One result of Mr. Balfour's action is undoubtedly to place
the House of Lords at a considerable disadvantage in the Constitutional controversy which must now arise between them and the House of Commons. The fact which we have just noticed, that Mr. Balfour was able to pull the strings which work the House of Lords by making them first swallow without protest so dangerous a measure as the Trade Disputes Bill, and then virtually reject the Education Bill, has made it almost impossible to argue that the House of Lords is an independent revising Chamber which conscientiously considers all measures sent up to it, and, rightly or wrongly, takes action upon what it believes to be their merits. The country does not object to the House of Lords having a will of its own. What it does object to is its merely expressing the will cf the Leader of the Opposition in the Commons, especially when that Leader less than a year ago was shown to have completely forfeited the confidence of the electors. Mr. Balfour, from the Parlia- mentary point of view, has no doubt very greatly embarrassed the Government, but he has forced the Peers to fight a difficult and dangerous battle at a most serious disadvantage.
