THE PEOPLE'S RIGHT OF VETO.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."]
Srn,—In your leader of the lGth inst. you speak of the people as possessing a right of veto over the legislative acts of the House of Commons, such right being exercised through the House of Lords, and you give recent instances of the operation of such veto upon measures of a Liberal Government. The question remains: What security have the people that the Lords would afford them the opportunity of vetoing an unpopular measure of a Conservative Government ? Or is such a measure inconceivable am, Sir, &c., G. J. N.
[Granted that the Lords do not refer Conservative legisla- tion to the people to veto if they choose, two wrongs do not make a right. If a brake will only operate downhill, and you think it ought to operate on the level as well, you do not say : "Therefore I will throw the whole thing on the scrap-heap, for no bread is better than half a loaf." What the sensible man does is to alter the brake in such a way as to make it work not merely when most wanted, but at other times. For some reason, however, the bare suggestion that half a good thing is better than nothing, and had better be used till the whole good thing is obtainable, seems to rouse many Liberals to
fury. In this context we may point out a practical considera- tion of some importance. If the Lords were to cause Unionist legislation to be referred to the people, the Liberals would, in reality, be angry, not pleased. Suppose the Lords had refused assent to free education, or the County Councils Bill, or the Irish Land Purchase Bill, would that have endeared the Upper House to the Liberals ? The Liberals are naturally and necessarily the legislating party, and therefore of necessity a checking Assembly affects them more than it affects their opponents. If we possessed a properly organised system of Referendum, the difficulty might be got over by giving any minority in the House greater than one-third of the House the right to demand a Referendum on a Bill passed by both Houses. This democratic proposal the Liberal Party have however, refused even to discuss.—En. Spectator.]
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