Morris tribune., 1897-02-10
ENGLISH PRIME MINISTER.
He Has the Right to Advise as to Ever,
Department.

Department.
Let us consider for a moment
what is the real as contrasted will
the theoretical position of tht
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 OF
three men who will hold the chief
offices, and they together talk over
the other names When a man il
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
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
a particular policy has great infiu-
ence, but still the cabinet does not
rule
Who, then, really rules? The
prime minister, but limited in a
way which we must describe later.
What gives the prime minister this
power? In the first place, he sum-
mons and presides over and so
largely controls the cabinet meet
ings. Next, if 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
eminent Sir Robert Peel saw every
member of his cabinet separately
every day.
Again, if there is difference be-
tween tive. 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 cabinet He presides
over it, and he has the right to adj
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 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.