2 APRIL 1910, Page 1

NEWS OF THE WEEK.

ON Tuesday Mr. Asquith moved the first section of his Resolutions for dealing with the so-called veto of the House of Lords. We have dealt elsewhere with the main part of his speech, but may notice here the very important passage in which he rejected the Referendum as inapplicable to the British Constitution. South in one of his sermons tells us how Jehoshaphat rejected certain prophetic advice because " he smelt the parasite through the prophet." We are bound to say that though Mr. Asquith's language was exceedingly pontifical, we smell the party politician through the prophet. The real reason why Mr. Asquith cannot find any use for the Referendum is because he thinks it would be injurious to the Liberal Party.