BRITISH POLITICS

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 113, 9 November 1910, Page 7

BRITISH POLITICS

VETO CONFERENCE. RESERVATIONS MADE BY UNIONISTS. MR. ASQUITH WILL CONSULT CABINET. By Telegraph. — Press Association. — Copyright, LONDON, Bth November. The Prime Minister, Mr. Asquith, will consult the Cabinet regarding certain reservations made by the Unionist representatives at the Veto Conference. The reservations concern the creation of a joint committee to deal with disagreements between the House of Lords and the House of Commons, and apply especially to disagreements on the question of Home Rule. If the Cabinet agrees to the reservations the endeavours of the conference to arrivs at a settlemeat of the constitutional question will Le successful. In the event of their rejection it will still, however, be open to the Unionists to consider whether, and to what extent, they are able to yield in detail. "SUFFRAGE WEEK.''' LONDON, Bth November. Mrs. Despard has opened a "Suffrage Week" at the Caxton Hall. [Mrs. Despard is president of the Women's Freedom League and a leader in the Women's Suffrage and Labour movements. Her social work in South London has won the highest recognition, and her eloquence has made her known to audiences all over Britain. She is a sister of General Sir John French.] IN THE EVENT OF A DEADLOCK. WHEN AN ELECTION SHOULD BE HELD. LONDON; Bth November. The Daily News (Liberal) deprecates the idea of a compromise on the House of Lords question, and apprehends that the present situation at the conference uoints to a crisis having arisen. It recommends that in the event of a deadlock a general election should be held in January, and adds that apparently the Unionist leaders are willing to limit the Lords' veto except as regards socalled constitutional" changes. The Standard (Conservative) states that the prospects of an agreement at the conference are now much more favourable. TARIFF REFORM. CAMPAIGN OPENED IN LANCASHIRE. LONDON, Bth November. Mr. George Wyndham (Unionist M.P. for Dover, and a former Chief Secretary for Ireland) at Manchester, and Mr. Austen Chamberlain (ex-Chan-cellor of the Exchequer) at Wigan, have inaugurated a great tariff reform campaign in Lancashire. DEVOLUTION. SPEECH BY MR. ASQUITH. ! A GREAT PARTNERSHIP. LONDON, Btb November. Mr. Asquith, ' speaking at Glasgow, said nothing was more remarkable in British constitutional progress than the shifting relations from time to timo between the municipalities and the Bizio, and the practical reconciliation of tne supreme dominating influence of the State with the free evolution of local autonomy. One of the greatest achievements of ' statesmanship in the nineteenth century, he considered, was the formation of the idea of a, great partnership between the State and the municipalities — ar idea capable of application in even wider spheres. In a recent speech, Mr. Ure, Lord Advocate, said : — Men felt that the time had come when both political parties should make an honest effort to settle the long-standing controversy by agreement and compromise. After all, there was no principle lett in dispute, only method and detail. He thought that they ought to give the ieaders of both sides full opportunity for devising means, whereby the free and frictionk-BS action of our ancient Constitution would bs assured. Then, coming to the question of Tariff Reform, he paid that there* was no san-s man who would dream of proposing a tariff for this country unless for the purpose of raising revenue to meet the expenditure of the country. We alone of the great nations of the world had a sane and healthy method of raising revenue. We, in common with oik commercial rivals, had been confronted by increasing expenditure; but, differing from our rivals at the present time, our increasing expenditure had been due rather to the inauguration of a great era of social' reform. Theirs had been due to the increase in administrative expenses and their expenses of armaments. Great Britain was the only country ir- the world which had not only a surplus, but had steadily paid her way. She had steadily lifted the burdens of taxation off the' shoulders of her people and steadily made contributions to wipe out her national debt. (Cheers.)