Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1897-01-07
THE ENGLISH PREMIER.
His Power as the Maker and I'm.
maker of Cabinets.

H1dkeT OF laptnetSs
The prime minister as a rule
makes his cabinet. He is commits
stoned by the queen to form a cabi-
net because he is the man whom she
considers to possess the confidence
Of a majority of the house of COM
mons. He forms his cabinet by ask
ing certain members of the two
houses to hold the great offices of
state, He might do this in one day
and without consulting anyone.
As a matter of fact, what USUALLY
happens is this: AS soon as the COM
mission to form a government has
been received, the prime minister
takes into his confidence the two or
three men who VIII hold the chief
offices, and they together talk over
the other names. When man is
decided upon, he, as rule, joins the
conclave, and helps to consult as to
men and places, and so the cabinet
gradually evolves itself. No doubt,
as generally happens in this world,
the prime minister's choice is never
really free. Certain men must be
in the cabinet whatever happens.
and hence they may be said not to
be chosen by the premier, but to be
ministers in their own right. In
spite, however, of this, the fact that
they are asked to serve by the pre-
mier makes them feel his superiori-
ty. When the cabinet is made, the
theory of the unwritten constitu-
ton is that the cabinet governs. In
reality it seldom does ANYTHING of
the kind. Each cabinet minister
has very great power in his own de-
partment, but the cabinet as cabi-
net can do little. Since, however,
1t knows everything, or almost
everything, that is going on, it can
exercise a great deal of indirect
power. The previous knowledge
that the majority of the cabinet
would like or dislike a particular
policy has great influence, but still
the cabinet does not rule.
Who, then, really rules? The
prime minister. What gives the |
prime minister this power? In the
first place, he summonses and pre-
sides over, and SO largely controls,
the cabinet meetings. Next, if a
vacancy occurs. he fills it up, and 50
can promote men from the lower to |
the higher offices. Then he can and |
does confer with his colleagues in re-
gard to the business of their depart
ments, and 50 has hold upon the
whole machine of government Sir
Robert Peel saw every member of
his cabinet separately every day
Again, il there is q difference be-
tween two other members Of the
government the premier decides.
Ii there is an irreconcilable diff
ference between himself and min
ster, it is the minister, and not the
premier, who resigns. Lastly, the
prime minister can by resigning
himself dissolve the whole ministry.
These things, small in themselves,
taken together make the prime min
ster's position what it IS. lie makes
md can unmake a cabinet lie
Dresides over it, and he has the right
10 advise in regard to every depart
nent, though this right is, Of course,
seldom exercised, aud he has Sc
cured to him beforehand the support
If the rank and file Of any cabinet
I it comes to q struggle between
lin and colleague, because the
'ank and file know that if the pre-
nier is beaten, he has it in his power
% upset the whole machine of gov
,rnment Hence the voices of those
Who want to keep in Office are al
ways found on the side Of the pre-
nier. London Spectator.