Show NEW LIBERAL GOVERNMENT BY Bryan Jennings e j t f 4 I 1 f i 4 S A i S rif 7 S c cS A t ig igI 4 1 I I T Tr Tc YO iTh y 1 liy r 4 c 4 c x I 4 Z F 6 f S V y y r y t 4 p i S Sti ti 1 r c SS S c t 4 dYr S S S 4 S j e h S s 1 s S SS 5 S 4 4 r 5 S S S S 4 S 5 S v S S S i S c 4 e 4 S Sf S SS p A I S I S S S M asi Z S 4 F c SS S 4 F S Houses of Parliament House of Commons Paris P ris Prance France Aug 13 1906 Great Britain has h s recently experienced one of the he greatest political revolutions she has ever over known The conservative party with Mr Balfour one one of the blest of modern scholars at its head and l nd with Mr Joseph Chamberlain a powerful orator and a forceful political leader as s its most conspicuous cham champion champIon champIon pion had won a sweeping victory after the Boer war and this victory follow ir e ing inga a long lease of power led the con conservatives conservatives conservatives to believe themselves invin invincible cible They rhey assumed as parties made confident by success often oten do that they are indispensable to the nation and paid but little attention to the warn warnings warnIngs warnings I ings and threats of the liberals One mistake after another however alienated the voters and the special sp cial elections two years ago began begau to show a falling off in the conservative strength and when the general elec election election tion lou was held last fall the liberals rolled r up a majority of something like in tn the house o of commons A new ministry w was s formed for ed from among the ablest men of the party a ministry of radical and progressive men seldom equalled in moral purpose and intellectual intellectual strength My lIy main purpose in vis viz visiting visiting London at this time was w to be become become become come acquainted with the personnel of the new government and learn of their program Before speaking of the tho ministers just justa a word In regard to the king who is the head of the government nt whether it be liberal or conservative co The govern government government government ment of Great Britain is always in har harmony harmony harmony mony with the house of commons com ions and andas andas andas as the ministers speak for the king he does not emphasize the virtue of con eon consistency for he may be put in the at i of advocating athing today and opposing It tomorrow t He H is not ex expected expected to have haire opinions upon public questions or if he has them they the are always presented with the understand understanding nd nd lug inS that if the ministers will not adopt adot adothis his Ms views he will adopt theirs It Is much easier casier to be a king noW noX tItan than it used to be and the burdens of a mon inon monarchy monarchy archy have been very much lightened In the nations which like England rec the omnipotence of parliament I was very yer glad g ad to avail myself lf of the opportunity offered by a private audi audience audience audience ence to meet his majesty King KinS Ed Edward Edward ward and to be assured of his personal interest in the promotion of peace The king has a very genial face and makes malt s his visitor feel at ease at once He has lIas hasa a knowledge of world politics and by his tact and good nature has done much tj t promote cordial relations be tween his own O ll and a U other countries It may hot be b Out of place pla to correct t an impression ll that has h lu goh gone abroad with regard to the style le of dress required of those who are admitted to the presence pr s nce of the king Because knee breeches are ae ar worn at court ourt functions many have understood and anti I among them that 4 they were required on all occasions Continued on Page 11 T r NEW NEW LIBERAL LIBERAL GOVERNMENT GO T I III Continued from Page 7 but this tills Is not the case Most lost of the calls made upon him Informally are mule made before dinner and the ordinary I black coat is worn The requirements I are Cl not as strict let as they are In Russia Japan and Sweden where I was ad advised adVised to wear an evening suit soft for a am morning m call Sir Henry a sturdy Scotchman is the new prime minister and those who know him in b feel that his selection is a vindication of the doctrine that pa tience and Und courage c when joined with merit are arc Invincible He is now well advanced in years and ln during his en tire tiro public career careen reer has stood for Cor or democratic ideas Meas He has not of been discouraged by the fact that he Y has often been in the minority on the contrary he has felt as confident In his position when he has had to maintain it amid taunts and jeers as when his speeches brought forth applause He Is not as great an orator as Gladstone but he has bas a very persuasive manner and his fine sense sens of humor gives bril brU Haney i ncy to his speeches In outlining g the policy of the liberal party part r last December he h credited the victory at the polls to several causes the thO tariff riff question the Chinese ques question question question tion the educational problem and mu mit municipal mUnicipal questions He pledged his party to certain c reforms and boldly adv advocated advocated a 8 reduction of military and naval expenses He pointed out that there ther could c be b no retrenchment In taxation ta if the appropriations