand
apart and await with confident hope
llIG lioPPiCi Way VI II iSii SoN vi IL
lnent now close at hand"
In his speech on the veto bill, MIR.
Balfour seemed willing to admit of
the veto bill passing the House OF
Lords without great obstacles, provid-
ed it.,was accompanied by refolm OF
that house, but he indicated that he
tn p1o. nf t1n
stitution which would allow Pnrlia-
ment to pass the Home Rule bill with
out this bill having been voted on by
the electorate.
In other words. he would not ac-
uuesce in the Home Rule question be-
ing submitted to Il second chamber
differing only from the existing House
OF Lords in being bcrcft Of it's abso-
lutte mower.
The Unionist members chcercu again
and again when Mr.. Balfour declared
he would fight against a revolution on
which people h ,d not been consulted.
carried or not at the bidding of the
bidding of the Nationalist minority.
A full house faced Mr.. Asquith when
he rose to make the customary cX-
planatory statement on the introduce
ton OF a measure of such moment.
Tickets for seats in the public gal
le.'ies had been exhausted weeks be-
fore and the diplomatic ana the peers
galleries were throngcd.
The prime minister lost no time in
letting the opposition know that he
felt the country was behind him ana
therefore did not hesitate to reintro-
duce the bill without II change OF a
word in the form i'm which it had it's
first reading last year. The measure,
he said, had gone before the elector-
ate at the recent elections and had
been indorsed by the return of it's sup
porters to the House Of Commons with
a majority of 126.
Mr.. Asquith declared that when the
Lords rejected the budget OF 1909 they
committed political suicide. History
would say that it was the most STU
pcndous act Of political blindness eve-
pcrpetrated.
Hereditary in origin. irresponsible
In the exercise Of it's powers and over
Whelmngly partisan in it's actual COM
positi0n-that was the body to which
the law entrusted the right to defy
and check the considered decisions of
elected representatives of the people.
The prime minister said that he did
not propose to dispense with a second
chamber. They had already suffered
enough from the evils of what was
practically single chamber govern
mcnt, but the country required an i'm
mediate remedy for the evil and could
not await Il release from the danger
GUS and intolcrabc situation until the
long and laborious process necessary
for the creation Of a new second cham
ber had been completed.
1T is asserted" continued Mr.. AS
quith, that the governments proposal
will have the effect of enabling a
despotic single chamber to ride rough
shod over the electorate, and the gov
! ernment is charged with enthroning,
under the subtle disguise of democrat
ic forms power which would enthrall