The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-01-28
the nation, the Commons do the bust

| all intentS and purposes the President
| of the nation. There is no officer in our
| approaches the English Premier in pow
| err
He has no tenure of office except the
confidence, which means the will, of
the house of commons.
The prime minister selects the cabi-
net, which stands and falls with him.
The cabinet consists of:
The first lord of the treasury, who is
generally prime minister.
The lord high chancellor.
] The president of the council.
| The chancellor of the exchequer.
The secretary Of the state for the
home department.
J The secretary of state for war.
| The secretary of state for foreign af-
| fairs.
The secretary of state for the colonies.
The secretary of state for India.
The first lord of the admiralty.
The lord chancellor Of Ireland.
/ The chief secretary of the lord lieu
! tenant of Ireland.
The chancellor of the duchy of Ian
caster.
The president of the board of trade.
The lord privy seal,
The president of the local government
! board
The president of the board of agricul-
! ture.
Seventeen in all and through them the
| prime minister dispenses the mighty
! patronage of the United Kingdom.
While resident of London for nearly
three years uldUe II d QuINs whenever
possible, to read everyday the greatest of
all newspapers, the London Times, and
keep file of it for reference. It was
almost equivalent to a college educa-
ton, both in work and in profit. It
taught me, among other things, some
of the great uses and functions of the
house of commons.
Besides making the laws and electing
the premier, it is the great training
school for public opinion.
The lord chancellor is the keeper of
Einpr'C hut he Of
| commons is the keeper of the nations
conscience.
It is the trysting place for grievances.
Ihe debates in the house fills the press.
and the great morning dailies put the
best brains the queens coins can buy
into their editorial and critical reviews
of the proceedings of the house of COM
mons. Thus it becomes, through the
publicity of the press, the greatest of
all public educators.
The Englishman, who is not quick of
perception, is powerfully tenacious of a
habit once acquired. His morning bath
is not more indispensable than an ac-
curate knowledge of all that was said
and done yesterday in the house of
commons.
Through the medium of petition al
most anything can be brought before
the house This of course includes
much that is good and vast deal of
rubbish.
The ministry alone can propose to tax
OF course, in theory, the sovereign is
the ruler, and. in fact, is clothed with
an immense amount of latent power,
and with much real power, on the digni-
fed and ornamental side of the govern
nent- The things the queen might
lawfully do, within the constitution.
would fill pages. But the things she
really does do, are largely spectacular.
The crown is 1.-The fountain of honor"
but the prime minister is the real exec
utive of the nation.
This is a favorable point of COMPARE
son with the American constitution
In England there is almost a complete
blending of the executive and legisIa-
tive departments.
The prime minister, elected by the
house of commons, selects his cabinet
from the parliament. By a Venera BILE |
fiction they are the queens ministers.
In point of fact the ministry are the
rulers; the real executive body. They
are Of parliament; the creatures of it;
yet they can destroy it and appeal to
the country. But they must fetch up
to the new parliament a majority Of the |
ministry or the ministry falls. Ac-
cOrdlng to the constitution ministry
can stand without the confidence of the |
house of commons.
The cabinet is a remarkable board of |
control; mum and mysterious in it's |
proceedings. 1t has no secretary and |
keeps no minutes; it meets behind |
closed doors. Even the newspaper man |
who has been everywhere, was never |
at a cabinet meeting. No matter how |
much the members differ in secret, |
they are a unit in public. Their motto |
should be z pluribus unum. Seventeen |
hearts that beat as one.
The apparent advantage of the Eng |
lish cabinet system of government is |
that there can be no deadlock between |
the executive and the legislative. a !
vote of censure means that the ministry |
must resign or prOrogue parliament and /
appeal to the country Then the people |
say whether the ministry is right or |
wrong. If the majority of the house of |
commons is still against them they all |
go down together, and new prime
minister forms a new cabinet.
Plainly there is more elasticity in |
cabinet than in a presidential form OF |
government; thus much may be predi- /
Gated without affirming whether it is |
better or worse in practical efficiency.
The judiciary is the most independent /
department under the English consti-
tuition.
All the judiciary from the justice of !
the peace to the lord chancellor are ap- !
pointed, nominally by the crown. The
lord chancellor and chief justice on the
recommendation of the prime minister;
all the rest on the recommendation OF
the lord chancellor.
The only political office in the judi
ciary is that of lord chancellor, who
has only civil jurisdiction. All the 9TH
ers hold for life or during good behav-
ior, and are not removable by the
crown, except on the motion of both
houses of parliament.
The splendid apostrophy of Lord
Brougham to the judiciary should be
taught to those who decry the courts,
and remembered by those who exercise
their high office.
He saws: Thus the judicial power
pure and unsullied, calmly exercised
amidst the uproar of contending par
ties by men removed above all contain
ination of faction, all participation in |
either it's fury or it's decisions, held
alike independent of the crown the par
lament and the multitude and only to
be shaken by the misconduct of those
who W ED it, forms a mighty zone which
girds our social pyramid round about
connecting the lOftier and narrower,