DISSOLUTION. THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 135, 4 December 1909, Page 5

DISSOLUTION. THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT.

! DATE OF ELECTIONS. EARLY NEXT MONTH. By Telegraph. — Press Association. — Copyright. (Received December 4, 8.5 a.m.) LONDON, 3rd December. Mr. J. A. Pease, Chief Liberal Whip, indicates that there will be a dissolution on the 28th December, and that the first elections will take place on Bth January. SHARP CORRESPONDENCE. LORDS ROSEBERY AND CURZON. WHAT MANY NEWSPAPERS BELIEVED. LONDON, 3rd December. There has been sharp correspondence between Lord RoseDery and Lord Curzon. The latter quotes extracts from Lord Rosebery's Glasgow speech. Many newspapers fully believed that Lord Rosebery would move the rejection of the Budget himself. A great majority of the Peers expected he would advise its rejection. "BREACH OF THE CONSTITUTION." MR. ASQUITH'S MOTION. CARRIED BY A MAJORITY OF 115. LEADERS' SPEECHES. LONDON, 3rd December. The House nf Commons was thronged from floor to ceiling when the Prime Minister, Mr. Asquith, moved his motion dealing with the action of the House of Lords in refusing to pass the Budget till it has been submitted to the judgment of the people. The Chamber was lined with rows upon rows of eager and attentive faces. The motion, of which Mr. Asquith had previously given riotice, was as under :—: — "That the action of the House of Lords in refusing to pass into law the financial provision made by the House of Commons for the service • the year was a breach of the Constitution, and a usurpation of the rights of the House of Commons." The appearance of Mr. Asguith was the signal for deafening Ministerial cheers, his followers rising to do him honour. Mr. Balfour, in turn, was enthusiastically acclaimed by the Unionists. His attendance \ra& unexpected, owing to his having sustained a slight chill,, and his arrival stimulated his followers to a high pitch of excitement. The debate was comparatively short. I Mr. Asquith's motion was carried by 115 votes, the voting being :—: — For the resolution 349 Against the resolution 234 Government majority ... 115 GRAVE AND EARNEST. Mr. Asquitn, in a grave and eaxnest speech, declared that the circumstances were unparalleled in the history of Parliament. He recalled with murked emphasis tho fact that the House -of Commons alone was addressed in the Speech from the Throne in February, when it was invited to make provision for the heavy additional expenditure du^ to social reform and national defence. The history of tho grant of the whole ways and means for the supply and service of the year had been intercepted and nullified by a body admittedly having no power to increase or diminish » single tax or to substitute an alternative. Amid a storm of Liberal and Labour cheers, the Prime Minister remarked that the House , of Commons would bo unworthy of its past if it allowed another day _to pass without making it ■clear that it does not mean to 'brook th<* greatest indignity and most arroganf usurpation to which it had in the last two centuries been^ asked to submit. He laid stress on the confusion, embarrassment, loss of revenue, and increase of the country's indebtedness that would result from the action of the House of Lords, and the consequent necessity of restoring the borrowing powers conferred by the Appropriation Act. He expressed later on a hope that the ultimate irrecoverable loss to the State would not be very great. Mr. Asquith scouted the suggestion lhat the House of Commons should stoop to the humiliation of presenting an amended Budget for the criticism and sanction of the House of Lords. He continued : — "There is only one course open without breaking the law or sacrificing the constitutional principle. That is to advise — as we have advised — the Crown to dissolve Parliament at the earliest ■possible moment. His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to accept our advice." This announcement by the Prime Minister was greeted with prolonged cheers from both sides of the House. Continuing, Mr. Asquith said that .if the Government was returned to power its first duty would be to reimpose all the taxes and duties recently voted, j Dwelling upon the Constitution, he remarked that the great 'bulk of constitutional liberties and practice rested upon custom, usage, and convention, not on tho barren letter of the law. He brushed aside the argument that the Bill was not really a (financial one, and asserted that there was not a clause in ', it that was not connected with the i primary purposes of revenue. AN EMPHATIC PROTEST. Ho added : "I emphatically protest against_ the novel theory that the Bill is | not toeing rejected, but is merely referred to the people. If such a claim and such a precedent are admitted, no Liberal Government will be safe. Tke conversion of the- House of Lords into a plebiscitary organ is one of the quaintest inventions of the day. The presumption always is that the House of Commons is freely chosen by the peqple, and represents the people's will. There is no stich .presumption regarding the House of Lords." Mr. Asquith admitted parenthetically that the presumption in the case of the House of Commons ought to be strengthened by the shortening of the duration of Parliament (at present seven years), and by a more frequent contact with the electorates. In conclusion, the Prime Minister asked the House and the constituencies to declare that the organ and voice of a free people is to be found in the elected representatives of the nation. MR. BALFOUR'S CRITICISM. Mr. Balfour criticised the avoidable finance arrangements of the Government, which were inconveniencing trade. He taunted iAio Government on having a passion for abstract motions, which neither hurt nor encouraged, and did not frighten anyone ; but this resolution was a gyoss misrepresentation. It ignored the fa«t that the House of Connmons had, in the very original resolution on which all its claims were based, gratuitously admitted in terms that the Hou6o of Lords had a right to reject a Fi»anco Bill, though not to i initiate or amend financial legislation,

