The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-25

- HE month of March, 1911, will see
the struggle of the British de-
mocracy against the English House
~ of Lords arrive at some definite
form of conclusion after a conflict
lasting centuries.
A careful student of the history of the
British Isles need feel no hesitancy in
forecasting the ultimate result-the House
OF Lords in name and appearance will con-
tinue to exist. Only it will carefully be
shorn of all those powers of delay and
interference by which it has many times
crossed the will of the House of Com
mons, the actual ruler in what is con-
sidered by the vast majority of political
economists as the most democratic gov
eminent that the world has ever seen.
1t adds greatly TO the interest Ameri-
cans feel in this historical struggle that
the domestic struggles of Ireland are.
through political alliances. closely bound
up in the struggle against the House of
Lords. That Ireland viii ultimately gain
a great measure of home rule, that the
courageous Emerald Isle will before very
long have some sort of legislative body
sitting on Irish soil and deciding purely
Irish questions, these things may be con-
sidered as certain.
The recent British parliamentary cleo
tons resembled an ordinary presidential
election in the United States very much
in one important particular.
That circumstance was that each party
chose a different political doctrine which
1t represented as the one great matter
to be decided, and largely ignored and
likewise failed to answer very definitely
the arguments of the other side. No
political trick is more common through
out the world than for politicians to talk
loudly about their strong points and to
fail to discuss the points which they
feel they are lacking in popularity.
So in the British elections ending in
January, the Conservatives talked all the
time about the danger OF separating Ire
land from the exclusive parliamentary
control that sits in Westminster Hall.
the Liberals sidetracked very largely any
discussion of the Irish question and made
laundering speeches how the lords
were overthrowing the will of the people
and taking on their lordly selves the
rights that belong exclusively to the cleo
+s-o branch of the government On their
part the Conservatives threw over both
the defense of the House of Lords and
Mr. Chamberlain's scheme of a protective
tariff
As a matter of cold fact neither party
dared defend the action of the House of
LofNS III throwing OUT unanclaI Dill.
Also both parties admitted that the House
of Lords as at present arranged is op-
posed to democratic and liberal prIn-
ciples of government. Both parties are
now pledged to reform the House of
Lords and even that aristoeratic assem-
bly, has gone the length of admitting
that it needs a drastic reformation But
by the mouth of Lord Rosebery it has
demanded the right of reforming itself
This decidedly uncertain process. name
". reformation Of the Lords by these
gentlemen themselves. was at once re-
jected by the Liberals and during the
election it was so openly unpopular that
the Conservatives themselves were forced
to declare for reformation bill of the
Lords that should be originated in the
House Of Commons.
So the House of Lords is not only