The Dominion. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1909. THE BRITISH CRISIS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 668, 19 November 1909, Page 6

The Dominion. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1909. THE BRITISH CRISIS.

We have not, after all, had to wait for tho reassembling of the House of Lords to hear the fate of tho British Budget, and tho momentous announcement in yesterday's cable news that Loud LANSDOiras has given notice of what is virtually rejection will cause little surprise. Tho assurances that the Lords would not dare to stop the passage of the Budget have certainly been fierco and numerous, but it has for months been inconceivable that a revolutionary policy which has nevcj been referred to the people and which has torn Britain in two would be coolly passed by the Upper House. The ground upon which Lord Lanbdowne is to move the laying aside or the rejection of the Finance Bill—"that this House is not justified' in giving its consent to tho Bill until it has been submitted to the judgment of tho country"—is a perfectly reasonable ono. Nobody has ever objected to its reasonableness. ( Tho outcry of. the Radicals has been a'passionate appeal to Eomo shadowy'and (in tho strict sense of the word) unreasonable technicalities of procedure and an equally passionate protest that the reasonableness of the Peers' claim is only a cloak for dishoneet prejudice. It is quite plain that if the rejection of the Bill will raise tho general question of the Peers' veto the acceptance of the Bill would be regarded by all neutral men as a blow at something much more precious than the Commons' authority in the realm of finance, namely, the bi-cameral system of legislation. For if the Lords must accept every money Bill without mincing or wincing, there is absolutely nothing to prevent tho Government of tho day from "tacking" overything to its Finance Bill, and so handing up,, in one single- enormous Bill that would be immune from rejection or 1 amendment, the wholo of its legislation for the sossion. Boforo the "constitu-

tional , ' issue is finally settled, it may possibly happen that this consideration will reeult in the emergenco of the Peers with greater admitted rights of revision than they at present possess. Tho British people do not care very ,much for antiquarian technicalities, and most,of tho "constitutional" controversy has been wasted energy. The rejection of tho Budget may or may not be followed by a dissolution. It will certainly not be followed, as Lord Lansdowne knows, by tho "chaos" -which tho Eadicals have talked of in. the hope of terrifying tho Lords, for temporary omergency measures can easily bo arranged. The nation does not, after all, exist by being taxed. Yet it is impossible for anyone to predict the events of tho next two and a half months; nobody even amongat the leaders in British politics can certainly know what will be tho position by next February. Tho Liberals, if they go to the coun* try, will have three cards to play: Freetrade, the Budget, and the Lords' veto. Wo placo the cards in ( this order because it will probably be found that their concern for Free-trado and Radical policy, two things that aro must be far i greater than their anxiety about tho mechanism of the Parliamentary machine, which is aftor all something abstract. As yet, however, tho Liberal fire is mainly directed on the Peers as Peeis. Mr.' Churchill ie abroad with the fiery"cross, and asking, as the recognised fightingman of tho Cabinet, why "a small cluster of titled persons should be set up to rule tho rest of us." "If," he went on, "the Lords establish a right to control finance, i they will hinder all Liberal legislation, ' and will allow tho Conservatives' protection, conscription, coercion, nnd schemes of war conquest to pass unchallenged." Tho reply of the Times is full of point: "A cluster of Lords docs not rule the country, but it prevents tho arbitrary ruling of the country by another cluster"; and whatever may be said by the enemies of "tho Dukes," it is difficult to doubt that an honest desne to have the national verdict is tho dominant motive of the Poors in the present crisis. Nobody believes that in the event of a great Liberal victory/at the polls the Peers would reject the Budget a second time. If, however, the rejection of the Budget will carry the issuo far beyond the Budget, and involve the question of the Lords' veto, the attack on tho Lords will carry the issue far beyond the Lords; The tremendous doors that will be opened were hinted at in a recent notable letter from Feedekic Harrison to the Times :

"I como to tho special point which at pro-' sent has not been recognised. When the burning issue before the people is neither ground values nor Tariff Eeftrin but the 'constitutional usurpation' of tho Lords,;who could limit the constitutional problems which would burst into life? King, Lords, and Commons hang together by subtle and invisible tics, lilo those of husband and wife. It is always a bad day for both spousoa when their rospectno rights and duties como before the Courts. It would bo a risky task to underpin the House of Lords whilst making structural alterations in tho time-worn odifico of our venerable Constitution. There are ardent enthusiasts for a Single Chamber, for a perpetual referendum, for proportional representation, for adult men and women's franchise-nay, for a Eopublic. It is beliovod that if tho presidency or titular headship of the State were to-day put to universal voto of tho nation our popular Sovereign would bo ritarned by enormous majorities. And all patriotic men know how much tho country owes to his judgment and his taot. But if, for the first timo since the Conquest, wo are really nbont to lay the foundations of a written—i.o., 'rigid'-rConshtution, who can say where the proposed 'planlts' of our now national platform mil rest, or what now 'planks' it may be proposed to, lay? Every day brings us closer to tho typrcal modern Republics of America nnd l'ranoo, united to »n material Interest* and 1& social , Ate tlio_Jiish_ National-

ists, the labour leader's, the Socialists, .the Suffragettes all going to )» perfectly stent 'when the basis of our whole legislative machinery are borag overhauledf" ■■'. "When Lords and Commons begin to fight it out in earnest," he adds, "it would be a miracle if the- Crown wore to remain unconcerned, indifferent; and unscathed." Throughout the long controversy it , has •been difficult to. avoid feeling that the frenzied "melting-pot" party is a very, small minority. Messes. Lloyd-George and Churchill talk as fiercely of. "revolution", as Mn.. ,Keir Hardier but we know instinctively that they' a>re not Republican Socialists,.- Such considerations as these.; inako. it.'.almost eortairi-that behind, all tho fire and smoke and manoeuvring the real battle ; is Free-trade against-Tariff Reform. We have to-day some strong cvi-j ,l dence that this is the real position, in the cable message summarising the .proceedings at..tho conference of. the• National Union of Conservativeand Constitutional Associations. Che Uaion has come into the open with a vengeance by plumping for- Tariff Reform. By:pressing for- the Budget,., therefore, the Government will turn over-toV the Tariff Reformers the Free-trade voters who oppose the Budget policies; by pressing f<ir the suppression of the Lords, lose those Freetraders who want; the I; present Constitution. Whether they will thus,' in\their excess of. zeal,.have sold Free-trade, remains to be seen. It .is important that Mr. , Chaplin, 1 in advancing his Tariff Reform resolution, frankly avowed that Tariff Reform will mean a'taxbni imported food." It is ; : doubtful whether, in making this bold announcement, the Unionist party has not truetedtoo much to the capacity of'the workers to believe that a food-tax will be accompanied .by such a readjustment of existing taxee as' ■will, leave: the burden on the workingman unaltered. ; "Food taxes" is a term that requires great assurances to make.;it palatable-to .Britain. We can only hope that.the name ,of the,; Colonies will not be made hateful : to the .Free-traders by!, the manner the] food taxes will be'advocated.' ■ ''■':/' v ''.> " " '":.. ■'-. .