He hoped that the exercise of this right of rejection by the House of Lortls would be rare, hut .would never be abandoned. "LORDS DID THEIR DUTY." "AND DID IT WELL AND FEAR.: LESSLY." (Received December 4, 8.5 a.m.) LONDON, 3rd December. Ml 1 . Balfour, in his speech, said i — "Mr. Asquith has failed to give a single argument to indicate that the Lords' action was" what his resolution affirmed it to be. Their course accorded with the whole tlieory of a second chamber." He had no doubt whatever of the country's decision. The Lords had done their duty, and done it fearlessly. The remarks of the Leader of the . Opposition were followed by great cheering. AN IRREDEEMABLE PAST. Mr. Arthur Henderson, speaking on behalf of the Labour Party, declared it was altogether too late for the House of Lords to profess anxiety regarding the interests of ths people. Its past was irredeemable. NEW CUSTOMS AND EXCISE DUTIES. ARRANGING TO RECEIVE THEM. LONDON, 3rd December. The Government has arranged to receive the new Customs and excise duties, subject to any refunding according to next Parliament's decision. 'This i will involve little, if any, loss of reve- ! nue. ON 'CHAMGE. THE "BEARS" WHO ANTIOI PATED FINANCIAL CHAOS. LONDON, 3rd December. The Times's Stock Exchange article, dealing with gilt-edged securities, states that on Thursday there was a very active market. Most of the "bears" who anticipated financial chaos sought to cover their liabilities. INDEPENDENT LABOUR PARTY. A MANIFESTO. FAVOURS ENDING RATHER THAN MENDING. .LONDON, 3rd December. ' The Independent Labour Party has issued a manifesto in favour of ending rather, than mending the House of Lords. It strenuously opposes any attempt to strengthen the House by reforming it or increasing its power of obstruction in the manner proposed by the late Premier, and adds : — "The party are bringing candidates into the field with the sole object of strengthening the Labour and Socialist forces in the House of Commons." NEWSPAPER COMMENTS. SOUTH AFRICAN~AND CANADIAN OPINION. LONDON, 3rd December. Including the Rand Mail, South African newspapers generally express a hope that the House of Lords will be reformed on the basis of strengthening its repressntxitive elements. The Transvaal Leader, Pretoria News. Cape Times, and Natal Mercury, warmly support the Lord's action. The newspaper Despatch, published at East London, deprecates Larl Crewe's reference to the Colonies, which it describes as a misuse of tho overseas partners in the Empire. ■* Canadian newspapers' comments on the situation are of a varied character. [In his speech on Wednesday Earl Crewe asked what would the colonies think of their Lordships' impending action? The Australians would wonder what would happen if the Commonwealth finances were handed over to the squatters of the older States. He added :— "Your lordships are making the most tragic blunder. If the country condones or aprove's your decision, our fellow-subjects abroad will ask if the citizens of the Motherland are altogether fitted to exercise responsible government.] TEA-BUYERS' ASSOCIATION. HAS AGREED TO PAY DUTY. ON CERTAIN CONDITIONS. (Received December 4, 9 a.m.) LONDON, 3rd December. The Tea Buyers' Association, including all the large firms, has agreed to pay duty during the interregnum on the understanding that it shall be returned if it is not reimposed or not made retrospective. AVOIDENCE OF TRIANGULAR CONTESTS ATTITUDE OF LABOUR PARTY. LONDON, 3rd December. The Labour Party seem ill-disposed to agree to Mr. Pease's proposals for the avoidance of triangular contests. [Mr. Pease suggested that the Labour Representation Committee should respect seats held by Liberals, the latter respecting those held by Labour members.] THE KING'S SPEECH. REGRET. (Received December 4, 10.30 a.m.) LONDON, 3rd December.' The King's Speech proroguing Parliament thanks the Commons for providing for national expenditure, and regrets that auch provision has proved unavailing.