Widnes Examiner. — 1909-11-20 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

NOTES AND NOTIONS.  One would think that Sir Gilbert Greenall, Bart., was the prospective candidate for Warrington by his careerings up and down the town. Last week but one a yellow motor car containing the Baronet was seen spinning along Liverpool-road. It pulled up near St. Luke's Church, but the church was closed—and the Albions were away. Sir Gilbert must have mislaid his fixture card, or forgotten the date. *** _ _ _  If the action of Lord Lansdowne and his co-peers is surprising, the intention attributed to the Opposition in the House of Commons is still more astounding. We are seriously told that when the Lords take the fatal step they will be supported by Mr. Balfour and his followers. * * *  In other words, the Opposition, from this time forward, intend to turn themselves into a sort of Parliamentary "Suicide Club," having for their object the destruction of the House of Commons and the elevation of the House of Lords. And it would seem that they are actually going to plan a General Election in which they shall go up and down country placing that programme before the electors of the United Kingdom. *  The obvious conclusion would be that they would refuse to stand as candidates for the House of Commons. If the House of Commons is to be reduced to this contemptible position, then as men of dignity might they be expected to stand aside. But it is credibly reported that, on the contrary-, the Unionists propose to make a vigorous effort to capture seats on this programme, and they even hope to obtain a majority in the House of Commons. * * *  In such a hope they are reckoning without their hosts. The English people, let them be quite certain, are not possessed of suicidal tendencies. They are fond of their institutions, and would not even interfere with the House. of Lords if it kept in its place. But they are, above all, fond of the House of Commons, and will not stand by and see it massacred to make a landlords' holiday.  * * * There is a new fact which may. come out amid the turmoil of the next few weeks. The House of Lords claims to be acting impartially, and desires only to give the people the chance of deciding their own affairs. But the House of Lords is also a House of Landlords. They own a fourth of England. Are they, therefore the right authority to. have the final decision of the Budget which sets up land taxes? • * * It will be interesting to see how many of the six hundred peers—the bulk of whom rarely vote at all unless their personal interests are touched—turn up next week to defend their pockets from the proper contribution towards Naval Defence and Old-Age Pensions. We presume that they will throw out the Budget when encouraged by their own numbers. If they do, then the only possible answer from the public is "never again." Otherwise, when the Liberals have won the election, this sort of thing may happen again every year. Every year the business of the country may be thrown out of gear. The Treasury tell us this year that the deficit will be £50,000,000. , This is as great as any aunual deficit in the Boer War. Can that go on for ever? Do the Lords imagine that their coronets are worth £50,000,000 a year to the British people'? In short, we are faced with all the losses and troubles of a war. And it will indeed be a war—a civil war—which can only.eod :when the power of the Lords has been curtailed, and the supreme right of the people to govern themselves been demonstrated beyond challenge or question. * * * _ _ _  Mr. Norbury Williams and the "Manchester City News" have been joint defendants in an action for libel this week brought by Mr. C. A. Wood, a Manchester City Councillor. The municipal trading question has been at the root of the matter. M. Wood is largely interested in a limited company which supplies carriages to the Corporation and his position has been publicly assailed by the defendants who plead justification. The hearing of the case has developed some interesting arguments on the trading question as we understand it here, but unfortunately no decision has been come to whether the defendants did libel Councillor Wood, or were justified in their criticisms from the point of view of the public interest. Yesterday, the case for both plaintiff and defendants was concluded, but the jury disagreed and were discharged. A verdict either one way or other could not have been other than very interesting.  * * * Mr. A. J. King, M.P., had a rousing reception at Stockton Heath on Monday evening and his striking!y lucid and convincing exposition of the Budget was listened to with great interest and approval. The member's democratic sympathies and his consistent support of progressive legislation have maintained the confidence and respect of his constituents, and we believe they will be with him in his whole-hearted backing of the Government's equitable and epochmaking financial proposals. Mr. King has announced his willingness to be the Liberal standard-bearer in the Division in the coming momentous struggle, and we have every confidence that he will again carry it to victory. Cheshire does not " love a lord" so devotedly as in the good old days when Egertons and Warburtons rode roughshod over a subservient agricultural community. * * *  On a mug in a farmhouse in Buckinghamshire, presented by a landlord to his tenants, is the following rhyme: Success to the plough, The fleece, and the fail ; May the landlord ever flourish, _  Ana the tenant never fail. The difference between the suggested assured condition of the landlord that of ever flourishing, and the pious hope that his tenant may succeed in not failing, is indicated with delightful naïveté (says the " Westminster Gazette.") Just now the "ever flourishing" are grumbling at the Budget, and talking loudly about te duty they owe to themselves in keeping up the flourish, whilst the other members of the community have to think of the duty they owe to themselves by keeping their expenditure down so as not to fail.  Lecture on the Smoke Nuisance. An interesting and instructive lecture on the smoke nuisance was delivered by Professor Graham, of Manchester, in the Academy-street Adult School on Thursday evening. Mr. Henry Roberts presided over a fair attendance. He said the smoke nuisance was not merely a matter of local interest but of national interest.lt was because of the magnitude and importance of that that one hoped that science and humanity would before long compel some ameliorative Influence to be brought into existence to )aaake life better worth living than ' under the conditions that obtained at present in our industrial towns. —Aldermen Bennett and Smethurst and Messrs. J. Morton, Geo. Walker and, W. Nightingale. spoke briefly in favour of the smoke abatement, and the• usual votes of thanks concluded an instructive evening.