PEERS AND PEOPLE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 611, 14 September 1909, Page 5

PEERS AND PEOPLE.

WHO WILL BE SMASHED? THE "WILD MEN FROM THE WOODS." . ROSEP.WS SPEECH., - (llj Tclecraph.-l'reaa Association.—Copyrtcht-I (Rec. September 13, 9.30 p.m.) London, September 13. • In an interview, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Lloyd-George, described Lord llosebery's anti-Budget specch as a soft-nosed torpedo. ■ Liout.-Col. Seely, Under-Secretary of State for. the Colonies; speaking >at Liverpool, said' Lord Ilosebery's speech- was inconclusive. If the Lords used their power to destroy , the Budget,' the, people would use theirs to destroy the Peers. '

■ Pears,- Fearing Land Taxes, May Reject Despite Leaders' Advice. Mr'. P. Acland, Financial Secretary to the War Office, said there were a' number of Peers known in London as "wild men from the woods" who regarded land taxes from so Harrow and selfish a standpoint that—even if Mr. Balfour and his people thought'it best to letthe'Financo Bill pass the House of Lords--these'Peers would not be willing to obey Lord' Lansdowno (Unionist Leader in the Lords) and pass the Bill. If that happened, and if,, despite tlie ' ConservatiyoUnionist party,. those wild and uncontrollable Peers, , wlio. '.emerged ' from their, hiding places only on great occasions, • rejected the Budget, then as surely. A3 to-morrow's i-un would ' rise the. Budget would- smash' .them. Tho'Curss on tha Jackdaw of Rhslms. - ' Dr:;:''ilachamara, Parliamentary Secretary to the-idmiralty, .speaking .at Grimsby, remarked that: Lord, Rosobery's speech was reminiscent' of ; tho. Jackdaw. of.- Rkeinis. Lord Rdsebery and the. Unionists were.-at one regarding : the Budget,-but/whilefthe Unionists ' proposed the alternative of tariff reform, lord Rosebery had no practical alter: native.. ,Any tampering with the Budget by the Lords would lead to a 1 declaration by the people against the Peers.

At Coventry the Lord Advocate for Scotland, , Mr. | Alex.- Ufe, declared that as mi attack;; on the Budget-Lcrd. Roseber.v's speech ;.; was hopelessly .ineffective, .futile, ' harmless,'' and ; vain. It wa-s' the greatest help'thi ; Budget' had yet'.received.. There were only two ways ofattacking the Budget. V A critic could say the expenditure was wrong or '.This was not a right why.to raise the money —Iwiil show yoii a better.'.' Since Lord Rosebery had not assumed,cither position,, it was clear that he, like Lord Roths;clind arid the great bankers, knew that .this •Budget was .only a; just' and fair,method,to. securo tho necessary millions. . . '.■■■ May Cost Tham Their Coronets. Mr. J. XV. Gullaud, Liberal member ' for .Dumfries,',Burghs,;:.assur6d : : : his . Edinburgh ; .audience ' that 'the ■.enthusiasm ' everywhere .shown for the Budget-would bo increased :by the speech 1 made by' "the raven';croaking on his -withered. branch." ' If tlio Lords rejected the Budget they would raiso an issue which; might'cost'them their,coronets;., ;The .mandate must; then'be received by tho Govcrn!ment. from tho 'people, not.only .'to '.<iarry '.tho Finince Bill,but'.t'o permanently curb tho cruel blighting powor of .tho House of Lords. :», . A Unionist Volco. . , ' '' Mr/. Walter -Long, Unionist ,-'ox-Minister and President' of tho Anti-Budget League, ispoaking' at Market .• viiigton, . Wilt?bir6, said that' LordYßosebery's indictment, of-, tho Budgot was so'powerful and trenchant'.that' "it . left nothirig .to bo; said- by anybody - in-fur-therance 'of tho;:. campaign' against .'the Finance Bill.- ■ Business men in'. Newcastle are. - inviting' Lord .Rosebery to address, them' on;the Budgct. ' ; . i 'P';; PRESS OPINIONS London, September 12. - I *v--gae"- Gazetto','/ ;atiites'>tliat;-:city" opiniori, is-almost imanimqus that-.Lord Roscr bery: has smashed: the; Budget. '.His speechis:.bound to have a tremendous' effect.: in Scotland/- . > , v - i'y '' ; : ;, Tho Radical provincial newspapers .bitterly, criticise and complain of Lord Rosebery's speech. ■v' .-" - The ' Sheffield : "Telegraph":; suggests that Lord Rosebery ha 3 coino down from tho Olympic heights to fight tho Budget.: The; Birmingham '"Post" says ■'■' tl:o. exPremier's statement will do nipcli to cause the silent voter to think hard. 1 . . PARTING OF THE WAYS. '

