THE VETO BILL

Evening Star, Issue 14628, 26 July 1911, Page 6

THE VETO BILL

UNPRECEDENTED SCENE IN THE COMMONS. MR ASQUITH SHOUTED DOWN. TWENTY MINUTES' PANDEMONIUM. "THE BRITISH ARISTOCRACY." THE PRIME MINISTER COMPELLED TO GIYE WAY. Preßs Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. [Delayed in Transmission.] LONDON, July 25. When the House of Commons assembled it was evident that the atmosphere was electric, and there, was a general hubbub while questions were being asked. 'The galleries were crowded with many peers and diplomatists, and M.P.s who were unable to find seats either tilled the gangways or stood at the. Bar. Mr J. E. Redmond was greeted with ironical Unionist cheering. A few minutes later Mr Asquith entered, when the Liberals, Radicals, Redmondites, and Laborites instantly rose and waved their order papers and cheered. The Opposition uttered counter-cheers, mingled with cries of "Traitor!" This demonstration had been carefully prepared, and generally paragraphed by the newspapers beforehand, but it wa.s evident that the disturbance which followed was due to a number of Tories determining to make a counter-demonstration. When Mr Asquith rose to make a statement ho was greeted with cries of '• Patrick Ford," causing tierce Liberal protests and cries of " Order !" The Speaker called upon members to exercise self-control., and to observe the ordinary courtesies of debate. Lord Hugh Cecil (who was sitting in one corner of the front bench below the gangway) shouted : '" This is not an ordinary occasion." Mr Asquith again rose, when the group of Tories who favor what they term a "lighting policy," headed l.y Lord Hugh Cecil, Mr E. A. Colliding, Viscount Castle- j reagh, .Mr R. A. Cooper, and Mr Mitchell- ! Thomson, cried "Traitor! Traitor!'' .Mr Asquith faced the House and tried j to,speak, but every (into lie opened his j lips he was greeted with cries of "Traitor," < *' Patrick Ford," and " We will hear Red- 1 moml first." The Liberals eoimtorcheeved. Other Unionists pointed to Mr Redmond and called on him t to address the House. When the rowdyism was at its height Mr Will Crooks shouted derisively from the Labor benches: "This is the British aristocracy!" and Mr Patrick O'Brien shouted : '"Blue blood will toil!" For 20 minutes Mr Asquith alternately 1 advanced to the table and resumed his \ teat. '■■ The Speaker again and again sought to j restore order. Mr F. K. Smith passionately declared I that the Piime Minister had degraded the ! political life of the country. ' '■ Lord Hugh Cecil shouted: "Asquith. 1 you are absolutely unworthy of your posi- \ lion !" i The Speaker pointed out that the Oppo- j sition were in a minority, therefore j more concerned to maintain freedom of j discussion. He appealed to the. House to | be worthy of its high traditions. ! Mr Asqunh's rising again resulted in a j pandemonium unequalled since the Par- I n-.-ll episode, and the lions,, was at such i a pitch of excitement, (hat an exchange of , blows seemed imminent. j Mr Churchill was continually throwing! in excited ejaculations towards the Union- j ist front benches Mr Asquith seemed desirous of relin i qtiishing the attempt, but his colleague:- | persuaded him to continue. Finally Mr j Asquith was able to make some progress. | ll.■ recited the history of the Bill, and j recalled the resolutions of February, 1910. I His statement 'hat but for the death o: j King Edward the Bill would have been passed in 1910 at. onco aroused n storm, i while angry cries of '" Leave the King out of it." ""Who killed (he King?" were raised. llciveforth the speech was punctuated by derisive and nngry cries, until Mr Asquith anitrily folded his notes and cried : " I am nor going to degrade myself by attempting to addre.-s members who obviously will not listen to mo. T merely declare that if the Lords will not accept j the. Bill with, if they like, reasonable ; amendments, the riovcrnme.nl. will be com- i polled to invoke (he Royal prerogative." Whep the Prime Minister resinned his scat the Liberals cheered enthusiastically. | waving their papeis and hats for several ! minutes. i Mr Balfou.r who \i as heard in com- • paraiive silence, frankly regretted that Mr ; Asquith had not. been listened to, but, : the subject was one that could not fail to excite passion. (Loud Unionist eh.e rs.) Fie also recalled the fact Unit Mr Churchill wa.s the ringleader of the disturbance in 1905, whereby Mr Lyttelton was kept i standing at the table an hour, and Mas unable to speak A WF.KK FOR CONSIDERATION. LONDON. July 25. i It is understood that Mr Asquith lias ! adjourned consideration of the Lords' amendments to the Parliament Bill for a week, in order to give time in which to secure assurances that the Bill will pass unamended when it is again sent to the House of Lords. LORD CHARLES BERESFORD'S ! ADVICE. j LONDON, duly 25. ' Lord Charles Bores ford, in a letter to 'The Times,' controverts the assertion that unless the Unionists force the creation of new peers they will be convicted of craven and despicable surrender. There can bo no surrender, Lord Charles says, in refraining from pressing resistance when resistance is futile. A year or two hence the very men who now shout so loudly will be denouncing the strategy which robbed the Unionists of an opportunity for effective resistance. Lord C. Beresford adds that Mr Balfour heartily concurs in Lord Lansdowne's advice to the peers, and that the groat majority of the Unionists support if. OPPOSITION LEADERS VISIT THE KINO. Mr Balfour and Lord Lansdowne have had an audience with the King. THE KING AND PRIME MINISTER. ' LONDON, July 25.

