6
The Commoner.
Volume 9, number 48
CUfcRGNT
Byvassnn
-- '-SE ViaJ
HENRY WATTBRSON of the Louisvillo
Courier-Journal has entered into a wager
with Mr. Pulitzer of the New York World. Mr.
Watterson bets a fine dinner at Washington that
by the time he returns to America Theodore
Roosevelt will be at war with William H. Taft.
The World insists that Mr. Roosevelt will be
found in the ranks of Mr. Taft's outspoken de
fenders. Walter Wellman, who is again Wash
ington correspondent for the Chicago Record
Herald, says that "Roosevelt is the specter at
tho Washington capital." Mr. Wellman says:
"Among the possible consequences of this strug
gle between two antagonistic forces within the
republican party, these are much spoken of in
well-informed circles: First Failure of all im
portant legislation this coming winter, and the
end of the session coming in a cloud of inaction,
bickering and discontent. Second The Taft
administration, which is still on trial before, the
country, falling into the slough of do-nothingism
and dissatisfaction, and failing to achieve the
success and popularity at which it aims, looking
to 1912. Third Popular disgust with an in
effective party organization and in consequence
an opposition majority in the next house of rep
resentatives, which will continue the failure of
the Taft administration so far as any construc
tive or remedial legislation .is concerned.
Fourth A general turning of the dissatisfied
people to that positive, aggressive, original, pic
turesque and interesting personality, the man in
Africa'."
THE BRITISH budget was beaten in the
house of lords by a vote of 75 yeas to 350
nays. A London cablegram carried by the As
sociated Press says: "In the sedate, detached,
manner" ctfafdctoristic of the proceedings iii the
gilded chamber, and in direct disregard of the
advice of some of the ablest ahd. oldest mem
bers, such as Rosebery, Morley, Lord, James of
Hereford, Lord Cromer, Lord Balfour of Bur
leigh, the Earl of Lytton, Lord Courtney and
the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the
house of lords today created a situation unpre
cedented in English history, at least in 300
years, by refusing formal assent to the budget
mil and referring it to the country itself for
judgment, thereby making it illegal to collect
taxes and carry on the king's government. After
six days' debate, notable for the high standard
of the oratory, as well as for the able and con
vincing arguments arrayed on both sides for
and against the budget, and placing in every
Possible light all the aspecis of the great con
stitutional questions involved, the house of
lords cleared for division at half past 11 o'clock
tonight."
IN THE DEBATE in the house of lords, Morley
t "S?6, a sensatinal speech telling the lords
that their vote on the budget would sound the
note for an angry and prolonged battle. A Lon
don cablegram says: "Lord Morley's powerful
speech was the absorbing event of the budget
debate today in the house of lords. The sec
retary of state for India dilated on. the impor
tance of the struggle as viewed both at home
and abroad, and he called attention to the fact
that foreign nations were watching anxiously
the outcome of the conflict to see whether there
would be any change in England's fiscal policy
Morley quoted Burke to the effect that the house
' ? s iad no rlght in any sense to the disposi
tion of the public purse, and contended that if
there was one thing that could not wisely be
submitted to a referendum it was the budget
Wh all its complexities. In addition, a referen
dum would weaken what was -most important
to maintain, a sense of responsibility in the
house of commons. As to the lord's contention
that their action would arrest the wave of social
ism, he refused to believe that British artisans
were predatory or socialistic, but even granting
that the misery existing among some classes
had. produced a movement akin to socialism
was hardly wise for the lords to take up. a posi
tion exposing them to tho. charge of straining
the constitution as champions of thq rich against
the poor, 'The more triumphant tho majority
umu xiuuouuwuoa umeuumeni,' said Lord
Morley, 'the larger the disparity between the
numbers of the government and the numbers
of the opposition, the more flagrant will be the
political scandal.' Lord Morley concluded his
speech with an impressive warning that when,
tomorrow, the curtain fell on an empty house
they would know that the note had been sound
ed for an angry, and perhaps a prolonged battle.
When the secretary resumed his seat, the small
minority of liberal peers broke into enthusiastic
cheers."
THE NATIONAL Liberal Federation at Lon
don has issued a manifesto. This mani
festo concentrates attention entirely on the con
stitutional struggle between the house of lords
and the house of commons. It says: "If the
present action of the peers is not repudiated
swiftly by the people, the rights and privileges
won so dearly by our forefathers in the great
struggles for freedom are all surrendered." The
manifesto declares the peers power of veto must
be restricted so that the last word on legislation
and finance will rest with the house of com
mons. Otherwise no liberal ministery again can
assume the responsibilities of office. "In the
fight forced upon us," the manifesto continues,
"the electors will have to decide whether they
wish to govern themselves or be governed at
second hand by a few hundred hereditary peers,
who have thrown the constitution into the melt
ing pot, in order to shift the burden of the
taxation from wealth, land and liquor, to food
and the necessities of'life." Lord Rosebery, in
a letter to the press repudiates the, charge made
by Lord Curzon that he led an army to the
walls of a fortress and then abandoned Jt. Lord
Rosebery reiterates that throughout he has op-,
posed and warned against the course the lords
have taken as one calculated unjustly to affect
the house of lords itself and' enhance what pop
ularity the budget may possess.
