The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-22


 London. February 2l.-The government bill to abolish the veto power of the house of lords which, If the government is able to pass 1t as 1t stands. promises to accomplish a historic change in the parliamentary system of Great Britain. was introduced in the house of commons today by Premier Asquith.
 If anyone professes to the outcome of tine constitutional battle or if the lib- erals have any thought of compromise. they are keeping their intentions to them- selves, and the greatest controversy known in this country for several gem erations began when both sides, apparent- ly determined not to yield except to superior force. began to battle.
 A full house faced MT. Asquith when he arose to make the customary explan- atory statement on the introduction of a measure of such moment. Tickets for seats in the public galleries had been exhausted weeks before. and the deputies and peers balconies were thronged.
 The premier lost no time in letting the opposition know that he felt the country was behind him, and therefore did not hesitate to reintroduce the bill without q change of word in the form in which | 1t uhad It's first reading. last year Ths measure. le said. had gone before the electorate at the recent elections and had been indorsed by the return of it's supporters to the house of commons with a majority of 226.
 Mir. Asquith declared that when the lords rejected the budget of 1909 they committed political suicide, and that his- tory would say that 1t was the most stu pendous act of political blindness ever perpetrated.
 Mir Asquith said the political fortunes of the representatives of the government were at stake. By delay to provide bill for the purpose now sought the gov ernment had guarded against all risks of measure which could be condemned by the people as having been arbitrarily smuggled into law. He concluded:
 A Step Toward Perfection
 The government presents this bill as the first and most urgent step that 1t can take toward the attainment of per- fecton."
 MT. Asquith was followed by A. J. Ball.
 
 rnented upon the absence of all evidences of a conciliatory spirit in the premiers speech. All were agreed to, he said, that there should be modification of the relations of the two houses. out the con- stitution of the house of lords should be the subject of cautious deliberations. The bi-cameral system must prevail. and the house of commons must be the pre- dominant partner he declared. MT. Balfour said he was convinced that some leaven of heredity was nec- essary for the second chamber. He desired a peaceful arrangement by agreement and he would do much SO that great struggle might be settled without controversial violence which it was especially desirable to avoid in a coronation year. but there were some issues so great that no compromise was possible and if fought out, they must be carried over the heads of the unionist party.
 Reverting to his remark that some- thing of the principle of hereditary membership must remain In the sec ond chamber, Mir. Balfour said that he distrusted the policy of making the house of lords purely elective body. In no country in neither the United States nor In France. had that been found consistent with the predominance of the lower house. If. therefore, it was wished that the house of commons lpredominate. the hereditary principle should be continued.
 James Ramsay Macdonald, chair man of the labor party. said he was frankly In favor of single chamber but the country insisted upon two houses. The laborites were opposed to the preamble of the bill. but would accept 1t rather than defeat the meas ure.