After the King had discussed the situation with Mr Balfour and Lord Lnnsdowno he gave an audience to Mr Asquith prior to hia meeting the House of Commons. Owing to the unexpected developments Mr Balfour has postponed his city meatiag.

MR BALFOUR'S CRITICISM. . LONDON, July 25. Mr Balfour quoted from Radical newspapers to the effect that Mr Asqu-ith had secured pledges from the King before the last General Election, and went on to say that if this were so the Prime Minister had incurred grave censure by forging a cheque that was virtually a blank from the Sovereign, ajd had arrogated powers that no Republican Dictator would have possessed. A Liberal member interjected: " Then you've been had." Mr Balfour replied: "True, if the hon. member means that it never entered my head that a Minister of the Crown could give such advice." The Premier had asked them to discuss a Bill, knowing all the time that they were not free agents. But he had advised the Sovereign to make him an absolute Dictator. Mr Asquith : I was going to give you a reasoned argument of the grounds for my advice, but 1 am not allowed. Mr Balfour admitted this, and believed that Mr Asquith's action was due to the consciousness that it would have been a crnel trial to the Sovereign to introduce discord at Coronaiion time. He concluded' by saying that the real heroes of the campaign were the Irishmen, whose decree had been obsequiously obeyed. Sir E. Grey protested against the Opposition's refusal to hear Mr Asquith. and moved the adjournment of the debate. THE CHAMBER CLEARED. LONDON, July 25. .; Mr F. E. Smith, on behalf "of the! Unionists, followed Sir E. Grey, but the ' Miuiisterialktfc wrathfully shouted him j down until the Speaker, after 90 niin- j utcft' disorder, rose atid exercised the I right vested in him in caeca of grave disorder and suspended the witting. i There has been no similar suspension ! in living memory. i Renewed demonstrations followed , members excitedly engaging on the floor of the House, amid general confusion and shouting until the chamber was cleared. LORD ROSF.BERY IN 1894. Xo stronger indictment of the partisan- I ship of th;> Second Chamber ban over been framed than that which was drawn up bv Lord ltosebc:/ in the speeches d.livered I by him in Edinburgh, Mla-.-go\v. Bradford. I and Devonport in J894. The chaiacter of j that memorable series of political speches ' will be evident from the appended quota i t ion.s : What I coin-lain of in the llou.-c of ', Lord.-, is thai during the tenure of one i Government it is a Second Chamber of j an iiii'xornl.lc kind, but while another Government is in it is no Second Chamber at all. . Is it possible to believe that in these days, with the denionati.' MifTivige that we have established, a florae of Commons elected bv the democratic suffrage will sutler itself io | be constantly thwarted, hindered, and i harassed by the action of an hereditary i Chamber, in which the proportion of 'lories to Liberals is no less than 10 to V. We boa.>t of our Svee institutions ; we | swell as we 'wa'k abroad and see other countries : we make broad our phylac- i tciie* of freedom upon our foreheads; I we thank God that we are not as other ; nun are —and all the time we endure j this mockery of fredom. You are bound i hand and fool. You may vote and vote I til! you are black in tlit? face ;it will not I cha litre the aspect- of maters at all. Still the ITouso of Lords will control at its will the measures of your representatives. . . . ''We have nothing to do with the preent constitution of the Ilou.se of Lords. . . . We find the House of Lords as it stands, and ire desire as the most practical way of effecting the object we have in view so to readjust the reinlions of the present Horse of Commons to I (} ie present Tloese of' Lords that the deli- ' Iterate will of the House of Commons shall j not. be overborne by the action of the | House of Lords. Tn our opin'on " (Lord j Roscbery was then Prime Minister) "the! time has come when the right cf the House j of Lords to absolute \elo upon the wifhes ; or lei'iVlation of the House of Commons ' should for ever be dosed." ;