BRITISH POLITICS

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9684, 7 January 1910, Page 5

BRITISH POLITICS

THF ELECTION FIGHT.

MINISTERIAL ADDRESSES.

United Presß Association—By Electric Telegrap Copyright. Received January 6, 8.5 a.m. LONDON, January 5. The Prime Minister, Right Hon, H. Asquith, speaking at Brighton, defended the equitable valuation of land and other features of the Budget, and reiterated that the House of Commons must have supremacy over taxation and finance matters. Mr Winston Churchill. President of the Board of Trade, in an election address at Dundee, said the quarrel between the democratic electorate and the one-sided wealthy Chamber had come at last, and the collision must involve a constitutional change. Sir Edward Grey, Foreign Secretary, speaking at Glaton, said that even a Second Chamber, if based on hereditary right, would become increasingly conservative in course of time. The speaker added: "The hereditary principle to Liberals is out of date. '

THE IRISH PARTIES.

VIOLENT MEETINGS.

Received January 6, 8.55 a.m. LONDON, January 5. Violent meetings are being held in Ulster against Home Rule. Five thousand persons assembled at one building in Belfast, and fifteen thousand were unable to enter. At a Fiscal Reform League meeting in Dublin complaint was made that the Redmondites were refusing tariff reform, to the detriment of the Irish agriculturist. A Nonconformist Unionist association is actively promoting anti-Home Rule memorials. Mr William.O'Brien has re-entered politics, and is conducting a vigorous campaign against the Redmondites, urging that thair tyranny'should be annihilated. At the instance of Mr Roland Hunt, Unionist member for Ludlow, the Post Office has issued a circular assuring old-age pensioners of the security of their pensions.

"A TRAVELLING MENAGERIE OF PEERS."

Received January 6, 8.40 a.m. LONDON, January 5. Mr Lloyd-George, Chancellor of the Exchequer, in an election speech at St. Pancras, Lortdop, declared that a travelling menagerie of peers had visited almost every part of the kingdom. They had, he said, never worked so hard in their lives. Sir R. Perks, M.P. for Louth, and a leading member of the W esleyan Church, protests against Wesleyans subordinating their .Parliamentary action to the Free Church Federation's methods, which were inspired by ministers who were brilliant preachers but bad political guides

SPEECH BY MARQUIS OF LANSDOWNE.

Received January 6, 9.35 p.m. LONDON, January 6. The Marquis of Lansdowne, speaking at Liverpool, protested against his oppoennt's cardinal misrepresentation, which was that the Lords arrogated the right of controlling taxation. He cited Lord Loreburn's satement that the Lords had ample powers to deal with money bills, and asked what were the use of ample powers if they were never intended to be exercised. His amendment for submitting the Budget to the judgment of the country was treated as if it were an anarchist bomb sufficient to wreck every institution in the country. The Ministers proposed a revolutionary change in the constitution intended to substitute for the present system what was virtually to be controlled by a single Chamber. He complanied of the levity wherewith they approached the problem of the House of Lords* future. He quoted Ministers' vague and indefinite utterances on the sect. Continuing, the Marquis of Lansdowne said that whatever the people think about the Budget or the House ' of Lords, they would not allow any Government a free hand to turn us over to the untempered mercy of a chance majority in the House of Commons, and of Ministers happening to control that majority. We might find ourselves as we did after the last election with a House of Commons wherein there were over three hundred members who had never sat in Parliament before, and consequently had no special acquaintance with public affairs. We might also have a raw Cabinet. Moreover, freedom of discussion in the House of Comi mons nowadays wa3 unprecedently curtailed. The Marquis of Lansdowne added; "In the background is the Irish Party watching ready to sell itselt to the highest political price for assistance. Are you with all these conditions prepared to hand to the House of Commons the decision and affairs of a great Empire, with fndia, the Dominions overseas, the questions of naval and military defence, finance, and ail the great questions which should naturally be deliberately dealt

with by yoitJir Parliament. He quoted approvingly the recommendations of Lord Rosebery's Committee, and contended that the reform of the Lords should be the work of both political parties. It had not altogether been a creditable incident; when the committee was set up the Liberal Peers refused to'participate or assist in promoting a solution of the question.