Lord Cromer in proposing the toast of the British Constitu-
tion Association expressed the hope that the leader of the Unionist Party would take up the question of the reform of the House of Lords in no timorous spirit:—
"So far as could be judged, the mass of the people of this country—certainly of moderate men—were of one mind about the question of the House of Lords. They did not want single- Chamber government or a sham Seccnd Chamber. They did not want the legislative powers of the House of Lords to bo in any way impaired. What they did want was a thorough reform which would bring the composition of the House more in touch with the people of this country. He thought their chairman would be the first to agree that the proposals of the Committee over which he presided a few years ago did not now meet the requirements of the case."
Lord Hugh Cecil in responding referred impressively to the growing deterioration of moderate Liberalism. " Moderate sections of - great parties," he _observed, "had been found useless on the day of trial because they had waited too long to strike their blow."
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