LORD ROSEBERY RESIGNS FROM LIBERAL LEAGUE ' , , London, September 12. ' ; Lord Rosobory resigned tho' presidency of tko Liberal League, !of which Mr. Asquith,' Sir' EdwardiGrey, and. - Mr. 'Haidarie \ are among /the vice-presidents, . before ,his, Glaagow speech. ■','; , , : ', ■, ' :-THE JACKDAW AND THE RAVEN. When the Cardinal's ring was niissed—haying, been stolen by . tho jackdaw—a most comprehensive ' and -imposing curse. was laid,, with much, ceremony, on the unknown thief. : Never/was heard such a terrible curse! ■ .But what gave rise to no littlo surprise,'. ; Nobody, seemed a penny the. worse) : , . , Until, of course, tße poor jackdaw turned'up in, a fearful condition, battered; melancholy, and' Half :featherless. . And'when they saw. him, - Heedless of grammar, they all cried, "That's him!" .' . Perhap9, in, tho ensuing war of literary allnsions and political parallels, the Unionists will reply,to Dr. Macnamara by retorting that the Government had better wait until the elections,/ and it will then see What a bedraggled jackdaw : the Liberal majority l will have beet mo. •••. ' The 'retired raven" similo,. now, used by , a Liberal- oritio against, him, .was. Lord . Eoseibery'S.owii phrase coined against himself.. In a, speeoh in which he' offered candid advice (unheeded); to'! the present • Liberal Government, Lord Eosebery was reported as follows:— ■' Some might regard these friendly warnings iis tho croufcing of a retired raven on,a withered branch, but he. unfortunately had had longer experience '.than mbst of his audience. LIBERAL LEAGUE AND CHESTERFIELD SPEECH. , .The' Liberal. League vas formed in ii)o2 for the purpose of bringing together, with', a view, to common action, all those who approve of tlie -pouuy uaijuu nded by Lord Eosebery in his Chesterfield speech, delivered on December 10, 1901/ In that speech Lord Eosebery advised , tho Liberal party "to wipe its slate clean,' and con, sidei' -ybry carefully .what' it is going to Svrito on it in. future." .Lord EosGbery's Jiolicy, "as ltiid'do>jrn'in the Chesterfield speech, included: ■ - (1) Liberal unitv.- ; (2) No Irish alliance., ' ' V (3) No Newcastle' programme. ,- ";-'(4)'No Little Unglahdism, but a Liberal Imperialism. (5) Improved Parliamentary procedure. (0) Efficiency at the War !Office. ' : (7) Improved education, . - (8) Housing of the people.', .' .■ V . --(9) Temperance-.reform. . Last, year Lord Eosebery made a/ speech which apparently aimed at bringing Iho Liberal League up to date, and ih which ho made remarks as to Socialism ' and Protection that lie has now re-echoed,' In the 1908 speech he outlined.a now programme as follows :— ...Anti-Socialism. . • . Sano Imperialism. , ■ -free-trade. , ; No Irish Parliament., Eeformed mid efficient Second Olmmhnr. J