incredible
durability. We have only to look at the general elections of 1900 and
1906. I do not suppose any circumstances could be more depressing for
a political Party than the circumstances in which the Liberal Party
fought the election in 1900, except the circumstances in which the
Conservative Party fought the election of 1906. At those two
elections, what was the salient fact? The great mass of the voters of
each political Party stood firm by the standard of their Party, and
although there was an immense movement of public opinion, that
movement was actually effected by the actual transference of a
comparatively small number of votes.

When Parties are thus evenly balanced, to place such a weapon as the
House of Lords in the hands of one of the Parties is to doom the other
to destruction. I do not speak only from the Party point of view,
although it explains the earnestness with which we approach this
question. It is a matter of life and death to Liberalism and
Radicalism. It is a question of our life or the abolition of the veto
of the House of Lords. But look at it from a national point of view.
Think of its injury to the smooth working of a Liberal Government. At
the present time a Liberal Government, however powerful, cannot look
far ahead, cannot impart design into its operations, because it knows
that if at any moment its vigour falls below a certain point another
body, over which it has no control, is ready to strike it a blow to
its most serious injury.

It comes to this, that no matter how great the majority by which a
Liberal Government is supported, it is unable to pass any legislation
unless it can procure the agreement of its political opponents.
Observe the position in which the present Executive Government is
consequently placed. Take only the question of passive resistance. The
action of the House of Lords at the present time forces the Executive
Government to lock up in prison men with whose action they entirely
sympathise and whose grievance they have faithfully promised to
redress. Such a position is intolerable. Indeed, I am sure that if
right hon. gentlemen opposite would only utilise that valuable gift of
putting themselves in imagination in the position of others, they
would see that no self-respecting men could continue to occupy such a
position except with the object of putting an end to it for ever.

Much might be said for and against the two-Party system. But no one
can doubt that it