"House of Loafers"

Its membership--greater than that of any other legislative body in the World, seven times more numerous than the U. S. Senate.

Its quorum--three.

Its presiding officer--an odd fellow who technically does not sit in the chamber while he presides, but must be just outside within an imaginary circle on a large red cloth "sack" or wool-stuffed cushion.

Its work days--three a week, the members having furiously opposed a four-day week, though for laboring men they favor six toil days between Sundays.

Its hours--sittings begin at 4 p. m., ending generally before dinner time.

Its restrictions--no member may be a minor, an alien, a bankrupt, or under sentence for a high crime, but otherwise he need fear no ouster except Death.

Its name--wits have called it "The Doddard's Dormitory," "The Statue Gallery," "The House of Loafers;" and the present Baroness Ravensdale tartly describes it as "a large warm room full of flies, all buzzing very cozily"--but of course its real name is The House of Lords.

Astounding is the fact that last week 198 of Their Lordships were actually present one late afternoon, for usually the attendance is under 50, and little more than a year ago when it was a question of re-forming the House of Lords only 60 showed up, though the full membership is now more than 700.

What great issue had stirred the Peers?

Without regard to party affiliations Their Lordships were as mad as a nest of decrepit hornets, all because the House of Commons had poked them up with a law drafted by the Labor Government to pay more "dole" money to out-of-work Britons. To the house of hereditary loafers such a crack-brained scheme seemed nearly if not quite Bolshevik.

Once before, nay, many times, Their Lordships have saved the Nation, and once fairly recently. Stubbornly, indomitably they refused to ratify the Declaration of London (1908-1909) drawn up at the London Naval Conference of 1908. Had they ratified, Great Britain would have been pledged to the doctrine of "Freedom of the Seas," could not have blockaded Germany in the World War without breaking her word.

Sure are the Lords that their wisdom is superior. Last week by a smashing vote they gave the dole bill a cuff and a kick, tacked on an amendment making it expire in one year--whereas the Labor Government is pledged to keep the dole high indefinitely.

Quietly but momentously the Lords had defied the Commons. So grave was the situation that a hasty night session of the Cabinet was called by Scot MacDonald and a pair of exciting rumors flew: first that the Prime Minister, like Asquith in 1911, would bring the Lords to heel by threatening to advise the King* to create enough new peers to override the votes of the present members of the House of Lords; and second that Mr. MacDonald, with the Naval Conference on his hands, would chuck it and go to the country for a General Election, sure to win by a huge majority on the issue of whether the jobless workman should be deprived of his "dole" by the House of Loafers.

To his credit Scot MacDonald resisted temptation, conferred as to means of com promise during half the night with snowy-headed Charles Alfred Cripps, onetime vicar, ist Baron Parmoor, and leader of the 14 Labor Peers who, absurdly enough, represent the largest British political party in the House of Lords.

Next day, twinkling-eyed, conciliatory Lord Parmoor made hasty rounds among at least a hundred members of his House, found the Earl of Beauchamp (Liberal Leader in the Lords) anxious to smooth things over, and the Marquess of Salisbury (Conservative Leader) in a huff, still repeating that "The duties of the Lords are revisory and cannot be abdicated in the face of threats!"

Even the oldest peer and the "Father of the House" were consulted. Oldest is William Henry John North, 93, 11th Baron North, High Steward of Banbury, an asthmatic but indomitable old soldier, who still follows his pack of basset-hounds as best he can in his limousine, and must take little comfort that he is a great-grandson of the historic Lord North (Prime Minister 1770-82) whose imperious attitude toward the American Colonies was a major cause of their revolt. The Baronage of North was in abeyance from 1802 to 1841, and the present nth Baron North is the son of the late Susan Baroness North, for whom the title was revived, and of a commoner originally named Doyle.

"Father of the House of Lords" is that genial golfer George William Coventry, 9th Earl of Coventry, two years younger than Lord North, and one of the last two or three men in England to wear a top hat every day, even with a sack suit. The Countess of Coventry, past her fourth score of years, likes to say; "I can still do my five miles in jig time on a tricycle, and how many of your young people can?" As a private collection, the Earl's gallery of historic oil paintings at Croome Court is second to few. His boasts--he has been twice Captain of the King's Gentlemen-at-Arms, twice Master of Royal Buckhounds. Though a staunch Conservative he is on friendly terms with Liberal Leader David Lloyd George, now "Father of the House of Commons" (i. e., not the oldest member, but the one longest a member--40 years in the case of Mr. Lloyd George, and for the Earl of Coventry 87 years). The youngest peer is the Earl of Gains borough, 6, and the youngest old enough to take his seat is the Premier Duke and Earl of England, the Duke of Norfolk, 21.

Net result of the canvassing of peers old and young last week by Lord Parmoor was a most creditable compromise. The Labor Government agreed to put through the "dole" bill with a three-year limit, instead of the one year desired by the House of Lords, thus saving faces all round and en abling the measure to be wisely labeled "experimental." Said the Laborite Daily Herald, official organ of prudent Scot MacDonald:

"The plain truth is that Labor cannot afford to waste time and energy now in a standing battle with the Lords, even though victory is certain. With the naval parley now in full swing it would be folly to turn aside for the mere purpose of thrashing a Tory majority in the House of Lords."

*That great jurist the Earl of Birkenhead stretched truth very slightly by remarking: "If the Prime Minister advises the King to cut off his own head His Majesty is expected to assent."

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