The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-10-20
ENGLISH PRIME MINISTER.


He Has the Right to Advise as to Every
Department..
Let us consider for a moment
what is the real as contrasted with
the theoretical position of the
prime minister. In the first place,
the prime minister, as rule, makes
his cabinet. He is commissioned by
the queen to form cabinet because
he is the man whom she considers
to possess the confidence Of the ma
jority of the house of commons. He
forms his cabinet by asking certain
members Of the two houses to hold
the great Offices of state. He might
do this in one day and without con-
sulting any one.
AS matter of fact, what usually
happens is this: AS soon as the COM
mission to form government has
been received the prime minister
takes into his confidence the two or
three men who will hold the chief
Offices, and they together talk over
the other names. When man is
decided upon, be, 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
premier makes them feel his su-
periority. When the cabinet is made,
the theory of the unwritten consti-
tuition 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 a cabi-
net can do little.
Since, however, it knows every
thing or almost everything that
is going on it can exercise a great
deal of indirect power. The pre-
vious knowledge that the majority
of the cabinet would like or dislike
8 particular policy has great inau-
ence, but still the cabinet does not
rule.
Who, then, really rules9 The
prime minister, but limited in a
way which we must describe later.
What gives the prime minister this
powera In the first place, he sum-
mons and presides over and so
largely controls the cabinet meet
ings. Next, if a vacancy occurs,
he fills it, and so can promote men
from the lower to the higher offices.
Then he can and does confer with his
colleagues in regard to the business
of their departments. and SO has a
hold upon the whole machine gov
ernment. Sir Robert Peel saw every
member of his cabinet separately
every day.
Again, if there is difference be-
tween two other members of the
government, the premier decides. If
there is an irreconcilable difference
between himself and a minister, it
is the minister and not the premier
who resigns Lastly, the prime min
lister can, by resigning himself, dis
solve the whole ministry. These
things, small in themselves, taken
together, make the prime minister's
position what it is. He makes and
can unmake q cabinet. He presides
over it, and he has the right to ad-
wise in regard to every department,
though this right is, of course, sell
dom exercised, and he has secured
to him beforehand the support of
the rank and file of any cabinet if
it comes to struggle between him
and a colleague, because the rank
and file know that if the premier is
beaten he has it in his power to up
set the whole machine Of govern
ment Hence the voices of those
who want to keep in Office are al
ways found on the side Of the pre-
mier.-London Spectator.