The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-21
VETO BILL PASSES THIRD READ|NGOF
 HOUSE OF LORDS Success of Bill Now Pre- dicted as Almost a
 Certainty BOTH SIDES MAKE = PASSIONATE TAI .$y Lords Meet Again 9 os.sS or Thursday and Gr> ,c,hstitu- tional Revolutio, >G Cen
 tury Will End

l London, July D-The house of lords
 passed the third reading of the parlia- nlent bill, otherwise known as the veto | bill, without division today after only | three hours debate. The revolt or the | ipsurgent peers failed to materialize All | threats of the extremist leaders to throw
 out the bill at this stage and precipitate
 crisis proved a bluff One scolitary peer,
 Baron stanmore, raised his voice to de-
 mand a vote, but found no supporter. | Lord Morley for the government and Lord Lansdowne, leader of the opposi- tion, repeated some of the familiar argu-
 ments for and against the measure. Lord | Halshury, leader of the extremists, | threatened fight if the house of com
 mons rejects the amendments
 1 The future of the measure may be pre- | dicted tonight with reasonable certainty.
 Premier Asquith in the commons on Mon- day will move the rejection of the lords
 amendments en bloc. This done, the prime minister will announce that If the | lords persist there will be no course open | for him but to tender the King certain | advice which will insure the passage Of | the bill. It would not be in accordance with constitutional etioustte to specify the
 nature of the advice, but every one will understand that this means the creation
 of liberal peers. | The house of lords will meet on Wednesday or Thursday and Lord Lans- | downe will move the acceptance of the bill, predicting it's repeal as soon as the
 unionists return to office. If the extreni-
 ists rally around Halsbury and vote for
 the rejection of the bill. Lord Lans-
 downe is expected to summon his fol- lowers to vote for it. It is not expected that Halsbury will find more than 30,
 perhaps not more than a score to make
 the last stand and the greatest constitu- tional revolution in almost a century will be accomplished Three considerations have impelled | cine desire to save their own caste. | from cheapening; to shield the King | from an embarrassing position and to prevent the immediate enactment of ex treme radical measures, such as home rule and the dis establishing of the | Welsh church. What the ultimate ef- 1 feet of the humiliation will be on the union'ist party lies in the future. That far seeing leadership might have pre- vented 1t none deny. Who will be the | final scapegoats is the question. Funeral-Like Scene
 The scene today in the ancient cham Der was more funeral than belligerent. Many peeresses and diplomats were in l the galleries. but there was nothing of
 festive spirit which welcome great
 debate. The only dramatic touch was furnished by Lord Halsbury, whose voice, despite his s6 years rang with passion and indignation as he de-
 nounced the passing of the old regime.
 Other speakers were diplomatic rather than oratorical. Lord Morley suavely
 hoped that this parliamentary operation
 would be accomplished without further social shock and everyone understood that social shock meant dilation of the peerage by the infusion of new blood. Lord Lansdowne replied with equal suavity that the unionists must oppose the bill as proposed as long as they were free agents. Every one inter preted this to mean that they would not
 consider themselves free agents when | the threat of doubling the peerage was definitely held over their heads.
 | MT. Balfour has summoned a meet l ing of the leaders of both houses for | tomorrow to consider future policy.
 In opening the debate Lord Morley
 reiterated the hostility of the government
 against any qualification of it's original
 proposals The bill now being returned | to the other house. he said, was so changed as to bear no resemblance to
 the original measure passed by the com
 mons and to accept the bill as amended
 would be a death blow to that house.
 Criticising the amendments in detail,
 the governments spolleman said the op- Of nal. .it,o fa,y cb n
 as they could, had made as many as
 possible.
 Say what you please of the parliament
 bill" he exclaimed. nobody can pretend
 that the change from an absolute to a
 suspensory veto is comparable in it's mag
 nitude, it's risks and possible dangers to
 the death dealt by Lord Lansdowne to
 the prestige authority and responsibili- | ty of the house of commons
 Lord Morley pointed out that the
 amendments took away from the house
 of commons the power of deciding what
 was a money bill and proposed to set ur
 a tribunal which could practically cali
 for dissolution whenever 1t liked. But"
 he said 'the government has refused to
 make aiW compromise'
 Opposition Started Fight | Lord Lanstowne claimed the opposition | had gone five-sixth of the way towards
 meeting the government, endeavOring to recast the bill so as to remove it's worst
 objects and safeguard the country against
 hasty and ll-consdered legislation. 1t was said the opinion of the country had
 changed on the subject of home rule. lf that were true, why not gives the people
 an opportunity of saying if they desired a change.
 | Lord I.ansdowne pronounced in fla vor of passing the third reading of | the bill, saying that after what the peers had done in passing the sec
 ond reading and in the committee stage 1t would make the house ridic-
 ulous in the eyes of the country if lthey refused to go on.
 The Earl of Halsbury, with choleric lvehemence, pledged himself to force division on the motion for the adop- | tiorf of the bill when 1t came lack
 from the house of commons unless the peers amendments were accepted He declared the way the government had | treated the bill was the best object
 lesson on single chamber government Lord Morley has threatened the lords throughout,' he thundered. Ut has been suggested that the King has been applied to to make as many peers as are necessary to force the bii 1 through this house. To put 1t plainly, I regard the, suggestion as gross | -