The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-26
King Ed,rard,s TitIe.

1t is not at all likely that King Edward
will have TO authorize the hereditary
champion of the crown to fight Cor his
right to it. On the other side of the
Atlantic, His Maiesty's title will hardly
be called in question, although, to Judge
from the remarks Of. presumably, Scotch
critic in local paper, technically ii
might be. subjoined We give the inter-
esting argument of the objector
Albert Edward has no right to reign as Ed
ward VII. II he is TO reign as Edward # must
be as Edward J. There has never been an I'd
ward the throne Of Great Britain; So OF
course, IL is impossible for the present monarch
TO be Edward VII About three hundred and
forty years ago. Edward VI "a; on the throne
Of England, but at that time England and Scot
and Great Britain today. james l. Of scotlard
who had been James VI Of Scotland was The
first sovereign Of England and Scotland but even
then the Pariiaments VI the two countries and
fhe,s armies and nayies were entirely separate
These conditions prevailed during the reigns OF
Charles !. Charles II, james II. and Mary and
William and it WAS not until l7O7. during the
reign Of Queen Anne that the union Of the two
nations made complete Queen Anne, there
fore. was the first sovereign Of Great Britain,
and The FIRST 10 be addressed as Her Britannia
Majesty. All soyereigns since thea have been
addressed His or Her Britannia Majesty. and il
IS the throne OF Great Britain. and not the
throne Of England. upon which they have sat.
at must be remembered that Scotland Is not
vassal Of the English Crown. She was never
conquered. but became voluntarily part OF the
union which is known as Great Britain. II
would be Just reasonable to call Albert Ed
ward King Of Scotland as il would 10 call him
King 81 England It Is as King Of Great Britain
That he reigns, and as there has never been q
King Edward OF Great Britain it stand. 10 reason
that II IL j. Edward be j. 10 reign 1t must
be as Edward l."
In the strict historic sense. all % the
above is no doubt absolutely true; but it
does not take into account the force of
custom. 1t is true that it would be no
more correct to speak of King Edward as
King of England than it would to call
him King of Scotland or of ireland New
ertheless. he will be referred to as King o.
England to the end of the chapter. ana by
editors and authors who quite understand
that literally il Is wrong. Custom and
habits are mountains not easy to move
Everybody knows that the proper desig-
nation for .he American Presidents Off
cial residence is the Executive Mansion
Who ever hears IL so spoken off It IS
the White House. and all the forces Of the
Government, enforced by those Of mo
raIity and religion would be helpless to
make the American people say that II IS
CT could be anything else.
Our old enemy, King George III, was al
ways King of England to the coIonists.
His great grandson will be the same to
a majority of their descendants, whether
rightly or not. The question of his Num-
Der as an Edward is quite immaterial As
far as legality goes, he could call himself
Edward Seventeenth ii he wanted to. In
assuming the mystic and symbolical nu-
neral seven, he commentaries the six OF
the same name who have gone before.
They may not have been Kings of Grea.
Britain, but they are thought about ex-