Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-09-01
The Next British Cabinet.

Although the British government is Of
States, being in fact the original of
which the latter and all recent repub-
lican constitutions were framed, yet
two features Cd it are very puzzling to
Americans-the established church and
the so called cabinet. The same days
dispatches which told us recently that
Mr.. Gladstone might find it impossible
70 govern with his slender majority"
gave us the names of the supposed MEM
bers of his cabinet
Mr.. Gladstone is himself of course, to
be premier and first lord of the treasury;
Lord Herschell, lord high chancellor;
Earl Roseberry, foreign secretary; Sir
William Vernon Harcourt, chancellor OF
the exchequer; John Morley, chief secre-
tary for Ireland; Lord Ripon, secretary
of state for India, etc. All this seems
rather premature in view Of the fact
that Mr.. Gladstone's supposed majority
is made up of such discordant elements
that one or more sections of it may re-
fuse to sustain him, and so the Tory
cabinet may remain in power. The
usual rule is, when government" is
beaten, either by an adverse vote in the
house Of commons or a general election,
it resigns at once. If not, vote of
want of confidence" is passed and the
queen calls on the leader of the tri-
umphant party to form new govern
ment."
The truth is that the cabinet, which
is "the government" for the time being,
is not the creature of positive law, but
of slow growth and custom. Down to
the latter years of William III it was
the regular thing for the head of one de-
partment to be a Wing, of another a
Tory and of third trimmer" and
so on. Little by little, however, the
custom grew up of having privy coun-
ell, composed only of those in close SYM
pathy with each other and with the SOW
ereign. Then the rule was established
that all heads of departments should be
in sympathy with the prime minister,
and so the cabinet came into being.
Nevertheless statesmen of great influ-
ence sometimes sit in the cabinet with
out holding office, and heads of impor-
tant departments are frequently not
members of the cabinet, SO the number
Of members varies greatly.
When Victoria became queen-June
20, 1S37-Lord Melbourne was premier.
His government" abolished the free
constitution of Jamaica, was beaten
thereon by the Tories and Sir Robert
Peel was called but could not "form a
government" Melbourne held on till
the "opium war" was over, and then
Peel took the helm. He carried a series
of most praiseworthy measures in be-
half of laborers in the factories and
mines, suddenly changed the policy of
the Tory party from protection to free
trade and carried it through, but was
beaten on coercion bill for Ireland, and
the Wings came in again with Lord John
Russell at the helm.
The Irish famine and famine clear
ances, "Chartism" and the commercial
panic of 1St7 weakened him, and in
1852 he was defeated ON the militia ques-
ton and the Aberdeen coalition minis
try" was formed. Lord Palmerston next
had his innings, and then came Glad
stone and the long rivalry between him
and Disraeh. The practice of changing
the chief officials and governmental
policy every time the popular majority
changes would seem very radical in
America. but it works well in England.