New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-29
NEW BRITISH POLICIES
Reforming'the Lcsds-The Chan.
CeIIor's,InsuranCe Schemes.
London, Nav IN

both parties. Eighteen months after IN.
Lords. In defiance Of consequences. HIM.
up the famous budget, with its LAVA
taxes. and brought on the constitutions,
conflict, In which the nation has tv,,.
voted against them. they have recon
mended a transformation OF their ancier, ,
a.! chamber more radical and drastic tha,
any proposal made by the Chancellor ..
the Exchequer Lord. Transformers hu
is not the work Of a benevolent neutr,,
like Lord Rosebery, DOR Of an irresno,.
sible amateur like Lord Newton. II ha.
been framed with deiberation after fra
quent consultations Of prominent Union.
lists Of the two houses, and Il has bee,
drafted by Sir Robert Finlay as a party
measure of statesnanlike reconstruction
II involves the sacrifice OF the tradition.
and principles of centuries and the cor.
version or body Of irresponsible
hereditary legislators into hybrid az.
sembly. in which wor'kingmen can sit IN
the gilded chamber with dukes and
marquises of Norman lineage and vas,
landed possessions.
The Prime Minister had outlined Al
Manchester series Of tests Of a re-.
| formed upper chamber. and Conservative
peers as they listened with solemn faces
70 their leaders explanations were con-
strained to admit that the Liberal re-
uuirements had been met. Mr. Asauith
had suggested a chamber small in nun.
| ord I csl
| 35O' repres sntative, nominated and
elected peers was not unreasonaby
large. The Prime Minister had stipu.
lated that il should not rest on the
hereditary ba sis. and Lord Lansdowne
had started out with the concession that
with the exception of princes OF tire
blood no peer should have a hereditary
right to SIT in the Lords. Ont Of three
hundred peers qualified by public service
one hundred would be selected by their
fellow peers. one hundred and twenty
would be chosen outside h.y electoral COL
leges with prov lsions for minority rep
resentation, one hundred would be nom-..
| mated by the ministry Of the day in
strict proportion to party representation I.
in the Commons. and five bishops would
he elected by their associates. and the
| two archbishops and sixteen law lords
would retain seats for life. Mr.. Asquith
had contended that the reformed cham
Der should not be predominantly one
sided or partisan. and, while forecasts Of
the political distribution effected by so
intricate a SEX erne could not be precise.
it was safe to assume that party inter-
ests would be fairly balanced.
There was a final test proposed By the
Prime Minister. and because Lord Lans-
downe either could not or would not
guarantee it alrthoritatively Lord Morley
could not ACCEPT the Unionist scheme Of
reform, either as a substitute for or as
an addition to the Parliament bill. This
was the supremacy>of the representative
House. According TO Mr. Asquith's
dictum. the reformed upper chamber
must not be allowed to claim anything
in the nature Of CO. ordinate or competing
authority Lord L.ansdowne was silent
| on this point. and il was evident that the
| Unionist peers, after their tremendous 4.
sacrifices Of principle. would not be sat- e.
isfied with consultative chamber with
revising powers and privileges OF delay
ing measures, but without effective
4 means OF holding up Liberal bills II the
J-nionist leader had been prepared 70 ac-
| cent the Parliament bill from the gen.
eral electorate a conference might easily
have been arranged over the Lords re-
form bill. Possibly this may be done
after the coronation. Certainly, the
1rntonist peers have established prima
| facie case for a conference by producing
well digested scheme Of constitutional
reform. Radicals can we'll afford TO take
| il in return for the passage Of the Par
lament bill. which secures the suprem-
acy of the Commons.
In marked contrast with this CON-
rIex plan for strengthening the upper
house and bringing II into toucn WIFE
democratic feeling is the government
scheme for improving the CONDITION Oh
the masses by the introduction OF CON-
tributory methods of insurance against
sickness. invalidity and unemploymen-
nv svstematized warfare against con-
sumption and by protective expedlen"
for promoting the health of mothers Dee
fore and after childbirth. LORD Lahs'
downe's bill interests the privilesea
classes. who are hoping 70 erect barriers
against Radical legislation; but "'
working masses are cold and ndiHeren'
n constitutional reform so long as 'ns
will of the general electorate preVahs
and the aspirations of British democrat!
are carried into effect. Mr. Lloya
Georges insurance bill. on the o'he'
hand. has appealed at once 10 the mas.
nations of social reformers and traae'
unionists Every party and faction -
the Commons has welcomed II ss
measure of social regeneration. Cr'u
cism of II is restricted TO details: organ
lied resistance to IL is impracticable. An
edition of forty thousand copies Of '''
bill has been at once absorbed oy '"'
country. IT is the single question -
which millions of workers are NV
foundy interested.
The most hopeful sign of the tunes :,
this busy and joyous coronation ye"'
the concentration of public opinion uP''
this practical measure Of social relo'H'
While it is grounded largely upon "''
man experience, it is accepted as a. s
ameliorative policy. which needs 10
adapted TO British conditions and haVnS
and there is a general disposition III w.
nress and in Westminster TO discuss