Hardly leas important than Lord Lansdowne's announce- ment was that
made byLord Balfour of Burleigh, also dealt with by us elsewhere, that he intends on Thursday to introduce a Bill setting forth the manner in which certain Bills may be referred to a poll of the people. We note with satisfaction that Lord Balfour has dropped the ugly, though for, a time useful, word " Referendum." Everybody understands refer- ring a measure to the decision of the master of both Houses, and, again, there can be no mistake ,a8 to the meaning of a poll of the Parliamentary electors. The more the Oonstitu.
tional crisis is studied, and the more opinion develops in tile matter, the more it is seen that the soundest and most demo- cratic solution of the problem is involved in an appeal to the people. The introduction of a Bill establishing the machinery for taking a Poll of the People will be most welcome as showing bow easy it is to make use of our present electoral machinery for the purpose of referring specific and disputed legislative enactments to the decision of the votent.
