The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1911-06-03
DEFENSE OF
GOVERNMENT BILL
Says First Duty of Party is to Put
it on British Statute
Books.
The Principle of the Measure tho
Profession of All Parties of
the State.
Opposition Acting as if They Con-
sidered the Measure a Foregone
Conclusion.

Premier Asquith has OH ali occa-
slons been one of the staunchest de-
tenders Of the principle of the govern
House OF Lords. We append herewith
some of the most salient passages from
his speech on the occasion of the third
reading of the bill in the Commons:
! will endeavor in few sentences,
to gather up the reasons why am to
ask the House to read the bill n third
time. The main and governing rea-
son is that this bill is precisely that
which we on both sides of the House
believe that an Act Of Parliament
ought to be, merely the deliberate and
considered expression Of the popular
will. ! will briefly recall one or two
notorious and familiar facts. In 1909,
after the rejection OF the Budget. and
In view of q General Election, ad-
dressed n great meeting in the Albert
Hall on behalf Of the Liberal Party,
and l there stated that, in our jude-
paramount duty of u Liberal Govcrn-
ment. if returned to power, to place
on the Statute Book bill in the first
place abolishing the legal power of the
House OF Lords to interfere with fin-a
ance and as regards other legislation,
transforming their absolute veto into
merely suspensory veto In the new
Parliament returned after that election
we introduced, at the earliest possible
moment, the Resolutions on which this
bill Is founded, and I then stated that
the Government, while putting for
ward those Resolutions, recognized at
the same time the urgency Of the re-
constitution of the Second Chamber
on Il workable basis. The passing Of
the Resolutions and Of the bill founded
on them was the first preliminary and
Indispensable step. The bill, as intro
duced. precisely carried out that as
surance. Its operative parts were
confined to abolshing the privileges
and claims of the House of Lords in
regard to finance and to converting
their veto into suspensOry one, while
in the Preamble the intention was
clearly expressed that not as part and
parcel Of that operation, but at fu-
ture date and supplementary to 1t, 1t
was the intention Of Parliament to re-
construct the Second Chamber on q
popular, as distinguished from an
hereditary, basis.
But I may remind the House that,
after the lamented death of the late
King, the leaders of the two parties
spent the best part of six months in an
honest, persistent, and laborious-and,
believe. single minded-attempt to
arrive by agreement at a settlement
OF the problems involved in this Con-
stitutional question. and it was after
that attempt had failed that to my
great regret-and, ! believe to the re-
gret of the right hon. gentleman oppo-
Sllc-Wt IOOh up again LIlc SlIuSSl6 aL
the point at which we had, and felt it
time, laid down our arms and felt it
was necessary that our policy should
once more receive the emphatic ap-
proval Of the electors of the country.
| The result was the General Election in
December last. At that election this
bill-Prcamble and clauses-was sub
mitted to the electorate. What does
that mean? You have had two Cen
eral Elections and two Parliaments.
In one OF these majorities of from 100
to 12O voted steadily for the resolution.
The second-the Parliament in which
we are now sitting-with equally large
majorities have supported the bill in
the Commons at every one of it's
stages. These are undoubted and un-
deniable facts, and l venture to ask
hon. members opposite-particular
now that they are so enamored of the
referendum, and had recognized that in
this country we must conform to the
expressed will of the people, ask
this question:: Has there ever in our
legislative history been measure
which went to the House Of Lords with
a better title than this bill will 60