The Calumet news., 1914-02-09

bill Is already before parliament and is
| therefore excluded from this prelm-
gram A motion might be made, how
ever, regretting that the negotiations
for settling the Ulster situation had
failed and this would mean "A test vote
Every unionist member has been re-
| quested To be present on the opening
day, and no pairs with opponents are
being granted. so it appears certain
4, that the opposition plans To force the
| government to either resign or dissolve
parliament.
Unite Against Unionists.
Dissolution, it will be remembered
is one of the demands of the unionists
| before the passing of the home rule
| bill. However the Liberals National
lists and Laboritcs are just as alert and
with Premier Asquith at their head,
feel pretty confident of encompassng
| any nlonlSlS utSBnS.
There is. however, also some danger
for the llnionisls in the debate. The
modification or the policy ol tariff re-
! form. endorsed by Bonar Law. by
| which food taxes" are dropped. has
not met with entire satisfaction in the
| party. The farmers, largely Cnionist. 4.
are asking why they should be do
| privcd of that protection, which they
were told tariff reform would give
| them, while the manufacturers receive
! ii. Unionlst members for agricultural
districts have been inundated with pro-
tests and ii is probable that some
| strong tariff reformer will move an
anne ndment that will bring the ques-
| tion up. Then Austin Chamberlain
and other tariff reform stalwarts would
come out in support of the whole poll
| icy, which would be a practical throw
ing over of Bonar Law, Walter Long
and other Unionist leaders, who i'm the
words of one of their own supporters
have thrown over the party's chief
platform for fear of the effect Of food
| taxes" on the workingmen.
May Attack Naval Bill.
| After debate on the governments
program come the estimates for the
various departments. and with them
one of the governments greatest dan
| gers Unless Winston Churchill, first
Lord of the Admiralty, can keep his
naval estimates down To what they
We're last year, there will he a great
uprOar from Liberal benches. The
radical economists, who at least have
the moral support of Lloyd George
chancellor of the EXchequer,. have re-
peatedly declared they will stand for
no increase.
In taking up regular measures it is
understood that the Welsh Disestab-
| lishment bill will be given precedence
over home rule, which will be left un-
I'll the last in hope that some COM
promise will be forthcoming. BetweeY
| these two big measures will he intro
duced the bill to abolish plural voting,
which has already passed once under
the parliament act, and which Liberal
election agents are deeply anXious tn
see made law before another election.
as they believe most of the plural vot-
ers are Unionists.
What new legislation the govern
ment plans has not yet been disclosed,
but the Liberal platform and the prom
| ises of ministers afford lots of mater
| ial. First of all there is the reconsti-
| tuition of the house of Lords. While
| the upper chambers powers have been
| curtailed so that II can no longer veto
| "A bill passed by the house of commons,
| but can only delay it, the constitution
| of that body remains, as il was
and that satisfies nobody. The,out AMI
out radicals would abolish the cham
| Der altogether but that is hardly to b1
| seriously considered. The plan most
| favored is mixed plan of election by
constituencies and nomination by the
| house of commons ON a plan of pro-
portional representation.
Consider Reforms Later.
There are temperance and educa-
| ton reform, both of which have been
| promised by the govclnmeut. Both
are highly controversial and a lot of
| time would he required by them. If
| they came up at all it would likely not
| he until an autumn session. especially
| since the educational problem brings
| up the whole question of denomna-
| tional education and the old fight be-
tween the church of England and the
Nonconformists.
The House of Lords reform bill and
the education bill will he introduced
| rather with u view of fulfilling the
prime minister's promises than in the
hope that they will pass without re-
course to the parliament act. There
will be no land legislation. Llyod
Georges scheme not Yet being ready
To be embodied in bill. Some Liber-
al members. however, will at the in
stigation of the leaders introduce u
number of measures embodying the
, governments policy and these will go
to "A second reading with "a view to
testing the feeling of the house, and