"War is Declared"

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 190, 21 November 1910, Page 5

"War is Declared"

SPEECH BY TITE PRIME MINISTER. "NEW CIRCUMSTANCES DEMAND A NEW PRECEDENT. - ' COMPROMISE TRIED AND FAILED. "PARRICIDAL PICK-AXES AT WORK." By Cable—Press Association—Copyright. Received 21, 12.35 a.m. London, November 20. Speaking at a luncheon at the National Liberal Cliub, most of the Ministers being present. Mr. Asquith received a tremendous ovation. He admitted that it was unusual for a Government enjoying confidence on all questions of general policy to find itself obliged to advise a dissolution, but new circumstances demanded a new precedent. No Commons -were more emphatically representative of the will of the people than the House of Commons of 1906, yet measures embodying that will were thwarted and defeated by the Lords. The climax came when the Budget was rejected. The present House of Commons, eleeted in January with a majority of over a hundred, •were in favor of limiting the yeto. ,After the truce they must relinquish the method of compromise as a thing which had been tried and failed.. The negotiations were over, and war was declared. The latest borough elections would be concluded by December 8, and the latest counties by the 17th. This would be much better than an election hovering over the heads of the people throughout Christmas.

REPLY TO LORD ROSEBERY. Mr. Asquith continued: The Liberals denied that they were proposing unchecked domination by a single Chamber. Surely Lord Rosebery was aware that they had been living when the Tories were in office under the yoke of single Chamber tyranny. The Liberals proposed to confine the Second Chamber to those subordinate functions admittedly appropriate to such a body, and to secure full and even working of the two Chambers. "Whichever party was in power, the representatives of the people were entitled to the controlling voice in both policy and The ancient and picturesque structure of the Lords was condemned by its own inmates as unsafe. Parricidal pick-axes were already at work, and constitutional jerry-builders were hurrying from everywhere with new plans.

THE SUFFRAGISTS' DEMONSTRATIONS. FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION London, May 18. The Premier, in a letter to Lord Lytton, says that he cannot give an assurance that woman's suffrage will be proceeded with next year. Successive deputations persistently endeavored to rush the entrance to St. Stephen's, but the police prevented them, and made 83 arrests.

Received 20, 5.5 p.m. London, November 19.

Mrs. Pankhurst, Bertha Ayrton, Mrs. Cobden Sanderson, Dr. Elizabeth Garnett Anderson and Princess Dhuleepsingh headed the first deputation. The arrests included Miss Ellen Gibb, a descendant of William Skirving, who (was sent to Botany Bay in 1793 for the advocacy of women's suffrage; and Mrs. Morrison, daughter of Sir Terence Murray. The demonstrations will continue until the dissolution.

Lady Stout, who accompanied the deputation, has stated that the policemen were the roughest and most bloated-look-ing people she had ever seen. Lady Solomon, aged 80, was knocked about. The authorities will not prosecute or discharge them.

THE IMPERIAL CONFERENCE,

A PREDICTION FROM DUBLIN.

NATIONALIST DISCIPLINE IMPERILLED.

Received 20, 5.5 p.m. London, November 19.

Mr. Asquith, replying to Mr. LockerLampson, stated that the Imperial Conference would be held close to the Coronation date.

The Times' Dublin correspondent states that the payment of members question wiV create many independent candidates in Ireland, and shatter the Nationalists' discipline. «• SLIPPERY MANOEUVRES." LABOR'S PROTEST. MR. LLOYD-GEORGE IN REPLY. Received 20, 5.5 p.m. London, November 19. Mr. Alfred Lyttelton. in a speech at South London, said that the dissolution had been brought about in a tricky way by slippery manoeuvres. Sir A. Bonar Law contests North-East Manchester. In the House of Commons, Mr. G. N. Barnies said it was impossible for the Labor Party to be associated with the Government until thev had some definite information as to the < iovernment's intentions relative to the Osborne judgment. The Bill ought to have been before the Lords a month ago, instead of being discussed with closed doors. The House had not heard a word regarding the guarantees, and apparently the election would be fought on the same issue as in January, on the same register, except for a number of workmen who were disfranchised owing lo removals. He protested that the Government was not dealing with the poverty problem, which could not be solved by speeches at the City Temple. Mr. Lloyd-George, replying, said that the straggle with the House of Lords was full of difficulty, arid was not likely to upon in a spirit of

of comradeship was essential. The Laborites were not the only people allowed to talk of poverty and distres, for the Liberals had given pensions.

MR. ASQUITH REFUSES TO BE DRAWN. OUTCRY BY THE TRADERS. ELECTIONS COMMENCE ON 3rd DECEMBER. Received 20, 5.5 p.m. London, November 19. Mr. Asquith, speaking in the House of Commons, said he would prefer not to have guarantees, and at the end of the debate was besieged with demands to define the contingent guarantees.

Replying, he declined to give them, and continued to decline to make a statement regarding his advice to the King, who must stand aloof from political conflicts.

Lord Cromer and Lord Lansdowne questioned Lord Crewe on the subject, but Lord Crewe declined to say more than that if the Government were returned to power with a working majority, he assumed that the Lords would give effect to the will of the people. The Liberal papers praise Mr. Asquith for his courage and coolness in managing the crisis.

A feature of the debate was Mr. Redmond's sitting silent. The Radical and Conservative papers consider the cry against the peers has less driving power than it had a year

The Government's critics complain that there - is no justification for a dissolution. The House of Lords had never seen the Bill which they were accused of refusing to adopt. They say it is contrary to precedent for the Government to use the expiring register, when by waiting a few weeks they could have had a better representative register. There is already a great outcry at the elections interfering with the ante-Christ-mas trade.

The Government's tyrannous action in not permitting the Lords to amend the Bill affecting their own fate is condemned by a section of the Press, who say that although the Government declare that the election is a straight fight on the veto, the payment of members is thrown in as a sop to catch voters. The elections commence on December 3.

ABSOLUTELY 1 UNPRECEDENTED IN ENGLAND'S HISTORY.

MR. ASQUITH?S PROGRAMME

London, May 18.

Mr. Asquith announced that Parliament would be dissolved on November 28. The House of Commons was crowded when the Premier moved that Government business take precedence and be confined to the Budget and discussion on the income tax, tea duty, sinking fund, and supplementary estimates. The latter provided £500,000 for old-age pensions until the end of March. Three days would be allotted to the Budget, and the prorogation would take place on the following Saturday. It was intended next year to propose the payment of members.

Opportunity would be given next week to the Lords to decide their position, but they must accept or reject the Parliament Bill. He had hoped the Veto Conference would have reached a settlement, but now it was useless to attempt a settlement by agreement. He would make a definite statement regarding the Osborne judgment next week.

Mr. Balfour said that the course taken by Mr. Asquith was absolutely without precedent in the history of the country. He had chosen a month in which the register was old and the electorate in the least satisfactory state except Scotland. He expected the Government was afraid the Lords would make proposals agreeable to moderate men, and thus the Premier advised a dissolution.

Mr. Balfour declared that as a House of Commons man he did not want an elected Second Chamber, as this would usurp the position of the First Chamber.

The Morning Post, hitherto one of Mr. Balfour's severest critics, rejoices at his Nottingham speech, which has at last given the party a responsible lead. Other papers are confident that the speech will rally the moderates.

In the House of Lords Lord Roberts gave notice to move that in view of the altered strategic conditions by land and sea of Europe, this House views with grave and growing concern the inadequate naval and military arrangements.