BY A MAJORITY of 215 the house of com
mons adopted the resolutfon introduced by
Premier Asquith which declared that the house
of Lords, in rejecting the budget, had usurped
the right of the house of commons. Balfour, in
a weak speech, defended the house of lords.
Asquith's speech, which was repeatedly cheered,
concluded in this way: "We are living under a
system of false balances and loaded dice. When,
democracy voted for a liberal government the
dormant second chamber woke from its slumber
ing and nullified the work of the house of com
mons. We shall ask the house by this vote and
we shall ask the constituencies at the earliest
possible moment to declare that the organ, the
choice of the free people of this country, is to
be found in the accredited representatives of the
nation.' The government's resolution was pre
sented in the words in which notice of it was
given and in substance as follows: ."Resolved,
That tho action of the house of lords in refusing
to pass into law the financial provisions made
by this chamber for the expenses of the year
was a breach of the constitution and a usurpa
tion of the rights of the house of commons."
AN INTERESTING story from tho national
capital is vouched for by the Washington
correspondent for the Omaha' World-Herald and
is as follows: "It became known today that
Speaker Cannon Is informing his close political
associates and friends that the next house will
be controlled by the democrats. The speaker's
declaration that the republicans would lose con
trol of the house was made to a' close newspaper
friend who went to Pittsburg to meet him. Po-'
litical conditions throughout the country gen
erally and the complexion of the next house in
particular formed the topic of conversation dur
ing the journey to Washington. Seated in a
chair opposite the speaker was the wife of a
member of the house who is an insurgent. The
woman's attention was first attracted to the
conversation between the speaker and the news
paper correspondent by the frequent mention
of her husband's name, and the abusive lan
guage used by the speaker in discussing the
insurgent movement. The speaker was most
positive in his declaration that the present split
in the republican party in the house and dis
satisfaction with the tariff bill could have but
one result, namely, a democratic house at tho
next congressional election. The speaker was
an early visitor at the White House today, and
it is believed that he took occasion to warn the
president that the insurgent movement would
surely lead the house republicans onto the rocks.
It is known that he is determined to make the
fight against his enemies without a thought of
compromise. 'These gentlemen,' Mr. Cannon
says, referring to the insurgents, 'can have all
the fight they want. Indeed they may get more
Senator Bristow admits that I am now to be
fought by him and his ilk. When in Sam Hill
in the last three or four years haven't I been
fought by them? And I am to be annihilated.
Well that has been going on for a long time, and
still, here I am.' Asked as to a possibility of
compromising with the insurgents, the speaker
said: 'How can there be any compromise?
What true republican, who believes in his
party's solidarity, would for an instant compro
mise with this minority element which, because
it could not control, joined hands with the dem
ocrats to prevent us having any tariff reductions
at all, and is now joining with William J. Bryan
in seeking to overthrow those who enacted tho
Payne law of 1909?' Asked as to the legisla
tive program for the coming session, the speaker
said that the president would find a majority of
republicans in the house and senate standing
for republican policies. JHe also expressed the
opinion that an investigation 'df. the sugar trust
would be .ordered, 'if a resolution were Intro
duced and It .was shown that the active depart
ment of jiistice and the active treasury depart
m'en.rtelt tha,t the inyestigation, would not ham
per the work of prosecutmgV " '
ii? ,
ON MR; TAFT'S "big six" paramount Issues
th'o New York World has taken a poll of
congressmen. The World explains: "In his
recent speeches President Taft outlined ttfo six
dominating subjects of discussion for congress
and for people interested in national politics
during the next three "months. Some of these
he favors; others are left open for consideration
and debate. Congress will devote much time to
them, and legislation embodying In some form
part of them is fairly certain of being enacted.
The six paramount national questions are as
follows: One A central bank of issue. Two
Amend the anti-trust law by' narrowing its pur
pose and confining it to combinations and con
spiracies to suppress competition and establish
monopolies. Such amendment would relievo
labor unions of liability in cases of boycotts.
Three Postal savings banks. Four Amend
ment of the interstate commerce law, creating
an interstate commission court to hear appeals,
empowering the commission to fix rates and
make classifications, regulating stock and bond
issues and legalizing pools. Pive Modification
of the use of injunctions to carry out the pledge
of the republican national platform. Six Ship
subsidies. Many bills on these topics will be
introduced in congress. None of them
is a party question, for both democrats and re
publicans are divided in opinion regarding
them."
CONCERNING THE results of -this poll tho
World says: "The nearest to political
solidity is the very strong democratic opposi
tion to a central bank and to ship subsidies.
These are party principles, inherited through
successive generations. On all other topics
there is wide variance that is not to be definitely
classified either along political or geographical
lines. In order to obtain an expression of puh
Hc opinion the World submitted the questions
to a certain selected number of members of con
gress' representing both the senate and tho
house. The first division was by party, an equal
number of democrats and republicans being in
cluded. The next division was geographical,
the country being divided into four sections,
namely, the eastern states, north central states,
southern states and western states. Senator
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