2110-5-1-17

[Salisbury]

Regent 500

21, ARLINGTON STREET, S. W. 1.

July 11th 1927

My dear Mr Buchan,

I must send you these few words of congratulation on the immense success of your maiden speech. Everyone speaks of it with enthusiasm and of its point and brilliancy, and I am very very sorry not to have heard it, though I have read it with the greatest interest and admiration, and was also so impressed by all you said, not only in deference to the House of Lords, but of what you said about the backwoodsmen that never is said, and it is so immensely true; I often wonder whether that unobtrusive unknown work in far off localities is not really more valuable than much of so called political work, in as much as it is less dependent on other people than politics is bound to be in its great world; but that is apart from the subject! You will of course imagine that I did not feel exactly as you did throughout, or rather that there were points which came into one's mind apart from that you put so well. We do indeed most fully and deeply agree on the sanity of the English people; the trust that can and must be put in their clear sightedness & moderation, and in that

Regent 500.

21, ARLINGTON STREET, S. W. 1 .

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curious political instinct that seem to belong to them. In any case, the decision must of course remain with them. The point of anxiety is whether now any chance of consideration will be available, and whether proposals which may have the most far-reaching consequences to national prosperity, may not be brought up and become law in the course of a few weeks, and before the chance is given for consideration of them. The present condition of things would make this possible; Up till now it has been accepted by both parties, (not the Labour Party!) that the Parliament Act was not complete but required some adaptation, and what made your speech specially interesting was that it was the first which boldly faced the alternative, that time had shown that as a Second Chamber with our peculiar qualities & powers as a political nation, it was the best that could be evolved. I quite agree that when one considers the elective, the partially elective, or the present suggestions put before the country for consideration by the Government, the subject bristles with difficulties. The House of Commons would never accept the purely elective; and the partially elected

Regent 500

21, ARLINGTON STREET, S. W. 1.

3.

and partially hereditary has the same inherent difficulties of deference which the purely hereditary one has on the Platforms, and yet if this parent body with all its advantages is in such a situation as at present, would it in fact be of any use as a referring agency at all? The recognition of its loss of power since the Parliament Act has made a great change in it in these last years. The tiny proportion of Peers who attend testify to this, and the numbers are growing less and less. Even on a question which affected their own constitution, out of over 700 only 250 came up, and whether only a moiety of those who could, took part in a crucial division in the future, or that the whole 750 came for the one occasion of opposing the popular view; in either case, their position would be weak, and each year to those who remember the Past this weakness of interest and attendance is increasing, from the sense of loss of responsibility and confidence that they can do anything; till it appears that in a comparatively short time it may be found that the House as part of the legislation has died down as a responsible part of the Constitution.

Regent 500.

21, ARLINGTON STREET, S. W. 1.

4.

It is possible that nothing can be done to strengthen the powers that a Second Chamber should have for giving time for the Country to realise what is before it, and in that case we must trust to the House of Commons to realise this and their responsibilities in the face of the virtual disappearance of a Second Chamber, but if it were possible to the genius of the English race to find some means of recompense which would provide that the Second Chamber could give time for consideration to both sides, it would undoubtedly be safe as I am sure you will agree.

I do not know why I should inflict all this upon you; when I began writing I did not mean to, but my mind ran on partly because I was trying to make it clear for myself the means which had made it seem right to try and solve the problem which was bound to be unpopular, & yet which a [Government] might well feel it may right to try [in some, if by any chance it were possible.]

Yours very sincerely,

[?] Salisbury.

[ST: Lord Salisbury or Lady Salisbury]

I do hope we shall meet. Come here to talk it over; I look back on the leisure of [?] days with regret.