The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1891-12-03
the COST g. ROYALTY.
LabOuchere, the English RaG'cal, Believes "
10 be Excessive, but FavCTS inc WON
archca System with Reduce,' eSpehu''
turn
New York SUM-

New York sum-
Although Henry Labouchere is an
advanced Radical, he cannot accul
atcly be described as Republican.
This will be surprise to many peo-
pie, because he has long been con
apcuous in advocating a reduction
of the allowance made to members
of the royal family. 1t is certain,
however, that in the October number
of the Forum he frankly avows
preference for monarchical system
of the English pattern over repub-
lie of the presidential type like our
own. He insists that royalty in Eng
land at present costs far too much,
but he seems to think that the insti-
tuition is worth the outlay of mod
crate sum of money.
The editor of Truth accepts, as
upon the whole correct, the compu-
tation of the yearly cost of royalty
which has for some time been cur
rent in radical campaign literature,
namely, S. 900, 900. This estimate
represents the total of all eXpendl-
lures made, not only on account of
the Queens civil list and of the
yearly allowance to her direct
descendants and collateral relatives,
but also for the maintenance of the
royal palaces, parks, forests, etc.
1t is common for the Tories to urge
that, as for the Queens civil
list, this is only fair equl-
valent for the revenues of the
crown lands which she inherited
from her ancestors, but which she
has renowned. This plea, as Mr..
Labouchere points out, has no foun-
dation in fact. None Of the English
sovereigns, beginning with William
and Mary, who have reigned, not by
right of descent, but merely by
parliamentary title, have possessed
by il heritance any crown lands to
renOunce. In 1858 the doctrine that
the crown lands and the permanent
taxes belonged to the sovereign dis
appeared. Their produce was paid
into the exchequer, and became, in
theory, as well as in fact, the prep
ertv of the nation. When William
Ill. sought to make grants of crown
lands to some of his Dutch tavorites
he was promptly checked by a re-
sumption act, in which it was laid
down that the title OF the nation to
these lands was inalienable. During
the next three reigns no suggestion
was put forward that this property
belonged OF right to the sovereign
and if taken by the state must be
paid for. 1t was Lord Butte who,
under the accession of George ILL.,,
inserted in the preamble of the civil
list remuneration of the alleged her
editary revenues in consideration of
life income settled on the sovereign
by the act. This preamble has been
repeated in the civil service lists
of the successors of George Ill
But Mr.. Labouchere is undoubtedly
right in affirming that remuneration
of something which did not exist,
dragged into the preamble of an act
of parliament, does not create a title.
The aim of Lord Bute's trick be-
came obvious enough when II was
noted that the revenues said to be re-
nounced did not include those of The
duchy of Lancaster and the duchy of
Cornwall. Good natured pariaments
and tolerant public have counte-
nanced the absorption of the reve-
nues of those duchies by the sover'
eign and the Prince of Wales re
spectively. AS to the pretence set
up in Lord Bute's preamble that
the rest of the crown lands also
were of right vested in the mon
arch, this was entirely unheeded
by the house of commons committee
which framed the civil list of Queer
Victoria. No account whatever was
taken of the annual income accruine
from the crown lands and from the
hereditary taxes, but, on the con
trary, The amount noted was baseC
simply ON consideration of VIVA
had been the expenditure of William
". The principle may, therefore
be regarded as impregnably estab
lished that English sovereigns, rul
ing by purely parliamentary title
are not entitled to a penny beyond
what parliament may choose to vot
them Parliament is at liberty tt
cut down the cost of royalty as mucl
as it pleases, and it will undoubtedly
exercise the power when the Radical
become preponderant. The day con
sequently is close at hand when TIN
queens collateral relatives and til,
host Of parasites now quartered il
the royal palaces will cease to be fee
from the public crib and when TIL
whole fabric of medieval pageantr,
will be demolished.
When, however, the silly ceremOn,
of court has been discarded an,
the English sovereign has becom
simply the hereditary fgurehead q
the nation, with u salary no large
than that allotted to President Can
> not, or say $3.50, 1000, Mr., La
bouchere can see no reason why th
8 monarchy should not endure to
4 many year, lie asserts that th
{ mass of Englishmen are neithe
monarchical nor republican; the