Lord Lansdowne discussed the Bill sympathetically, and declared that the
Opposition entirely accepted the Referendum as a means for settling disputes between the two Houses. The suggestion, however, that a minority of the House of Commons might bring the Referendum into operation went further than he thought it desirable to go at present. He could not agree with Lord Morley that if a Government were defeated on a Referendum they must necessarily go out of office, though if the question referred were one of really vital moment he thought it very likely that they would have to do so. Lord Lansdowne concluded by saying that nothing would induce him to vote against the Bill, but that it went so much further than he was prepared to go that be would be reluctant to vote for it at present. He suggested that it was undesirable to divide the House upon the Bill, and that after a delay of a few weeks they would be better able to judge as to the course it was best to pursue.
