When the House of Lords resumed on Monday the debate
on the Government's vague resolutions for reform, Lord Salisbury pointed out that what was really needed was not a chango in the constitution of the House but .a modification of -the Parliament Act. -He suggested that there should be a dissolution whenever the drastic powers of that Act became operative, and that the new House of Commons should be left to decide whether the opposition of the House of Lords to the measure under consideration should be ignored. We should prefer the referendum, as a simpler method, but Lord 'Salisbury's proposal would at any rate give the people a chance of pronouncing on the Bill -upon which the two Houses could not agree. It is certain that the Home Rule Bill of 1914 would not have reached the Statute Book had any such safeguard been provided at that time against the abuse of power by a temporary majority in the House of Commons.
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