The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1881-03-11
The American and English Cabinets.

| In both the United States and En-
I gland, the Cabinet, as body, is unknown
10 the constitution, and is not officially
recognized by the law. The name Cab
/ met never occurs in formal documents
/ it has gradually come into use, from the
/ fact that IN England the Kings advisers
were wont TO meet and consult hlm in
his private cabinet.
Each Cabinet officer, however, is Off
cially recognized in both America and
England-nOt as Cabinet officer. but
rs the chief of one of the great depart
ments of the executive administration.
In this country, such an officer is
known as Secretary the Secretary
of State, of the Interior, and so on. In
England. the title of Secretary is used
for the five highest administrative Off
GERS, those of Foreign Affairs, Home
Affairs, the Colonies, India, and War.
The office CORES spondinS to our Secre-
taryship Of the Treasury, on the other
hand, is in England divided between
two high officials-the First Lord of the
Treasury, and the Chancellor Of the Ex-
chequer; tho officer known to us as the
Secretary ot the Navy is called in En-
gland the First Lord of the Admiralty.
In England, moreover. there nre sew
eral Cabinet officers unknown to our own
Cabinet These are. the Lord High
Chancellor, the President of the Board
of Trade, the Chancellor of the Dnchy
Of Lancaster. the President Of the Coun-
ell, and the Lord Privy Seal.
In the United States, the members of
the Cabinet are nominated by the Presi-
dent, and are approved on confirmed
by the Senate. The President can also
remove any one of them at any time.
But IN England, the Cabinet Is really
selected 10y the Prime Minister, subject
to the approval of the Queen; and,
though he can remove them, the English
Cabinet usually comes in and goes out
OF office III body
There are other notable differences
between the two Cabinets. In the United
States, no Cabinet officer can sit in
either house of Congress. In England,
no man can sit in the Cabinet who Is
not a member of either the Commons or
the Lords.
With us, the Cabinet officer has two,
and only two, fUnctions-as the chief of
an executive department, and as an adj
wiser OF the President on matters of gen
eral policy. With the English, the
Cabinet officer adds third function TO
these two; for he is a Parliamentary
leader, and in the Commons or Lords
defends either the policy of his own de
partment, or the general policy of the
Ministry of which he Is a member.
While in the mother country Cabinet
always goes cut of power in body when
the House of Commons casts a vote ad-
verse to its proceedings, IN the United
States the position of the Cabinet, as a
whole, is quite unaffected by any vote Of
either or both houses of Congress.
Each English Cabinet officer has his
own rank and dignity, while the Ameri-
can Secretaries are officially equal. The
salaries of these officers, moreover, differ
widely in the two countries. Our Sec
get s., 600 year The English
Prime Minister receives S25, ,000 a year;
SO do the Chancellor of the Exchequer
and the five Secretaries of State. The
Lord High Chancellor has $50. 900
year, and pension, when he retires, Of
80, 900 a year for life. The lowest sal
airy received by an English Cabinet
member is $40, 600, which is the sum re-
ceived by the President of the Council,
the Lord Privy Seal, the President of
the Board of Trade, and the Chancellor
of the Duchy of Lancaster.
From these differences some idea may
be derived Of the contrasts which appear
between the institutions of the ancient
monarchy of England and our own still
youthful republic.