On Friday week, too, Mr. Labouchere moved his resolution, "That
it is contrary to the true principles of representative government, and injurious to their efficiency, that any person should be a member of one House of the Legislature by right of birth," a resolution which, if sound, might obviously be extended with just as much force to the condemnation of an hereditary throne. Mr. Labouchere said nothing very good, and nothing at all original, in support of his resolution. He described the Upper House as made up of unsuccessful politicians and success- ful money-grubbers. He agreed with Lord Salisbury that any reform of the House of Lords would strengthen it at the expense of the House of Commons ; and as be did not wish for this, he opposed the existence of any Second Chamber, though he did not intend to commit the House to that view by his resolution. The Radicals, he said, do not intend to cease agitating till they can say,—" Thank God, we have no hereditary legislators !" He thought that Radicals should require their candidates to pledge themselves to extirpate the hereditary principle root and branch.
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