for armaments and for lor armies continued to increase He bas has been called c a little England Englander er but that did not deter him from fromI uttering a protest pr test against the rivalry ry y I which wb Ich seems to be he going on in Europe In ln 11 the building of warships In view vl w of his hiss utterances in favor of arbitration and against again st militarism it wag pas as most moat appropriate that he should deliver the address of welcome welcom at the recent session of the tary Union better known as the Ule Peace congress His speech on that occasion was an epoch making deliverance In la lano Inno Inno no uncertain tones he threw the influence influence influence ence of his llis ministry on the side of peace and acid Opened the h door for the adoption of a proposition in favor of the submission of all questions to Investigation before hostilities are com corn commenced He used the North sea Inci Incident Incident Incident dent as an illustration and nd urged the extension of the powers of the board of Inquiry His now famous exclamation n The louma douma Is dead long live the dou douma douma dounia ma nia illustrates both his moral morat courage nna and ana his devotion to representative gov government government government The sentence was a part of his peace congress speech and was ut uttered utI uttered I In the presence of the douma rep representatives res Ives who left Russia before the proroguing of that body bod It electrified the audience and has been widely com coin commented f on throughout Europe Fow Few premiers have had so large a n majority back Of r th m or possessed so fully the confidence of their sup supporters supporters supporters porters and the program prepared I by the ministry is a most comprehensive sive one It Is too much to expect that the liberal majority can be main maintained maintained tamped d on all the questions which will viiI willbe willbe be under discussion but it is evident that the new government will have a number of important reforms to its credit when it finishes its work The president of the house of lords the th lord chancellor is one of the most popular of or the liberal leaders His name is Robert Reed and he is also a Scotchman He is a n rare combination combination tion and one of the most lovable of or ormen men There is Isa a striking resemblance between him hl n and the Edinburgh statue of Walter WaIter Scott and in his heart there is the democracy of Burns With high ideals an eloquent tongue t and a disposition which attracts men to him he is especially fitted for public life Ufe and it is to be regretted that upon retirement from his present position be becomes a judge for the bench does not afford an equal opportunity with the forum for the of public opinion The foreign secretary Sir Edward Grey Ic is a man who would attract at attention attention attention anywhere an herc by the strength of oJ oJA A his face He reminded me of the late William Evart of New York He played plaY d an important part in the cam campaign campaign campaign which led up to the liberal victory vic victory victor tory tor and his selection was regarded regard J Jas as a fitting one His e position how however however however ever is not difficult to fill ill I because Great relations with the theother theother other oth r powers are quite amiable We extended our stay sta in London in order to hear the minister of war ar Mr Haldane make his argument In favor of the reduction in the size and cost of the army By the courtesy courtes r of our ambassador Hon Whitelaw Whit law Reid Ihas I Ihas Ihas has an excellent seat in the gallery gall ry of the house of commons The reader may be interested inter sted in ina ina ina a brief sketch of this most ancient of parliaments and most powerful of al aU factors which enter into the political life of the British isles The hall half will wil only seat per cent c nt of the members an astonishing fact to nn an n American who is 18 accustomed to see each of at hi his hiss senators s nat rs congressmen and state leg legislators legIslators legislators with a scat seat assigned to him for Cor the session The members who are ate present pr sent sit alt on cushioned benches re resembling resembling resembling church pews and these benches rise one above another on either side of the halt hall The liberal lIbera s salt alt sit on the right of the speaker and rite Jie if front bench b is reserved for the minis ministry ministry Is try The conservatives occupy the benches at the speakers left the front frontbench frontbench bench ben h being reserved for the leaders of the opposition On the left but farther from the speaker are ar the Irish members ni and the tho labor members There Is a narrow gallery on each side Bide which Is occupied by members I when wh n there is a large larg attendance and anda a small gallery in the rear for visit visitors visitors visitors I ors The ladies ladles gallery is just over oyer the speakers desk deRk and is so carefully screened med that the occupants occupant s of the gallery gnU ry cannot be recognized from the floor While no n one least of all aU aUthe the ladles ladies seems to defend this screen It still remains Most lost of the theIn members In rs wear ear their hats In the hall haJJ but as they have no desks they can cannot