The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-05-14
Settlement Of England's
Constitutional Crisis
Now Is Possible.
JOINT MEETING
THE SOLUTION
Proposed That Lords and Com
mons Assemble in One Room
and Let Majority Decide
Questions Of r Reform.
Lord Lansdowne Said to
Favor This Method.
by WILLIAM II. STEAD.


lspeeiai Cable To The Tines.Di.patchl
London. May la.-At the eleven /
hour. and after almost all hope Of
compromise had been aboadoned, it
seems possible that the COZ. ititutiona IL
crisis in England will be composed by
agreement between the two parties.
Oi course. there Is no outward and
visible sign OF this at present. and the
possibility will ne stoutly denied even
by those who are preparing themselves
TO accept IT.
AS. however. the American public is
only concerned with great results, it
may be well TO put on record al this
early period that many shrewd OBJ
Eervers In this country are coming TO
the conclusion that settlement by ar
rangement is In sight.
The Parliament bill Will be pressed
through without wavering. 1t VIII be
sent up TO the House OF Lords back ed
by the whole force Of the coalition In
the House of Commons. The Lords
VIII be told that they must swallow
II or face the consequences. When the
bill reaches the House OF Lords the
Peers Will probably adjourn It's con
s!dcration until they have made some
progress with their own reform bill.
The doors are open for this ma
TO the disgust of Ill labor and radical
section OF the Liberals. las been re-
tanned IN the forefront or the veto
bill. This preamble is Z public pledge
for the reform of the House OF LORDS
a some time in some manner not yet
specined. i
The tactics OF Lord Lansdowne seem
to suggest that the reform bill which
he introduced this week into the House
~ he Ln f,,tn CT ay
ton together with the veto bill. and
that out OF the TWO some kind of a
Joint settlement will be arrived at.
The Peers Scheme OF Reform.
may be worth while 10 consider
the elements which are now ready 10
be cast into the cruciblc to be smelted
with the aid OF lux Of coInpromis Sc
into a national settlement OF the ques-
tion. Transformers bill. as he frankly
admitted. is a death blow to the old
House OF Lords. In place of an assembly
based almost solely upon the heredity
he substitutes q new House. OF which
only 100 peers will represent the rercd
itary principle.
The 700 existing peers viii he called
upon to elect by q system of proper
tional representation one-seventh OF
the whole number. Only such peers
will be eligible who belong 10 certain
specified categories OF men who have
done service to the state. The rest
Of the House OF Lords he proposes 10
constitute first by l2o lords of Paria-
ment elected for electoral districts by
bers OF the House OF Commons return
ed for constituencies within that dis
trict
TO these are added 100 lords noml-
mated by the King. that is TO say by
the Prime Minister for the time being.
in proportion to the strength of the
parties in the House OF Commons. The
members OF the new House of Lords
will sit for twelve years. one-fourth
retiring every third year. To these
elective lords there are added seven
archbishops and bishops and sixteen
law lords
There Is no doubt this ia sweeping
and radical reform. which may we'll
be termed revolutionary. 1t Is the frst
scheme OF the second chamber that
has ever been produced which does
give the Liberals a chance of some time
having n majority in the House OF
Lords. That. however. Is not the ma :
tnrial point al issue. II the two Houses
differ. as they certainly would differ
If they were constituted according to
Lord Transformers plans. how Is the
difference 10 be settled?
The Joint Question Solvent.
II is understood that Lansdowne
favcrs a settlement by the method of
joint sessions: that is to say. the Lords
and Commons meet together in one
room and the majority decides IN more
grave cases they would advocate an
appeal to the referendum. Ii the
Unionist leaders are prepared to nc-
cept this principle of joint sessions.
then. indeed settlement is In sight.
which Is much more satisfactory than
the veto bill with it's preamble. fore
shadowing reform of the House of
Lords III some remote period. IT is
early in the day to forecast the lines
of this compromise. but there are Ger
tain notifications which will have to
. he made. In tic first place, the right
of the House Of Commons to absolute
authority on all genuine financial bills
will have to be accepted by the Peers.
In the second place. Transformers
proposal that the King should never
be allowed TO make more than five
peers in any one year Will nave to be
eliminated.
Granting these two notifications, it
ought not to be impossible to arrive
at n settlement on the basis of refer
ence to joint sessions III cases OF diff
ferences between the two houses Such
settlement. II adopted at once. would
enable the two houses voting together
To carry home rule by majority
which would not he less than sixty.
F. f .