The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-03-05
TORY PARTY ALL At.
SKIES AND SEvENS
Even Faithful Morning Post
Rails at Unionist
Leaders.
CONDEMNATION DESERVED
"What Is to Be Done With
House Of Lords?" Cause
Of Chaos.
CONDEMNATION DESERVED
ny WILLIAM It. STEAD.

Especial Cable to The Times Dispatch1
London. March 4.-The second read
Ing of the veto bill was carried this
week after debate that was inter
esting from the number Of now mem
bers who participated in the discus
alon. but II was hardly up to the level
OF the occasion. Tho comment OF the
press Ia that the Tory party Is all at
nlxes and sevens.
Things. indeed. have come to a
pretty pasH. when such n faithful
PARTY organ as tho Morning Post
feels itself constrained to 'implore
the leaders of tho party to cease their
Rcrobatio displays or constitutions
making, by creating q now political
heaven, one day, only to bring 1t 10
e"rth Tho next. which suggests the
c0njurer rather than the statesman,
Mud Jacobin rather than the Tory
Nothing that has appeared in the
Liberal press Is sevcrer than this. yet
nobody can deny that It is we'll de-
served To this pass has boen brought
tho ancient and conservative consti-
lutional party Of Great Britain
the question which has reduced the
Gnior!st party TO this heterogeneous
chaos OF warning atoms is what is TO
be done with the House OF Lords The
younger school OF Tory democrats
has made up It's mind that the only-
thing TO DO done Is TO abolish the
hereditary chamber altogether ana
create n purely elective second cham
Der They would count UP the com
Try into largo constituencies, each re-
turning scveral members voting ac-
cording to some system Of proper
Gonal representation The more eau,
1ous Enionists shrink aghast from
the prospects OF eliminating the
hereditary principle from the lcgis-
aature. They banker after selecting
n Ut ln1 OF trJf rf 49,, IL
Lords from tho peers themselves.
Lords 1-ansdowns and CurZon have
each sltetchcd out schemes for re-
,aining the hereditary element as
permanent nucleus which would Sc
cure forever q Conservative majority
In the upper chamber.
According TO Lord Transformers
echema the TORY majority would BIZ
100; according to Curzon. nifty. Both
ere alike IN preserving the House OF
Lords as body in which Conserva-
tives are permanently In power
Tho Liberals. especially the radical
Liberals, regard all these proposals
for creating second chamber With
profound dislike.
The average rank and Ale OF tho
Liberal party would infinitely prefe,
tho House of Lords 1t is now, PLUG
tho veto bill. TO any reform senate.
which. even although II contains q
smaller Tory majority than the pres
cnt Lords, would nevertheless be GER
tain to contain Tory majority quite
sufficient to make It a most serious
drag upon the chariot OF progress,
The only effect OF substituting an
elective senate with large constitu-
encics for the present House OF Lords
would be 10 render II impossible for
any but the richest men TO get a seat
In the upper house The cost Of con-
testing huge constituencies would be
greater than many men Of mod eratc
which at present is replenished on both
sides by contributions from gentle
men who aspire 10 pceYages. would
he depleted
The Liberals look with scant SYM
patty uron any proposal 10 abolish the
aristocratic chamber merely in order TO
put a plutocratic House in its place.
Tho attitude OF the government. how
ever. ts non-committal on the subject.
The Cabinet adhcrcs to the preamble
which it affixed To the veto bill. which
was a declaration IN favor Of n reform
Of the Lords, to be accomplished some
calends. But so far as can be seen,
thu present veto bill will go forward
and be passed, il necessary. by the ere
alton of 500 peers. Then nothing fur
her will be done in the shape Of con-
stituting an elective Senate.
II the 500 peers are created. the
Liberals Viii have majority in both
houses, which they Will use as long as
4 II lasts. If the veto bill is passed with
ont creating 500 new peers, the House
OF Lords probably will be more reason
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