cannot cannot not write when a colleague Is speak speaking speakIng ing although I was told of one mem member member member ber who occasionally occupied his time knitting As Ag parliament virtually selects the ministers and as these the ministers rs are arc rp responsible to t parliament P rather than to the king they must attend the ses sessions s t 4 ions si ns at stated times and answer questions Any member of parliament Is 15 at liberty to submit a question In writing rUing and the minister is obliged to give answer provided of course an answer anser an anset ser set would not make mak an Improper por dis disclosure disclosure disclosure closure The leaders l ers facing each other from the opposing benches present a very interesting Int r picture and ncI after aft r listen Ustan listening listening ing tO t the discussions back and forth onO one on Dan can n understand why free speech has hag ha had 1 so largo large an influence in hi the tha t development de del l pm ht of oe o the t e political institutions dons t ns of ot Great Britain Hero Here every Idea fd is threshed out put and every meas Lire ire into trim permanent p forni atm I But tit to return to the minister for war Avar p Mr Haldane night be taken for Tom L Johnson redoubtable red mayor so much is isho he like Uke him in face and figure He is plausible io iv it speech and so d in x one can be angry with him however hoever much he may dissent from fr m his conclusions For two wo hours he lie held the attention of the he house and gallery an unusual un sual feat in London where wh re the speeches are not so long as in America He H was frequently encouraged by cries of Hear Hear the usual applause in inthe inthe the he house of commons It was no noticeable noticeable that the th heartiest responses s were drawn forth by his expressions in n favor of peace and arbitration The reorganization reorganisation scheme sch me which he presented pre presented presented provides for a 3 reduction of several thousand men and a consider considerable considerable able decrease In the total coat cost but to too i make nake the scheme more acceptable the i remaining remah ing regiments are so 50 disposed as to give the country a larger fighting force than it now has It was teas as inter interesting int interesting r resting esting to watch W the opposition o benches whose able ablo leaders vigorously attack everything that the new government t proposes pr Ex V r Minister Foster fol followed followed lowed owed Mr Haldane and picked flaws In n his plans plan but did not receive the attention accorded the war minister The army question is arousing considerable con considerable interest and tho the govern government goY government rn ment bill is likely to have more opposition opposition in the house of bf lords than in inho Inthe inthe the ho commons In fact Lord Roberts has las already attacked t the le bill in ad vance m in a speech which affords con conclusive conclusive proof df of the tendency of man to tb magnify his own calling Nothing better illustrates tote the t e conservatism of r the house of lords than the fact that the liberal party can claim but one I tenth of the membership of that body while it has majority in ia the j lar tar branch of parliament It must not be supposed however that all the th bills passed by the house df r commons will be defeated in the house of ot lords for tor while a large majority maj of that house may really oppose opp se a a pleasure measure they recognize that the very existence of t their body b dy would be d if it opposed the people on n any Important Important important tant question Nominally the house h tise of lords haS had an equal voice with uh the house of r commons in the enactment nt of laws but hut as a matter of fact It does not dare to exercise the tile power which it has The Th navy naY department has reduced the appropriation for large l rge vessels and it Is certain c that at the tha next Hague conference e Great Britain will willbe willbe willbe be found supporting upp a proposition for forthe forthe the tile limitation of ot armaments Mr Edmund Robertson the financial secretary sec secretary secretary to the admiralty Ity presented the governments go scheme for reduction and made a favorable impression upon the house of commons ns The minister of education Mr Ir Bir Birrell rell relf has been the busiest of the min ministers minIsters asters so far He Uc has had charge of the educational bill blI which h has been under discussion discussion for severs months and which otter after being per perfected e ted in ih the committee of the whole has been be fi passed assed to a third reading by a 3 major ity of 19 As the bill deals with re t ligion as well as s education and con concerns concerns concerns cerns the children of the country It arouses deep interest In III England the public school system s stem has grown up asan as asan s sail an ail addition to the church schools or rather the public schools have supple stipple supplement ment d the work formerly forin done by the private te schools As these schools scho ls increased in r ed in number r and nd Importance nc the church schools school began to ask for fora a division n of the school s hool funds and this as it usually does Goes brought into politics pO the question |