The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1898-03-30
THE ENaLIsH PRBllIBEBI.. !.


Ills Power az the Maker and unzi.
maker Of Cabinets.
The prime minister as q rule &
makes his cabinet He is commits
stoned by the queen toforh' asoabi=.l
net because he is the man whom sl1ei
considers to possess the conddences7
of majority of the hohsesof.ccIn-s
mons. BE forms his caeinet by aslEs.l9
ing certain members Of the tVoa
houses to hold the greap olcez q z
state He might do this m one day &
and without consulting anyone. - =
AS matter 81 fact, what llHliiEllsr
happens is this: Is soon as Iez0ofaE.
mission to form goVernnea ilaass
been received, the Prime lanistei,
takes into his con6dence the stfozor
three men who VIII hold the elliels
Offices, and they. her tal u oEIRr
the other names Nhens nlaF "a
decided upon he; ASIA rule, Joins 4les
conclave, and helItsl oreonsult as toa
men and places, an so these net
gradually evolves itself No doubt,
as generally happens ia this EoTld
the prime minister choice is never
feal4ys Tree, A-l ts4lll = .A1st
in the cabinet whatever happens,
and hence they may be said pot ter
be chosen by the premier, but to be,
ministers in their own rights, IN
spite,s however, of this, the fact
they are asked to serve by thespr
mier makes them feel his jorizs
ty. When the cabinet Is mad the
theory of the unwritten consti tu-s
ton is that the cabinet governs. In
reality it seldom does anything OF
the kind, Each cabinet minister
has very great power in his OWL de-
partment, but the cabinet as cabi-
net can do little. Since, however,
it knows everything, or almost
everything, that is going on it can
exercise a great deal of indirect5
power The previous knowledge
that the majority of the cabinet
would like or dislike parti
policy has great influence, but still
the cabinet does not rule. S1s
Who, then, really rules2 The
prime minister. What gives the
prime minister this power2 In the
first place, he summonses and pre-
sides over, and so largely controls,
the cabinet meetings. Next, SIC ~
vacancy occurs, he fills it up and sos
can promote men from the, lower to-
the higher Offices Then hescaps and
does confer with his colleagues in res
gard to the business of their depar t7
ments, and so has hold upon the
whole machine Of goYernpler Sin
Robert Peel saw every member OF
his cabinet separated eYerYE da5f
Again, IL there is a difference be-.
tween two other members os the
government, the premier eeides =
If there is an irreconcif abfe difs
ference between himself and q min
lister, it is the minister, and not the
premier, who resigns. Lastlg the.
prime minister can by resisniptesg
himself dissolve the whole minist
These things, small in themsetxes,
taken together make the prime min
ister's position what it is. he makes
and can unmake a cabinet He
presides over it, aud: he has the
to advise in regard to every depart
ment, though this right Is, of course,
seldom exercised, and he has Sc
cured to him beforehand the support
of the rank and file Of any cabinet
if it comes to struggle betMsen
him and "a colleague, because atllea
rank and file know that If the pre-
mier is beaten, he has it in hisrp opEefs
to upset the whole machine ofs g,0Fss
eminent. Hence the voices of tliosel
who want to keep in Office are sat7i
ways found on the side of tl.es41r
mier. London Spectator. ~ go