Mr. Asquith began his statement by reiterating the Albert Hall
pledge. 'Unless the Resolutions were carried into legisla- tive enactment, the Government would be impotent. "If the Lords fail to accept our policy or decline to consider it when it is formally presented to the House, we shall feel it our duty immediately to tender advice to the Crown as to the steps vehich will have to be taken if that policy is to receive . statutory effect in this Parliament. What the precise terms of that advice will be it will, of course, not be right for me to say now, but if we do not find ourselves in a position to ensure that statutory effect will be given to this policy in this Parliament, we shall then either resign our offices or recom- mend a Dissolution of Parliament. And let me add this : that in no case would we recommend Dissolution except under such conditions as will secure that in the new Parliament the judgment of the people as expressed in the election will be carried into law."
