Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-20
Most important Matter Before
Parliament.
FIRST TWO WEEKS DULL
Determination of Ulster Said to Have
Made Impression.
QUESTION OF VOTERS POWER
Strong Opposition to Sir Edmund
Grey's Foreign Policy Has
Started Discussion. 2,


Started Discussion. 2,
BY PHILLIP EVERETT.
Special Cablegram TO The Star.
LONDON. October 19-The first two
weeks of the parliamentary session has
passed in the usual dull manner but the
political atmosphere is loaded with cleo
tricity and everything points toward the
storms that are going to come. Home
rule. OF course, will dominate the session.
and in regard to this rumors are fiving
thick and fast. While the government
press stoutly maintains that the radical
government will not deViate an inch from
the program once laid down, and will
push the home rule bill forward with all
Its energy. the conservative papers as
sert that the quiet determination of u
ster has made deep impression upon
the radical leaders and that there is
among these growing leaning toward
some form of compromise. whereby Ul-
Ster would be permitted to remain out
side and not have to submit to the au-
thority of a possible parliament at Dub
lin.
Time and again the name of the king
rs drawn into the political controversy.
against all precedence and against King
Georges own expressed wish. 1t Is be
lieved. however that Mr. Asquith has
given the king some guarantee that he
shall not be asked to sign home rule until
it has been laid down before the voters
of the whole country. but nobody knows
when this important general g ection is
to occur.
Hopes of Opposition.
The opposition hopes to gain much
prestige and many valuable arguments
against the administration from the = =
lament probing of what is called the
'Marconi scandal and the whole con-
sentative press has openly been accus ns
the postmaster general of introduc ns
..Tammany' methods into English po j.
tics, openly allowing his po itical sup
porters to make millions in MarcOni
shares on tips issued by him previous to
the government arrangement with the
Marconi Company, which sent its share s
flying upward i'm leaps and bounds.
AS matter of fact. ! may state that
neither the postmaster general himself
nor any other government official ever
dabbled in Marconi shares and that the
Interpolation of the government is going
to prove a very great disappointment to
the tories, it can be proved beyond
any doubt that the government plan OF
all British wireless telegra phing around
the globe via stations located on British
or colonial soil is great patriotic idea,
the value of which is not diminished be-
cause a sort of monopoly has been grant,
ed the Marconi Company as the only
organization in the world having any
practical experience in long distance wire
less telegraphing.
Power of Voters.
In view of the strong opposition which
the foreign policy of Sir Edmund Grey
has met with. principally among the sup
porters of his own party. because il does
not agree with the feelings of the most
democratic part of the English people. the
question has been raised whether the de-
Velopment of democratic institutions and
the increase in the control Of the voters
over legislation and administration should
be extended also into domains OF forcisl
politics. which in England, everywhere
else in Europe. are still being absolutely
controlled by statesmen who have made
special study of dealing with interna-
tional questions.
Statesmen OF both parties here MAIN
tain that while popular feeling and Opin-
ion always viii to certain limited eX-
tent exercise its influence upon the rela-
would be great calamity to any country
If foreign politics should come directly
under the control of the masses of the
voters through their representatives in
possess the necessary qualifications for
this important function.
The Well known member of the house
of commons. Sir Arthur Pons onby the
other day took up the subject and his
remarks upon it are made by an absolute
ly unbiased mind.
Two Important Questions.
There are two questions, he SAYS:
First. Is it desirable that democracy
should control our foreign relations?
Second. Is it possible for democracy to
acquire the necessary control?
To the first he answers that an edu-
Gated democracy knows that the main
tenance of peace is a sine qua non for
international progress and for the
amelioration Of the conditions of the
people. Its influence would therefore be
pacific. Being fully conscious of the
value of liberty to which it owes its
opponent of tyranny and oppression
wherever found. Its counsel would
therefore be just Being closely cog
infant of true national interests, and by
its own experience distrustful of any
tendency toward exploitation and ag-
gression. its policy would be sane and
vigilant
The difficulty, he goes on to say. arises
because foreign affairs are essentially
different from any other branch of pub
lie affairs, and cannot always be sub
mitted in detail for public discussion,
and certain things must be kept secret.
He advocates conditionally, however, the
establishment of a special committee on
foreign affairs in the house OF COM
mons, though committees of this kind
have not been successful in other coun-
tries. A far better remedy, he saws.
would be TO bind constitutionally the
secretary of state not to conclude
treaties. arrange alliances or enter into
any engagements involving national re-
sponsibilities without obtaining the con-
sent Of parliament.
Mission of Church.
The Bishop of London. DR. Ingram. is
one of the modern school OF ecclesi-
astics who does not think they have
fulfilled their duties when they preach
sermons and take a reasonable
interest in the welfare OF their parish
toner's.
According to his idea, the church has
a much greater mission which ii has so
far greatly neglected.
Think over some of the things still
us like grinning specters
after two Thousand years of Chris
he said in his sermon the
other day.
81 lo.