The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-02-15
PARLIAMENT OPENS
NEW POLITICAL ERA
Irish Home Rule and Welsh
Disestablishment Bills
to Pass.
TO REFORM THE LORDS
Carson's Terrible Threats
Amuse Rather Than
Brighten Enelishmen.
TO REFORM THE LORDS
By PHILLIP EVERETT.


LONDON. Feb. 14,-Parliament was
opened with the usual ceremony on
Tuesday last and a session has begun
which cannot help but leave its mark
upon English history, not only because
1T will see the birth of home rule for
Ireland and the passage Of at least one
other important law, that of Welsh
dIsestablishment, but because il will
mark the beginning Of new political
era in England.
The first results Of the parliament act
having been accomplished. the next
step Of the government will be to pro-
pose reform of the house of lords,
which will make that antiquated cham
Der somewhat more up to date.
There are undoubtedly great many
people IN England who would like to
see tho hereditary lords career as
legislators como to an end right now.
but even LloydGeorgc will hardly dare
propose such thing, and the people of
England will have to be satisfied with a
less radical reform. Anything, indeed,
which will change the present house of
lords from body, the only purpose of
which in political life appears to be to
block the way Of progress, into one
which at least partly is in touch with
the people, will be a blessing.
Tories Will Fight.
The home rule fight promises to be
interesting to the very last, for al
though the Tories realized long ago
that their cause was hopeless, they will
go down fighting. Sir Edward Carson,
who is as fierce as ever. is still ranting
about civil war and Of his 500 machine
guns and 100000 armed men that he
has under his command at Belfast;
but, as I have said often before, no one
believes that his promised war will
amount to much more than ono OF
those merry fights so dear TO the hearts
of Nationalists and orangemen alike.
Nothing more is heard Of tho threat
made In some Of the Tory papers a
short while ago that as last resort the
conservative leaders would ask the
house Of lords to throw out the annual
army bill which the lords have the
constitutional power and right to do,
the bill not being q money bill, and it
has probably been realized that such an
action On the part of the Tories might
prove dangerous boomerang.
By defeating this bill the house of
lords would deprive England Of her
whole army, which would Immediately,
officers and all, become a body uu.
under the constitution. This
would, Of course, rob the government of
the troops that may be needed to main
tain order In Ulster md place Ireland
at the mercy Of Sir Edward Carson s
blood thirsty volunteers, who might kill
of all the Catholics in the Emerald Isle
once and forever. But party that is
constantly maintaining that England is
everlastingly in danger Of being swal-
lowed up by the ferocious and greedy
Teutons could not very well abolish the
whole English army, leaving the coun-
try Mt the mercy Of tho German in
vader, who Is supposed to be waiting
for lust such chance. Even 60 please
Sir Edward Carson and Ulster such a
thing is impossible.
Events in Stars.
If you believe in what the stars fore
tell, thero is to be general election
about the beginning OF
March. According to the astronomers
the planets Jupiter and Uranus will be
in conjunction with the astrological
sign Of Aquarius on March 4. What
that means astrologers will explain, but
it is supposed to be very significant.
A con junction Of these two bodies in
Aouarius is a rare event, and only hap
pens Mt intervals Of about eighty years.
Tho last occasion was in March, 1892,
ut n time Of great political excitement
in England, for in that year the reform
bill was introduced in parliament. At
a similar event in 1862 the restoration
of the monarchy made great changes
in the laws Of this country.
The forthcoming conjunction on
March A is thought by astrologers to
presaoe important political reforms,
perhaps In connection with Ireland, and
the strong probability Of general cleo
tion in England.