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Grey River Argus, 17 March 1910, Page 2

"A closely reasoned and earnest j speech" is how the cablegramnier des- | cribes Lord Rosebery's speech oh the ■ discussion of the Lords' resolution. ; That is only the opinion of the sender of the message and is of no earthy value to the reading public, who do not want to know in the least . what this anonymous and biased person thinks of the speech. In, our opinion the speech may have been earnest, in the way that an accomplished actor tears a pa-ssion to tatters that he only, feels professionally. As for the alleged "close reasoning, that ia not quite so apparent .Lord Rosebery has the gift of oratory, no doubt, b.ut with nil his advantages he has been a conspicuous failure as a. leader and a politicfcj'^That is probably why he is left severely alone to plough his furrow in the s&nds. He may dazzle, but he fails to convince. He was out of place in the Commons, and though he has cast in his lot with, the Lords he is not of ,, them. He talks to them in two voices. He has already told them that they must undergo a process of reform to render their Chamber more in. conformity with the time and the people. In the next breath he deplores the attempt to strip the Lords of their priv- ' V^ 3^ »nd power in a single session of Parliament, and setting up a sham and <' impotent Second Chamber. In fact it is as difficult to get at tfce re2j views of Lord Rosebery on-' the' situation as it was for a long time to find out the real opinion of Mr Balfour on tariff, reform, though it is- doubtful that he or anyone else knows it "now. The Lords wail first that the issue is the Budget^ and then that it is an enoroachment on the Constitution by the Lower House and an attempt, to bring the country under the Sominance of a single Chamber. But tte real, the only issue, torture and twist the Question how it may be, the clear-cut-issue is whether the people are to possess the power of governing themselves, or whether the. House of Commons is to become a subordinate branch of the Legislature and the Peerage be I the dominating power within the Con--1 stitution. The more the position is enamined the clearer becomes that issue. The Noble Lords' conviction that his House would rise to the height on tihSs occasion and. earn the gratitudd /(/J generations reminds on» I^ l6 tne Loras^Ewer aid ' fbr the cbun£i*y . ,t]iat' could be called either noble or jjatridt-" ie," or ever did anything save for tho benefit of their own order. But at las* t'hla :whoJe wyMd fl&n. sac the fatefu* writing on the wall ; and whether the Asqvuith Ministry survive or not the House of the people must prevail ant? thait of the Lords be given a national value instead of renreinirg fg it ijs' -now, merely the stronghold of privileges that are out of date and opposed to the spirit of modernism and common sense As the English are attached to the Second Chamber prin-

ciple, let the House of Lor/T^- be one representative of the genius and aspirations of the nee, not the mercenary mockery that it is now.