Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1911-05-13
In Big Bulk viii BeAvailable
For Anti-Homs Rule
Propaganda.
Outline of Programme For Brit
ish ParlJ4ment For This
Year.
Lord LansdOwne's Bill to Re
erm Upper House Gets
No Cheers.
SAYS CABINATE IS unit

II would seem that the Tory mem
bers of Parliament refuse TO
acknowledge defeat even when they
know they are beaten. Lord Lans-
downe offered bill for the reforma-
tion of the House of Lords last
Monday. It is dull, flat, stale and
Improbable. A climax will be
reached next Monday when the veto
measure from the House of Commons
will be presented to the House Of
Lords. 1t will pass second reading
prior to June 4. The Lords will
take their stand against the bill
when it reaches the committee stage
on an amendment excluding the
home rule bill from its operation.
When the bill goes back to the
House of Commons with that amend
ment inserted the Government will
strike out the amendment and re-
turn the bill in its original shape to
the House of Lords, with the in
timation that if it is not passed the
King will create a sufficient number
of Peers to force 1t through.
I The House of Lords will pass the
bill under protest, relying on start
ing a great anti-home rule agitation
throughout the country, for which
there will be available all the funds
of the Tory party, together with a
special subscription of $1,000,000.
The object is to make it impossible
for the Government to fulfill its
pledge to pass home rule bill next
year
The Tory change OF front on the
veto bill is chiefly due to two
causes. The first is the proof that
the country, where it is not posi-
lively hostile, is apathetic about the
House of Lords. The second is con-
sciousness that the Tories can only
regain power by positive policy of
their own, not by mere blind mega
tive resistance to Liberal measures.
The anti-home rule agitation is be-
lieved even by the Tories them
selves to be foredoomed to failure,
and the politicians of all parties
agree that, barring some unforeseen
event, home rule will be accepted by
the Lords either in the first year or
the second.
In a speech at MancheSnr last
Saturday Premier Asquith said
that there was not a syllable of
truth in the rumors of dissension in
the Cabinet over the matter of home
rule for Ireland He added: "For
the first time there is a really good
understanding between the democ-
racies of both islands. Material
ties, quite apart from all questions
OF sympathy, bind them together in
indissolnble union. During the last
few years the Irish question has
come to be regarded more and more
as the most urgent part OF Great
Britain's imperial problem"
Last Monday Lord Lansdowne,
leader of the opposition in the House
Of Lords. introduced his bill for the
reform of the upper house. In pre-
senting his measure Lord Lans-
downe said the Unionists were con-
yinced that an amendment to the
constitution OF the House of Lords
should proceed simultaneously with
a reform in the relations Of the two
houses. His bill provides for
house OF $50 Lords of Parliament.
II also provides that no Peer shall
hold his sat for more than twelve
years, but that he shall be eligible to
reelection.
The Peers themselves are TO elect
100 members of the Peerage possess
ing the statutory qualifications. A
second contingent would consist OF
l2O members to be elected from out
side the House Of Lords by an
electoral college composed OF men,
bers of the lower house, represent
ing constituencies comprised in the
electoral districts into which the
country would be divided by spe-
cially appointed commissioners. The
third section of the house, number
ing 100. would be appointed. by the
Crown on the recommendation OF
the Cabinet.
Lords Lansdowne's bill further
provides that Princes of the royal
blood will retain their seats. as also
would two Archbishops, while five
Bishops would be elected Including
the Lord Chancellor. there would be
sixteen law Lords. The bill also pro-
vides that Peers, who are not Lords
OF Parliament, shall be elected by
the House OF Commons. Under
Lord Lansdowne's measure the
power of the Crown to appoint
hereditary Peers is limited to five
each year.
Lord Morley followed Lord Lans-
downe and In brief speech said II
would be impossible for the Govern
ment 10 accept the measure as an
alternative TO the veto bill Lord
Transformers speech on his bill was
heard with chilling silence and
eliclfed no enthusiasm inside or
outside the House OF Lords.