THE VETO BILL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1194, 1 August 1911, Page 5

THE VETO BILL.

« ONE WAY OUT. NEW PEERS MAY BE REFUSED BY THE LORDS. THE LATEST SUGGESTION. Bj Telccranli-Pros9 ABsoriatLon-OoDJTIeUI (Rec. August 1, 0.53 a.m.) London, July 31. Lord Stnnmore, in writing to "The Times," suggests thai; (ho House of Lords, even if now Peers aro created, still possesses the power to discharge a new Peer from tho sprvico of (he ]Jouso during the vomainder of a Parliament. lie instances tho refusal of a vote to Lord Wcnsleydale, who was created a lifo Peer in 185 G. NEW PEERS UNLIKELY. A GROWING MAJORITY. London, July 38. Every day increases tho j.umber of Peers supporting Lord Lansdowne. Already three hundred and live have given, in their adhesion, and several have, withdrawn from Lord Hnlsbury's list. Tho creation of Peers is considered unlikely, even if Lord Ualsbury forces a division. Lord Winchclsca declares that ho and others aro willing to vote, for the Parliament Bill, which they dislike, in order to prevent tho creation of "blackleg" Peers. Many of the Unionist clubs encourage Lord Halsbury to persevere in his opposition to the measure. The "Stalwarts" have arranged for public moe-tings, the first to be held on Friday next, to protest agai.ist tho surrender of the Lords' amendment's. ABUSE OF ROYAL POWER, SPEECH BY MR. BALFOUR. London, July 30. Mr. Balfour, the Opposition Leader, writing to a constituent, said the country ought to thoroughly realise that the Unionist party would not ncquicsco in the Radicals' new Constitution, and would regard the modern Ministers' abuse of tho Royal Prerogative as no less fatal than tho Kings' abuse in olden times. SURRENDER. "INCONCEIVABLE." , London, July 30. Mr. H. Pike Pease, Conservative member for Darlington, addressing a Prim, roso League meeting at Wokitig, in Surrey, said tho suggestion that Unionist Peers would vote for the Parliament Bill was unthinkable. THE WENSLEYDALE CASE. A constitutional writer recently quoted the \VenslcyUalo Peerage debate iu 185 li as an instance of how Hie Lords as a last resource might create an absolute deadlock. Acting ou her Ministers' advice, Queen Victoria created Baron Parke (a "Baron" or tho Exchequer only) a Peer for his lifo as Lord Wensleydale, without limiting tho patent tu his descendants. As Baron Parke was an elderly man with no children, the object clearly was to create a. precedent; Uicro was, in fact, urgent need for Law Lords for the judicial work of the House, and men with tho requisite legal experience and sufficient means to found families were too rare. Hut tho House scented danger; the right, if it existed at all, would not bo confined to ennobling eminent lawyers, and was likely lo give any Government a formidable weapon for coercing tho House of Lords. Instead of accepting Lord! Wcnsleydalo as a Peer, therefore, tho lloufo resolved itself into a Committee of Privilege.?, and, after a memorable, dobate, carried the resolution that, though Lord Wenslcydale's Peerage might be good in other respects, it did not entitle him to sit and vote in that House.

in 1856, however, everything was very friendly and decorous. I«ord Wcusleydalesubmitted himself to the decision of the House, and Lord Granville practically ncceptod it; for, although he 6.ijd tho right was still claimed on behalf of the Crown, precedents in these mutters rinko rights, and it is in the last degree , improbable that Mr. Asquith or anyono else will ovor attempt to reverse the ruling iu the Wenslcydnlo case, and advise the creation of life 'Teas again, unless enabled to do so by statute