Great Britain, in _Political Science Quarterly_,
Sept., 1911.]

*114. The Enactment of the Parliament Bill, 1911.*--The appeal to the
country, in December, yielded results all but exactly identical with
those of the elections of the previous January. The Government secured
a majority of 127, and in the new parliament, which met February 6,
the Parliament Bill was reintroduced without alteration. On the ground
that the measure had been submitted specifically to the people and had
been approved by them, the ministry demanded its early enactment by
the two houses. May 15 the bill passed its third reading in the
Commons by a vote of 362 to 241. During the committee stage upwards of
one thousand amendments were suggested. But the Government stood firm
for the instrument as originally drawn and, while it accepted a few
incidental changes, in the end it got essentially its own way.

Meanwhile, early in May, Lord Lansdowne introduced in the upper
chamber a comprehensive bill which put in form for legislation the
programme of reconstruction to which the more moderate elements in
that chamber were ready, under the circumstances, to subscribe. The
Lansdowne Reconstruction Bill proposed, at the outset, a reduction of
the membership of the chamber to 350. Princes of the blood and the two
archbishops should retain membership, but the number of bishops entitled
to sit should be reduced to five, these to be chosen triennially by
the whole body of higher prelates upon the principle of proportional
representation. The remainder of the membership should comprise lords
of parliament, as follows: (1) 100 elected from the peers possessing
carefully stipulated qualifications, for a term of twelve years, on
the principle of proportional representation, by the whole body of
hereditary peers (including the Scotch and Irish), one-fourth of the
number retiring triennially; (2) 120 members chosen by electoral colleges
composed of members of the House of Commons divided for the purpose
into local groups, each returning from three to twelve, under conditions
of tenure similar to those prevailing in the first class; and (3) 100
appointed, from the peerage or outside, by the crown on nomination by
the premier, with regard to the strength of parties in the House (p. 111)
of Commons, and under the before-mentioned conditions of tenure. It
was stipulated, further, that peers not sitting in the House of Lords
shou