Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-01-08
~L|5ERALISTS MAKING
GOOD RECORD UNDER
AS0U|TH LEADERSHIP
Premier Nearing Completion OF
Sixth Year of Brilliant
Term of Service.
HAVE ACCOMPLISHED MUCH
Party Has Ambitious Program Before
lt-Enemies of Administration
Attack Payment of
Parliament.

london, JAM. 5.-The liberal party
@nlch recently celebrated the eighth
anniversary of its return to power. now
mas the honor of leading the affairs of
the British empire for a longer con-
secutive period han any party for
nearly 100 years. Premier Asquith has
now been in office for over five and a
nan years, and in April next. if his
government survives. he will approach
the record of Lore Salisbury, whose
years.
IN ms recent tour in Lancashire Mr..
Asqulth referred to his long term and
stormy times that his government has
Weathered. Certainly it has been an al
most continuous fight. Finding early
IN ms career that the house of lords
Would not pass any of the legislation
mat his followers had set their hearts
on, Mr.. Asquith, with courage which
ever his political opponents credit as
strong, undertook to clip the wings Of
the upper chamber by re tricting it's
power or veto. That accomplished, he
set ABOUT passing the home rule and
Welsh disestablishment bills, which
next session are to come UP for the
tnlrd time, and nc matter what the at
tltude Of 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
th1rd time and Their go to the country
TOT an endorsement of what it has
zone and a mandate to carry licensing.
educational and and reform.
Much Work Ahead.
Inc llDerals. therefore. have as much
work ahead of them as they have ac-
complished in their eight years of Of
flee. ~ VI
When the party came into power in
1905 Mr.. Balfour, then prime minister,
1ouna nat bye-election after bye-elec-
tion was going against him and he de-
cided to resign. He chose this course
instead Of dissolving the house of
because he believed that it
would be either impossible for the In
erals to form a cabinet, on account of
the Spit which had occurred over the
SCUM Atrlcan war, or if one was
formed it would be such as would
weaken instead of strengthen the lib-
eral party. He had been badly in
formed. Six months before this n meet
winch all differences We're sunk and he
composition of Sir Henry Camnbell-
ing OF liberal leaders had been held at
Bannerman's cabinet practicaIlv de-
cided upon. When MI. Balfour,s rosie
natlon was announced. therefore, he
liberal leader was able to inform tho
KING that he could accept the task of
Iormlng a ministry. which he did forth
win, n the party in the following
January won an unprecedented victorS
at the polls. '
Point of Attack.
Paying members of parliament ~ oOo
a year, as has been lone under q now,
law during the past year, has been se-
lected In many constituencies as a point
OF attack against the liberal govern
nent. which is responsible for the act.
me usual argument is that 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 n can be held
without nursing" it is possible that
the member has something left out of
MS salary. In the great majority of
cases, however, it takes all Of the 81. 600
and much more to finance an election.
A typical instance is West Herts, at
present held by Arnold Ward, the son
of Mrs. Humphrey Ward, the novelist.
He himself is opposed to the yme
Of members, while Hedley F. lie Bas,
the liberal candidate, believes that
members should be paid. In a plain
talk at Watford Mr.. 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 nave to be
added the expenses of the candidate,
which he estimated at $4,000 during
his four years of office. He would
therefore at the end of -four years be
$4,000 out Of pocket. MI. 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 and expenses
alone would amount to more thar the
total cost of an election in West Herts.