The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-03-20
THE BRITISH CABINET.
How Her MajGSty'S Advisers Ere
Constituted.
The Deliberations Of the Ministry Strictly
seeret-Antiquated
Customs.
Written for THE MORNING CALL.


a meeting of the Cabinet was held YES
terday. There were present Lord Salisbury:
the Lord Chancellor; Mr.. Goschen, Chan
cellor of the Exchequer; Mr. Balfour, Lord
George Hamilton" etc., etc. This is the
usual form Of announcement of British
Cabinet deliberations in the newspapers,
and that reputable organ, rarely read by
anybody, called the Court Circular, con-
talns no additional particulars What
passes at Cabinet conclave, whether it
lasts five minutes or day. is not diyulged.
There are various surmiSes in circulation as
to what may have been done, or what sub
Ject was discussed. but for the most part
they are only surmises. with next to moth
ing authentic for a foundation. Members
OF the Cabinet are bound by honor rot to
tell tales out OF school. The utmost they
can do is 10 drop hints Of a quasi-conidential
character among their most intimate p9liti-
cal friends, but these are so guarded as not
TO be OF compromising character. The
discussions are never allowed to go forth,
but conclusion arrived at, particularly on
legislative proposals, may leak out, so that
the government may CLEAN something of
what public opinion is. and how far il is
eoincident With their intentions.
Like other institutions typical of the
British Kingdom, the Cabinet has no logical
origin, such as the French nation would
take delight ID creatlng-perIect in theory
but liable to tumble to pieces as soon as
constructed. 1t is growth from ancient
times which has again and again been mod
lhed IN shape aud character. Most of the
institutions Of England have grown, not
trlnly as IN garden, but luXuriantly as in
held. The very term Cabinet" has no
legal Specification, and was formerly term
of opprc brium. Members OF the Cabinet
are simply members of the Privy Council,
Installed III the highest executive offices of
state, and strange thing is that although
they are legally and formally servants of
the crown they are in a far stricter respon-
slve sense officials holding their positions al
the will of Parliament, while Parliament
holds its authority from the nation. The
Cabinet o. to-day is the Government of the
British Empire. exercising all the powers
vested in the sovereign with one
or two exceptions. If the Cabinet
of the Privy Council, as in former times it
did, It would be a very numerous body.
The PTlyy Council used to be styled under
Henry the Eighth and the Stuarts the
Council of State or Government and there
Is at present no constitutional objection to
summOning any Privy Councillor 10 meet
iDgS of the Cabinet. Priyy Councillors may
be summoned without holding Office or re-
ceiving salary. There is precedent for even
summoning the commander-in-chief of the
army to the deliberations Of the Govern
menr. but that has gone out of custom.
Macauiay gives very clear account in his
history of how the Cabinet, as we now
understand II, arose and gradually took
shape in the reign OF William the Third
SELECTING a MINISTRY.
The old practice Of having men Of opposite
views pitted against each other was found
to be lDcOnyenlent aud unsatisfactory
The method was tried of selecting men
whose principles were in accord and
tan 4
Parliament. The opposition was then LETT
free TO criticize the Ministry upon a con-
fictiDg set of principles, and, if successful.
and the requisite Parliamentary ma ority
was obtained, new Ministry might be
formed from the opposition. This change
was not fully carried out until long after
ward. The position now occupied BY the
Cabinet Is indeed the result OF experiment.
and to some extent OF accident. For in
stance, the number of Ministers has con-
stantly huctuated. Pitts Government in
1888 consisted of himself in the House Of
Commons and seven peers in the House of
Lords. Noblemen are not now so much
in request for a Government is stronger
with its best men in the peoples cham
Der. But apart from this, a Govern
ment OF to-day consists of at least
eleven members, aud sometimes seventeen.
The irreducible minimum of q Cabinet
consists Of the First Lord of the Treasury.
the Lord Chancellor, Lord President OF the
Council, Lord Privy Seal, five principal
Secretaries of State, the Chancellor of the
ExcheQuer and the First Lord of the Ad-
miralty. Usually the Premier is the First
Lord of the Treasury, but not necessarily So
Lord Salisbury, for instance only holds the
portfolio for foreign affairs, and Mr.. BalfOur
is First Lord. There are various other
members of the Government holding what
are termed subordinate offices who may or
may not be admitted TO the Cabinet. 0cca-
sionally the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland is
member, and the Chief Secretary for Ire
land is frequently member. The sovereign
may ask any one to undertake the task of
forming q Ministry, bat in this matter is
usually guided by the advice of the Prime
Minister who is resigning office. When a
statesman has accepted the duty he is at
liberty to select whomsOever he pleases for
the other positions In the Cabinet, subject
10 the approval OF the sovereign, which may
be regarded as very much matter of form,
although this is not absolutely the case.
sURRENDERING THE SEALS.
When a new Ministry has been selected,
the members Of the outgoing Cabinet go
down to Osborne or proceed to Windsor, and
formally surrender to the sovereign their
seals Of Office. Their backs are hardly
turaed when the new Ministry arrives, and
the members kiss the hand of the snverei ign
upon their appointment and receive the
seals of their respective offices. In Parlia-
ment the change of Government is signifed
by change of positions on the benrhes
The Cabinet Ministers aud their followers
cross the floor to the right of the
and their supporters take their seats
on the left. It is not necessary there
should be q fresh Parliament every time
there Is a change OF Government, but if
there is not, members OF the Cabinet who
are commoners must be reelected on the
ground that they have accepted positions of
trust and emolument under the crown. A
Minister is not theoretically required TO have
a seat in Parliament, but practically he
must. No man could retain Office long if
he were not In Parliament and held to ac-
count by il for his actions. This constl-
tutes the essential difference between an
American and English Cabinet. The Cab
met in the United States is selected by the
President with the approval Of the Senate,
but no member holds seat in either the
Senate or House of Represen tatives. The
members OF the English Cabinet must be
iu Parliament, and may be questioned day
by day Oh public affairs or arragned in de-
bate. Even the Under Secretaries of de-
partments and the Attorney and Solicitor
General must be in Parliament. II they
cannot secure election some one else is ap-
pointed TO the offices.
CoNvoKED BY THE PRIME MINISTER.
Cabinet meeting is convoked by the
Prime Minister, who issues a summons for
the purpose, addressed to her Majcsty's
confde ntial advisers. The meetings may
be held anywhere, but the usual place is the
official residence of the First Lord of the
III DUHHillS etEtSL. IheellUsS nave
also been held in the Foreign Office. There
is record OF one queer meeting Of very
small Cabinet Of three in bedroom. with
the Prime Minister tucked away snugly
under the blankets. The mode of summon
ing her Maissty's confidential advisers is
quaint and curious. The notification neither
comes by post nor by advertisement, but by
messenger. In all the Government depart
ments there are messengers available as
couriers or bearers OF dispatches One oil
these officials goes round with red oblong
lnY ,r hinh lie in tnrn lockad md mig Cd