A POLITICAL REVOLUTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 194, 20 September 1909, Page 2

A POLITICAL REVOLUTION.

WHAT JIAY HAPPEN IN ENGLAND. THE GOVERNMENT AND THE ' LORDS' VETO. PREMIER DIRECTLY CHALLENGES THE LORDS. PEOPLE'S) WULL MUST PREVAIL. BRITISH BUDGET CAMPAIGN. COMING TO CLOSE QUARTERS. PItEMIER ADDRESSES A HUGE MEETING.

By Telegraph.—Press Association. Received September 10, 5.5 p.m. London, September 18. The Premier (Mr. H. H. Asquith) was accorded a tumultuous welcome when addressing ten thousand" electors at Uingley Hull. He likened the sensations ■if the reader of Lord Roscbery's »pueeh with those of the over sanguine explorcr, who, having battled acro.-te the parallels on ice and in a fog, reaches the North Pole only to find that there waa nothing there except that the points of the compass have for the moment lost their meaning. He emphasised that the present gathering meant to declare fixed resolutions:—

First, that the interests of the Stale sliould be met by equitable distribution of the nation's wealth.

Secondly, that the freely chosen representatives of the people have a final voice in settling both the (measure and incidence of the burden of taxes.

THE PEOPLE'S ACQUIESCENCE.

After referring to some of the points arising from the proposals of tlio socalled revolutionary Budget, lie remarked that the working classes.' as a body did not complain of their share of the additional contribution to the acknowledged necessities of the State. The bulk of the well-to-do citizens were just as ready as their less fortunate fellowsubjects to play their part and do their fair share of patriotic duty in meeting the State's needs.

Whatever might happen in the hurlyburly of politics, nothing, Mr. Asquith said, would disturb the personal nll'ection between Lord Rosebcry and himself.' self. TAXING AGRICULTURE. Lord Roscbery bewailed the hard fate and extolled the services of the owner of agricultural land. The Riidgct's hind taxes did not, however, touch agricultural land. Its proposals increased the deductions under Schedule A and left the owner of agricultural land better oil' than now. The proposals were

MERELY A TAX ON LAND VALUES 1 created by the social development of the country. Lord Rosebcry himself, while Prime Minister, advocated the taxation of ground values. He agreed with Lord Rosebcry that the Government were making a new departure in regard to land taxation. The departure was that for the first time a principle, the justice of -which was admitted by every Imperial man who studied the subject, had been recognised and acted upon by the responsible Government.

A THEORY EXPLODED.

Lord Rosebcry .-discovered in the inheritance duties an intention to wage implacable war against capital, saying the epithets used against the late Mr. Gladstone's Succession Duty Act were falsified by events. The taxes were » very moderate toll. Regarding the alleged depletion and so-called exploitation of national capital, he contended that money taken in the shape of death duties did not disappear; it went in sanitation, national defence, preservation of order, and those great schemes of social reform whereon the Liberals were bent. Nobody would or could say that money so applied had not been as remuneratively employed as if left in the pockets of the previous owners and transmitted to their children,

THE ALTERNATIVE.

What was Lord Rosebcry's' alternative? Beyond a few singularly infertile generalities Lord Uosehery had nothing to tell them. Tariff reformers were grateful for Lord Rosebery's aid, but disguised their disappointment with his lame and impotent conclusions. Tiiey felt it was all very well for him to abuse the Budget and its authors, but neither nations' nor individuals could live on a diet of blood and thunder. "You cannot fill a deficit bv a denunciation," Mr. Asquith remarked. Proceeding, he argued that

TARIFF REFORM had proved no practical alternative to the Budget as a revenue producing scheme. If any such alternative policy existed, its sponsors ouglit to come out in the open. Mr. Balfour, in his last visit to Birmingham, had administered to the long suffering tariff reformers a dose of something like syrup, which had kept them more or less quiet. A SOLEMN WARNING. The important part of Mr. Asquith's speech was reserved till the last live minutes. It was a direct challenge to the Lords. Speaking solemnly and slowly i he declared:

If the Lords destroy the Budget, whether ,by mutilation pr rejection, that indeed would be thu most formidable resolution since the Long Parliament. It ha* been settled long ago that ine House of Commons has an absolute and unquestionable decisive voice in matters of finance. The Lords in this are impotent and the Commons supreme. If that issue is raisedtiatisthe way revolution lies. It would involve issues far wider and deeper than the Lords' right to .meddle in finance; but if '■"sed, the Liberal party' is eluXn g e a '' dCflgCrtoaCCe P ith<!

CHECKMATING SUFFRAGETTES.

Elaborate precautions were m-i,l» t„ ™ sufagettes f ro m i \£s t lie s speech and several were eject-

PRESS OPINIONS.

Keceived September 19, 5.5 p, m Tli, Tim,,, Un i on - September 18. ~,„.. , Af, Jl u «iiß colleagues. Thn. licvo thev fir f™ * C Clln eas,i, . v l> l K«kit W "I d r ,m ° ne ' a,,() 1"ote ;;;t. t0 mly m of whie " 4"U Tim Daily Chronicle savs that nr, A«luiHi' g main thesis Wa >' tl„ t th Budget™ not as revolutionary'.. u ■v.JWtxm by the Lord., would be! Ihe Daily Xo. W3 says the Libernk »r l>«'F..-ed to take advantage o t t ■ =^r in.the pat ho f S^

THE riNAN CE BILL OF THE LORDS,

ti, nv , T ; on(, . 0;l - September 17. The Times states it is practically cer tain that if the Lords reject the Fin «nco Bill t hc Government will accelerate n revision of the electoral register to November instead of January? „,„, that a general election will ue held about thc end of November.