Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-12-21
The Actual English Cabinet.

There seems to be a little miSunder-
! standing-Or to speak more correctly, ig-
| nOrance-amOng some OF our contempt
! raries, concerning the changes which are
making in the British Cabinet. Mr.. Glad
stone has by no means resigned the Pre-
miership and still retains his position
as First Lord Of the Treasury. What he
has resigned is the CHARACTERISTIC of the
| EXchequer-which is altogether differ
ent matter. Custom prescribes in Eng
| land that the Cabinet shall be made zap by
the First Lord of the Treasury, the Lord
Chancellor, the Lord President of the
Council, the Lord Privy Seal, the five Sec
retaries of State-Home, Foreign, War,
Colonial and Indian-the Chancellor of
the EXchequer and the First Lord of the
Admiralty-eleven in all. To this num-
Der may be added several other
officers who are Ministers of the Crown,
but not always members of the Cabinet.
Such officers are the Chancellor of the
Duchy of Lancaster, the Postmaster Gen
eral the First Commissioner OF Works,
the President of the Board of Trade, the
Chief Secretary for Ireland, the President
of the Poor Law Board and the Vice Presi-
dent of the Education Committee. When
all these are members of the Cabinet it
numbers seventeen. In Mr.. GladstOne'S
Cabinet to-day there are fifteen; in Lord
BeacOnsfeld Cabinet in 1879 there were
fourteen. The Ministry comprises no less
than sixty-One members and the Privy
Council is still larger, numbering over two
hundred.
The Prime Minister is always the First
Lord of the Treasury, and he may also
discharge the duties of any other Office or
offices which he chooses. Often he is also
Foreign Secretary and sometimes Chan
cellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Mr..
Gladstone has for more than two years
been Chancellor Of the EXchequer. For
this office we have no exact parallel in
the United States Cabinet. 1t is thus de-
scribed by the best English authority:
According to the old definition of
sides at the Exchequer Court and
takes care of the interests of the
Crown. He is always in commission with
the Lord Treasurer for the letting Of Crown
lands, etc. and has power, with others, to
compound for fOrfeitures of lands under
penal statutes. While the treasury is I'M
derstOOd to have the custody and distri-
button of the collected revenue, it is the
function of the EXchequer to realize it.
Hence the Chancellor of the EXchequer,
as the head of that department which
proposes to Parliament the plan for the
annual revenue, and sees to its realiZa-
ton, is always an important member of
the Cabinet. His annual statement of the
method by which he proposes to meet the
eXigencieS OF the EXchequer is called the
Budget His salary is 95000." Thus it
will be seen that there is a peculiarly
close relation between the EXchequer and
the Treasury, and it will be easily under
stood how much is gained if the two Off
ces can be under the direction of one man.
The amount of work which this dual duty
involves, however, makes it difficult for
a Prime Minister long to support the bur-
den unaided, and, as in the present case, |
the functions are usually divided.
For the time being Mr.. Gladstone con-
tinues at the head of the Treasury and |
Cabinet. Mr.. Hugh c. E. Childers, here |
tofore Secretary of War, becomes Chan /
cellor of the Exchequer. Lord Derby, who |
lust enters the Cabinet, will probably be- |
come Secretary of State for India, and the /
MARQUIS of Harrington, who is the present /
incumbent of the latter Office, will sue
coed Childers in the War Department. |
What other changes may be under dis
cussion have not yet been made public.
One thing is certain, however, and that is
that Mr.. Gladstone is still Premier,
although he may very possibly mediate
withdrawing altogether from office before
long.