The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-04-02
GETTING OUT OF PARLIAMENT
EXPL1N1 or NOW Il COM
HOMER RESIGNS.
History and Meaning of Apply Ing for
the Chiltern Hundreds.

one lIOIIl NEW DIUlllplOH anu the UlllSl
from Uxbridge, both asking for full
explanation of the expression "Chilterl
Hundreds" One correspondent submits
these questions:
"a What is it?
(2) Who are entitled to apply for it?
go Can it be held by more than one
person at 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 Hun
dreds? Why, it's what a member OF
parliament goes in for when he wants
to resign his seat" And that is in q
rough -and-ready manner correct but il
is pot very Illuminating. Why does he
not simply resign as he would from a
club or political association? You an
swer because he cannot, and that is
true, but it only puts the inquiry back
one stage, for the inevitable question
''Why cannot hep is sure to be asked.
The reason is because on March 2,
1923, the house of commons carried a
resolution to the effect that a man af-
ter he is duly chosen cannot relinquish
his seat" and that resolution, agreed to
at time when men had to be COMPEL
ed to serve in parliament, is still in
force. But, according to the law Of the
constitution, a man who accepts an Of
flee 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
ease, directly he accepts the office of
profit he ceases to be a member.
And now about the Chiltern Hun
dreds The office to which men are APP
pointed is that of Steward of the Chill
tern Hundreds" The word Hundreds
is an old Anglo-Saxon description of a
subdivision of shire, and in this cease
means much the same as a manor or
1ordship. There are 1,422 manors or
1ordships, belonging to the crown men
toned in Doomsday Book, and there
are still twenty-one in England and
sixtyin Wales. When man is APP
pointed Steward to the Chiltern Hun
dreds he is really made for the time a
steward of crown property. The stew
ard of these hundreds (Stoke, Burn
ham and Desborough, in buckingham,
was originally appointed to protect the
inhabitants from bandits. Some writ
ers say Bohemian" instead of Burn
ham"
But what to-day are his duties and
what is his salary? / fancy the curt
Gus reader may ask. Nobody knows.
In 1898 the house of commons issued
learned Blue Book on the question, and
from it's pages take the following be-
wildering facts. In the eye of the law
the stewardship is an office, but it has
no official duties, functions or charac-
teristics of any sort whatever. 1T is
post of profit, with no vestige of enroll
ument attaching to it. 1t is granted by
the sovereign, but her majesty has abb
solute voice in making the appointment.
The steward is formally nominated as
the crowns agent over an estate where
the crown has no rights he has to ac
count for moneys which he cannot re-
ceive, and to hold courts which no suit
or ever attends. In return he enjoys
wages, fees and allowances which are
non-existent, and privileges and pre-
emnences 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 | can only refer him to
the house of commons, which, like Ha
bakkuk, is capable of anything. The
learned Hatsel contends that it would
be difficult to show that this steward
ship is an office of profit under the
crown-and seeing that it is not an Of
flee, is not of profit and is not under
the crown, there is something to be said
for the Hatsellian view. The custom of
granting it for it's present purpose dates
oy,I1 17R0 h11t nc III henp
quiesced in ever since, any attack on it
would probably fail.
Until quite recent years the form of
words used in making the appointment
contained a statement that the mon
arch made it because of his Cor herr
especial trust and confidence in the care
and fidelity" of the person appointed.
But as the stewardship has been used
as a convenient method of getting rid of
some of the most notorious black sheep
of the house of commons, Mr.. Gladstone
had these words struck out of the form
used In this connection I may say
that the house has the power to eXpel
a member with ignominy-but that has
nothing to do with this particular sub
ject.
And now as to whether two men can
at the same time hold the Stewardship
of the Chiltern Hundreds. This is i'm
possible. Every new warrant expressly |
revokes the grant to the last holder, and
the new Steward retains it in his turn, |
until another is appointed. There is |
appalling in finding so great |
an authority as Sir Erskine May wrong |
on such a point, but he is. He says I
that the appointment is resigned as
soon as its purpose is effected-that is,
as soon as new writ is issued for the
seat vacated. But this is not so, and
the Steward holds his Office of profit
which means that he goes on doing
nothing and receiving nothing7until 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 /
1ont know and in the register there
are four instances of the Stewardship
If the Chiltern Hundreds being granted
.wice on the same day, but the stewards
lid not hold it at the same time, for the
second appointment revoked the first.
AS to the question, 'Who are entitled
o apply for it?'' while the appointment
S now only made to men anxious to
1acate a seat in the house of commons,