The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-06
GETTING orr o. PARLIAMENT.
History and Meaning of Applying
for the ChiItern Hundreds.

| from New Brompton and the other from
| Uxbridge, both asking for full explana-
ton of the expression "Chiltern Hun
! dreds." One correspondent submits these
| questions:
First. What is it?
Second. Who are entitled to apply for
| 1t?
| Third. Can 1t be held by more than one
| person al a time?
The other correspondent is content with
| saying, Tell us all about it,
| Now If you ask the man in the street he
| will probably say, "Chiltern Hundreds?
| Why, it's what member of Parliament
| goes in for when he wants to res gn his
| seat" And that is in a rough -and-ready
manner correct, but it is not very illUmi-
mating. Why does he not simply resign
| as he would from club or a political as
| ISOLATION? You answer because be cannot,
| and that is true, but it only puts the in
| quiry back one stage, for the inevi abe
| question, '"Why cannot hep is sure to be
asked.
The reason is because on March 2. 1928
| the House of Commons carried resolution
| 10 the effect that a man after he is duly
chosen cannot relfnquish his seat, and
| that resolution, agreed to at time when
| men had to be compelled to serve in Par
| lament, is still in force. But, according to
| the law of the constitution, a man who ac-
cepts an office of profit under the Crown
| by that very act vacates his seat. He can
stand again and be reelected. but If he
| does not some one else is chosen-and in
| any case, directly he accepts The office OF
profit he ceases to be member.
And now about the Chilte:n Hundreds
| The office to which men are appointed is
| that of Steward of the Chiltern Hun
| dreds." The word Hundreds is an old
| Anglo Saxon description of a subdivision
| of a shire, and in this case means much
| the same as a manor or lordship. There
1nr1c ha1n oil O
| to the Crown mentioned in Doomsday
| Book, and there are still q in England
| and 60 in Wales. When a man Is appointed
| steward of the Chitern Hundreds he Is
really made for the time a steward of
| crown property. The steward of these
| hundreds" (Stoke, Durham and Des-
l borough in Bucking was origi-
| nally appointed to protect the inhabitants
| from bandits. Some writer's say "Boden-
| ham, instead of Durham"
| But what to-day are his duties and
| what is his salary? l fancy the curious
| reader may ask. Nobody knows! In 1893
| the House of Commons issued learned
| Blue Book on the question, and from
its pages 1 take the following bewilder-
| ing facts. In the eye Of the law the stew
/ ardship is an office, but it has no official
! duties, functions, or characteristics of any
sort whatever. 1t is a post of profit, with
| no vestige of emolument attaching to 1t.
| 1t is granted by the sovereign, but Her
| Majesty has absolutely no voice in max
| ing the al poin tment. The steward Is for
| mally nominated as the crowns agent
| over an estate where the crown has no
| rights; he has to account for moneys
| which he cannot receive, and to hold
Lcourts which no sutor ever attends. In
Ereturn he enjoys wages, fees, and allow
| auces which are non-existent, and privi-
! leges and pre-eminences are conferred
upon him which are purely imaginary.
| The reader may well ask how in the
| world such a post can be described as
post of profit. 1 can only rsfer h m to the
! House of Commons, which, Ike Habakuk,
| is capable of anything The learned Hat
| sell contends that IL would be difficult to
| show that this stewardship is an Office of
profit under the crown-and seeing that
it is not an Office, is not of profit. and Is
| not under the crown, there is something
to be said for the Hatsellian view. The
| custom of granting 1t for its present pur-
pose dates only from 1850, but as it has
| been acquiesced in ever since, any attack
ON 1t would probably fan. Until
quite recent years the form of
! words used in making the appointment
contained statement that the monarch
made it because of "his Tor herr especial
trust and confidence in the care and fdel-
ity" of the person appointed. But as
the stewardship has been used as con-
,yenient method of getting rid of some of
| the iuOSt HOtOTlOuS DIdCK SHecp OIL tne
House of Commons. Mr.. Gladstone had
| these words struck out Of the form used
! In this connection l may say that the
| House has the power 90 expel member
with ignominy-but that has nothing 10
do with this particular subject.
And now as to whether two men can at
the same time hold the stewardship of
the Chiltern Hundreds. This Is impcs-
sible Every new warrant expressly re-
vokes the grant to the last holder, and
the new steward retains It in his turn I'M
| til another Is appointed. There is some
| thing appalling in finding so great an au-
| thority as Sir Erkine May wrong on such
point, but he is. He says that the APP
| pointment is resigned as soon as its pur-
pose is effected-that is as soon as a new
writ Is issued for the seat vacated. But
this Is not so, and the steward holds his
Office of proft--which means that he goes
on doing nothing and receiving nothing
until his successor is appointed
The present register of stewards dates
back only to December, 1850 POSSIBLY the
| previous registers were destroyed when
the old house was burned, but l don't
know. and in the register there are four
| instances Of the stewardship of the Chill
tern Hundreds being granted twice on the
same day, but the stewards did not hold
1t at the same time, for the second APP
| pointment revoked the first AS 60 the
question, who are entitled to apply for
III while the appointment Is now only
made TO men anxious 10 vacate seat in
the House of Commons, I should think
any one who likes can ask for 1t. That
| is of course with the usual interesting
exceptions-minors. aliens. lunat!cs. wo-
men, peers felons and clergymen of the
Church of England. have many friends
who would welcome Its duties-but the
enoluments are not good enough.
trust I have made the matter fairly
clear. but really long essay could be
written on the subject without exhausting
It. Let me add that there are three other
stewardships answering the some purpose
the stewardship OF East Hendred, of
| Nothshead and Of Hempholme. Nor
should II be supposed that the only way
OF getting out of the House Is by the ac-
| ceptance CT one of these stewardships or
| by expulsion. II you succeed to peer
age you must go. willy-nilly. There have
been some gentlemen who have become
| peers and have attempted 20 remain
among che eommoners, but the attempt
| has failed. And there Is another cause
| which will yAcate a seat in the Commons