Semi-weekly herald., 1914-02-12
ENGLISH PARLIAMENT MEETS.

TIME LOT all ROod men 10 come 10 tne
aid of their party, was the slogan to-
day when, obedient to the urgent
summons of the whips, legislators
made their way to Westminster for
the opening of the fourth session of
King Georges first parliament. The
early morning rush of members to ap-
propriate the best seats for the ses-
sion was larger than usual for among
the measures scheduled to be placed
on the statute books this year are the
Irish home rule bill and the Welsh
church disestablishment bill, which
both will become laws automatically
under the terms of the veto act, af-
ter being passed for the third time
by the commons and rejected by the
lords. These bills probably will be
passed in the commons by the govern
ment's normal majority, but the Un-
ionists intend fighting every inch of
the way in the hope of turning out
their opponents on "snap" decision,
such as they engineered on the finan-
cial clauses of the home rule bill
when it first came up for passage.
With Mrs. Pankhurst, Miss Annie
Kenney and other leading suffraget
mice" back from their recuperation
on the continent, extraordinary po-
lice precautions We're taken to pre-
vent any interference with today's
ceremony by the militants, who had
announced their intention of person
ally presenting petition to King
George. Chief of Police Sir Edward
Henry was in command, and plain
clothes men swarmed around and
among spectators lining the route
from Buckingham Palace to the house
of Parliament.
Superintendent Quinn of Scotland
Yard, known among the women as
"the Chief Cat" quiet little gray
haired man in Prince Albert coat and
silk hat, was a conspicuous figure
walking alongside the big gilded
coach bearing the king and queen.
Gaily clad yeomen of the guard, in
their quaint tudor uniforms of scar
let and gold, trudged on either side.
Shortly before 10 o'clock detach-
ment of yeomen marched to West
minister to perform their historic
duty of searching the vaults under
parliament for possible imitators of
| Guy Fawkes. Four thousand sold
iers of the brigade of guards were on
| duty in the streets when, just after
noon, their majesties rode in state
along the Mall, Whitehall, and Parlia-
ment street, behind eight cream col
ored Hanoverian ponies, and under
the escort of several squadrons of
cuirassed life guards, the headquart-
ers staff of the army and high Off
GERS of state. Great crowds lined the
route and gave the monarch and his
consort the usual hearty greeting.
| On their arrival at the royal ent-
rance to the house of lords an i'm
posing procession headed by trump
eters and heralds was formed and
made its way to the legislative cham
ber where the pers and peeresses in
robes and coronets were assembled.
Ambassador Walter Hines Page, with
Mrs. Page were spectators in the dip
lomatic gallery, the former in sober
black evening clothes.
The king and queen having taken
their seats on the throne, gentleman
usher of the black rod, Sir Henry
Stephenson was dispatched to the
members of the house of commons,
who shortly afterwards appeared
headed by Speaker Lowther, Premier
Asquith, and members of the cabinet.
ord Haldane, the lord high chancel-
lor, kneeled and presented to his SOW
ereign the parchment containing the
cabinet-prepared speech formally
opening the session.
The speech from the throne refer
red to the intended reintroduction Of
the home rule, Welsh disestabish-
ment, and the anti-plural voting bills
(the last of which is up for second
passage under the veto act), and an
nounced that proposals would be laid
before parliament by the government
for the reform of the house of lords,
and for legislation regarding land
ownership.
The principal fight of the session
will center on the home rule bill. AL
though the measure will become law
automatically as soon as it has been
rejected by the lords, it is not yet
known just what policy the peers pro-
pose to adopt. 1t is suggested that
by deferring consideration they can
avoid the provisions of the veto act,
which says that a bill must be re.
jected or not passed during the ses-
sion. Some argue that if the ses-
sion is prorogued before the lords
have taken up the bill, it cannot be-
come law, but the government legal
experts dispute the contention.
Woman suffrage will also lead to
1 IrNrAI .l&k.