TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1908. "THE DOMINATING ISSUE."

Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue 142, 15 December 1908, Page 6

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1908. "THE DOMINATING ISSUE."

Mn. Asquith was warned by the Westminster Gazette a few days ago that continued submission to the rebuffs of the House of Lords would annihilate the Liberal party, and his answer was given in the speech at the National Liberal Club of which the cable supplied us with a summary yesterday. The Prime i Minister "invited tho party to treat the power of veto by the House of Lords as the dominating issue." At the same time he declined "except in the event of a great constitutional emergency," to accept the dictation of an "irresponsible Assembly'" as to when ho should dissolvo Parliament. The exception to which Mr. Asquith refers has naturally excited a good deal of speculation. There is one case in which the Government would , be bound to take immediate action in | response to the challenge of the Lords, \ and doubtless The Times is right in the I interpretation which it places upon the exception. If the financial provisions of the Licensing Bill — which are the parts mosfc vehemently opposed — are included in the Budget, the House of Lords will have no power to amend them, "but it will bo able, if it dares, to reject the whole of the Bill embodying the proposals of the Budget. Down to 1860 it was customary to deal with each of these proposals in a separate Bill, but the reI jection in that year by the House of Lords of the Bill which, in accordance with this arrangement, had passed the j Commons for the repeal of the paper duties, led to a change in the practice. In the following year the Chancellor of the Exchequer put the whole of his Budget propositions, including the repeal of the paper duties, into a single Bill, which the House of Lords naturally did not take the responsibility of rejecting. A similar course has been followed ever since. But the Lord 3 still retain the same pewer over the general measure that they had over each item when the Budget resolutions were separately treated, and it only needs a fitting occasion to induce them to exercise it. The stoppage of supplies — for that is what the rejection of the Budget Bill would mean i — would, of course, involve an immediate dissolution, but are the Lords prepared la take such a responsibility ? No doubt the answer depends partly upon Avhat is in the Bill and partly upon the •opinion of the Conservative managers as to the opportuneness of the time for dissolution. As to the contents of tho next Budget, we may be quite sure that they will include a good deal of an interesting character in addition to the revived time-limit and monopoly-value proposals of the Licensing Bill. Some striking developments may be expected with a view to showing that Freetrado finance is quite equal to the demand which is being made upon it by tho programme of the Government, and that the Freetrader and not the Tariff Reformer is the true friend of the democracy. "I am not one of thoso who think, as people sometimes tell you, that our Freetrade system of finance is bankrupt, and has como to the ond of its resources," said Mr Asquith in his speech at Leeds on the evo of tho opening of the autumn session. "Thovo is n large reserve of possible taxation and resources which has nevor yot boon drawn upon, or nover drawn upon adequately and justly as it might be." Tho cheers with which this statement w«w received showed that a system of tuxa tion which will impose upon tho rich » fairer share of tho common burden mny yet enablo Mr. Asquith and Mr. liloytl George to rally the democracy ugaiunt. the nereditary chamber and the olatm which it represents. If this issue otm be tacked on to the constitutional question between the two Houses, tho people, may be willing to take a more active part in the fray than when the late Proroier endeavoured to rouse them by his resolution for limiting the Lords' power of veto ei&hteea ri&niths ago. Mr. Keir exjoyease.? tlio fear that "tho Go.

veinment is about to commence a campaign of words against the House of Lords," but even the wildest Radical will see that there are very solid blessings staked upon the issue if it is enlarged as the mover suggested.