The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-02-18

''eS' "Hich nave Deen emphasized dur
! ing the past few days One of his
amendment to the address in reply to
! the speech from the throne calling on
! the government to fulfll It's promise
| to reconsttute the House of Lords.
! This will be presented on Monday
! when II Is likely to be coupled with a
motion of want of confidence In the
. ministry.
| !isauith ~ Pledged.
Mr.. Asquith Is virtually plcdccd TO
bring in a measure at the earliest op-
! portunity. organizing the House OF
/ Lords on democratic basis. He in
dicated ut the time OF the passage OF
| the Lords veto bill ahat T. wls only
| n temporary cXpcdicnt. The .UnIonists
| in an effort to defeat the veto bill
| practically committed themselves to
! the election of the Lords. \ plan was
| submitted as an amendment TO the
veto bill, providing that the Lords
moncrs one Lord for each group for a
period OF twelve years. ana third OF
! the membership OF the House of Lords
| every four years. This plan IL similar
! in most respects to the election OF
! United States Senator's. The Union
lists prefer this change 70 continu-
! ance of the hereditary principle under
!
powcrless TO reject legislation favored
by majority of the House of Com
mons.
Tho Premier has not divulged what
! his views are. but II is believed they
| are not radically different from those
of the Unioaists. AT any rate, what
ever may be the outcome of the Union
| list effort to smoke out the ministry, the
purpose TO rcconstitutc the House of
Lords cannot long be delayed, and it
IN, hn h, md ,.l,,l ,l,a,-
AS n hereditary body will soon pass
| into history.
! The Liberals are not ono whit be-
hind the opposition in seeking to make
political Capital out OF the latter's
course. An affirmative answer by
! Bonar Law to MIR. AsQuith's question ~
| to whether the Unionists would repeal
| the national insurance law If they We're
| returned to power is exploited BY the
l-ibera! press for the benefit OF the
working people. who are supposed TO
| explanation that he meant that the
| Unionists would repeal il only If his
| party were in power before the .aw
went into operation on July l. Is laugh.
| ed at by the Liberals, who glecfully
| call attention to the absence of COM
/ Strike Still Threatens.
Efforts to harmonize the differences
/ between the mine owners and the min
| ers and prevent a coal strike are de-
| clared by the miners IL have been UNI
! successful ana the country is threat
| ened with an Industrial crisis and much
F.! human suffering, beginning at midnight
on February "a. which Is the time voted
4 by the workers 1T which they will
/ strike unless settlement is effected
/ in the meantime. The owners continue
F; obdurnte, and the newspapers, believ :
! ing that I'm adjustment of the wage
! differences is impossible, are calling
| on the government TO intervene. Ac-
| cordinS to the owners, IL would be
| ruinous to grant the demands of The
miners. because recent Legislation has
| brought heavy expenditure on them
! and curtalled production.
! Mr.. Macdonald, the Laboritc mem
! Der of Parliament. In criiicizing the
! the Kings speech. advocated govern
+ ment ownership of the mines and rail-
ways. thus Indicating the socialistic
tendency of British labor, In order
as possible the executive committee
= OF the mine workers contcmplatcs
seeking international support. for the
purpose. as Is suspected, OF stopping
mining in Germany. France and Bel
GUM.
! The chances for woman's suffra &c
| grow brighter. Although Premier AS
! quith is opposed TO granting the fran
I. chise TO women. tho sentiment of the
! House of Commons is favorable TO some
( form of female acknowledgements, and
the Prime Minister has agreed to abide
! by the result ii such sentiment pre-
/ walls. An opportunity for the suftrag
! lists will be presented during the con-
! sideration by the House of Commons
! OF the manhood suffrage bill during the
\ present session.
British authors are up in arms nj
/ the latest action of the censor in sup
pressing Eden Phil!potts dramatization
! of The Scarlet Woman" This fol-
/ lowed the refusal OF Mr. Phiilpotts to
make any changes In the text. Twenty
! four writer's, including James Barrie.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. John Gals
worthy. Anthony Hope. Maurice Henry
Hewlett. Henry James, jerome *. 10
rome. George Moore, George Bernard
Shaw, II. G.. Wells and Israel Zangwlll
have protested against the action OF
the censor az an outrage. The produc-
ers of the play have decided TO circum-
vent the censor by giving free perform
ances. for which a license is not re-
quired,
| Little Light on Mission.
The statements of Chancellor Won
/! Bethmann- HollwcE, In the German
+ Rcichstag, and OF Premier Asquth. in
E ba ~ 70, 1,