The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1914-01-08
LIBERALISTs MAKING
GOOD RECORD UNDER
AS0UITH LEADERSHIP
Premier Nearing Completion Of
Sixth Year of Brilliant
Term Of Service.
HAVE ACCOMPLISHED MUCH
Party Has Ambitious Program Before
it-Enemies Of Administration
Attack Payment of
Parliament.

London, Jar. 5.-T1e liberal party
which recently celebrated the eighth
anniversary of its return to power. now
has the of leading the affairs OF
The British empire for a longer con-
secutive period than any party for
nearly 100 years Premier Asquith has
now been in office for over five and a
half years. N In April next. II his
The record OF Lord Salisbury. whose
second term of office lasted just sever
years.
In his recent tour In Lancashire MI.
Asquith referred to his long term and
stormy times that his government has
weathered. Certainly 1t has been an al
most continuous fight. Finding early
In his career that the house OF lords
would not ASS any Of the legislation
n his followers had set their hearts
on, Mr.. Asquith, with courage which
even his political opponents credit as
tho upper chamber by restricting It's
power OF veto. That accomplished, he
set about passing the home rule and
Welsh disestablishment bills, which
next session are to come up for the
shlrd time, and no matter what the att
Geude or the house of lords is, will be-
come law. The government will then
press to get the bill to put an end to
plural voting likewise passed for the
third time n then go to the country
Tor an endorsement Of what it has
zone q a to carry licensing.
educational and and reform.
Much Work Ahead.
The liberals. therefore, have as much
work ahead OF them as they have ac-
flee.
When the party came into power In
1905 Mr.. Balfour, then prime minister,
round that bye-election after bye-elec-
ton was going against him and he de-
cided to resign. He chose this course
instead Of dissolving the house Of
commons, because he believed that it
erals to form q cabinet, on account of
the split which had occurred over the
south African war, or IL one was
formed It would be such as would
weaken instead of strengthen the lib
eral party. He had been badly in
m Six months before this a meet
which all differences were sunk and the
composition Of Sir Henry Camnbell-
ing or liberal leaders had been held at
Bannerman's cabinet practically de-
cided upon. When Mr.. Balfour's resig-
i h was announced. therefore, the
i1perai leader was able to inform the
king that ne could accept the task Of
forming a ministry. which he did forth
WIN, and the party in the following
nua won an unprecedented victory
at the polls.
Point Of Attack.
raging members OF parliament s2in00
a year, as has Deer done under a new
law during the past year, has been Sc
lected in many constituencies az q noint
or attack against the liberal govern
fnent, which is responsible for the act.
n usual argument is thai it induces
men to try to get into parliament for
the money that they can make out OF
1T. In a few constituencies, especially
some of those held by laborites. where
election can be secured without any
elaborate campaign and can be held
without nursing" it is possible that
the has something left out OF
his salary. In the great majority of
cases. however. it takes all of the $4,000
n much more to finance an election.
A typical instance is West Herts, at
present held by Arnold Ward, the son
or Mrs. Humphrey Ward, the novelist.
aHe himself iB opposed to the payment
OF members, while Hedley f. le Bas,
the liberal candidate, believes that
members should be paid. In a plain
talk at Watford MI. LIE Bas explained
why he believed in it. In the first
place he pointed out that It would cost
a candidate at least $4,000 a year.
The election itself. including the re-
turning officers fees, which have to
be paid by the candidates, would cost
$4,000, to which would have to be
added the expenses of the candidate,
Whlcn ne ESTIMATED at So,OOO during
his -four years of office. He would
therefore at the end of four years be
$4,000 out Of pocket. Mr.. LIE Bas added
that Ward could quite easily do with
out his salary as the Conservative as
ISOLATION, Of which Lord Rothschild,
Lord Ebury and other wealthy men
were members, contributed $4,000 a
year to the expenses of the conservative
candidate.
Some of the larger constituencies cost
even more to fight. In Romford the
returning officers fees I'M expenses
alone would amount to more than the
total cost Of an election in West Herts.