The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-06-03

ia greater change will be made in the
working of the imperial system than
would be effected by the transfer of pow
er from the Unionists TO the Home Rul-
ers. Even If the Prince had ten times his
natural capacity-which is not small, al
though it is unfortunately somewhat
obscured by lack of fixity Of resolution
he would not inherit his mothers posi-
ton when he assembled the throne. The
crown can be inhereited, but not the ex-
perience, the knowledge, the innumerable
subtle, invisible ligaments' which have
made Queen Victoria the living nerve
centre of the British Empire-these things
are personal to the present monarch.
, They form no permanent INrt of the APP
panage of the British crown.
Editing Important Dispatches.
Her Majesty so far from being a mere
lay figure in courtly pageant, or a good
housewife and mother of large family,
has taken a far closer, keener, more con-
tinuous interest in the government of her
empire than any of her ministers. Until
her eyesight began to fail she never al
lowed an important dispatch to be sent in
her name to viceroy or ambassador until
she had read 1t, and, If need be, edited it
to her liking
Der this royal habit, for IL she, prompted
by her dying consort, had not insisted on
modifying the provocative language of the
dispatch about the Trent affair, the en-
pire and the republic would in all proba-
bility have been plunged into war. But
that was by no means the only occasion
on which her supervision of the dispatches
of her ministers enabled her to avert war.
In 1868 Lord Russell and Lord Palmer
ston would have committed England to
war with Germany in defense of Den
mark If the Queen had not compelled them
to take back their warlike dispatches and
accept the role of neutrality which she
saw was the only right course to adopt,
both for England ana for Europe. If only
Her Majesty's eyesight had remained as
good as ii was a few years ago she would
probably have averted the present disas-
trous war in South Africa, which was pre-
cipitated by dispatch in which Mr.. Cnam-
berlain provoked war by language which
he subsequently declared was intended to
make concessions sufficient to secure
peace. The Queen of 1863 or even of 1870.
would have compelled him to redraft his
equivocal dispatch.
No one could take a more serious view
of the responsibilities of exalted station.
nor could any one be more careful to as
certain at first hand the facts Of the casa
to be dealt with. Her Majesty is O veheA
ment special pleader, tenacious in argl-
ment ruthless in impressing her conclu ,
sions, and capable of a freedom of ex.I
preston Which sometimes jars upon the
sensitive nerves of the men OF letters AtA
whom she frequently has to do. "She No
them all have It," said one who knew he.
well. prime minister or messenger boy
IL is all one to her. She speaks her mind
straight out. and If their ears burn Il II,
well they should be told of the trutke
sometimes" From which 1t may be inn
ferred that on occasion Queen Victoria i3
capable of emulating The frank speech g
good Queen Bess. No mistakes could D.
greater however, than TO imagine tina
Her Majesty's plain speaking has not be-
hind it a solid backing Of detailed infor-
nation and intense conviction.
The Queens Foresight.
The present deplorable war In South Az
RIGA the queen endeavored in vain 4tr,
avert; not only at the eleventh hour. but
by the sagacious provision with which,
in 1855 she had theoretically supported
Sir George Grey in working for the feder-
alton OF South Africa. In that yeSr the
Volksraad Of The Orange Free State had
passed the resolution In favor OF union or
alliance with the Cape In 1853, in COM
municating this resolution 20 the Cape
Parliament, Sir George Grey, then Gov
ernor OF the Cape recommended that the
opportunity should be seized for the pur-
pose or founding federal union of the
Dutch and English colonies In South Af-s
RIGA. For this statesmanlike propo1S