HOME RULE AND THE LORDS

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 759, 7 March 1910, Page 8

HOME RULE AND THE LORDS

ME. ASQUITH AT LEVEN. Questioned specifically on the subject of Home Bule at Leven, Fifeshire, on January US, Mr. Asquith, Prime "Minister; said: , . . .- "I promise no legislation of any kind in the next Parliament until we. have settled our conclusions -with the House of Lords, but I have also stated that in my opinion the Liberal Party would be perfectly free in the next Parliament, as it was not in the last, to support, a measure foT giving full self-government in. purely Irish affairs to Ireland, subject j to the maintenance absolutely unimpaired of the supremacy of the Imperial'.Parliament/' (Cheers.) ■-.'■■

He was asked sometimes why he had omitted from his election address all reference to a number of-burning questions—for instance, education in England, land in Scotland, and the development of self-government in Ireland. His answer was a very simple one. He had dealt with these topics in the.Albert Hall and had tried to put in proper relation their importance one to the other, and. his reason for omitting .them from his address, was because there was a preliminary question.which had to be settled before they approached one of them. It was not the least use promising electors, and he .for the momont,, : speaking as the leader, of the Liberal Party, was not going to promise the electors, at this election any specific legislation in the new Parliament as to any of those matters. The electors . knew the Government's views, desires, and intentions,- and Tmcil they had overcome the obstacle, the permanent obstacle, .. which prevented them giving effective expression to those views and legislative embodiment to those intentions it .was no good whatever talking, about legislation. ■

He asked the electors to send fr™ back to Westminster as. the' representative of East Fife charged afresh with authority to maintain at all hazards and against all comers our system of Free Trade, and to put an end, once and for all, the constitutional paradox which enabled a non-representative assembly to veto and defeat the wishes of the people, (Loud cheers.)

Questioned about trade union' representatives and the Lords' decision, Mr. Ascpiith said he was not prepared to giyo any pledge upon the subject beyond this —that he was prepared to take into careful consideration the state of. the law as now declared by the House of Lords and see whether and, if so, in what way it was capable of amendment.