BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-02-21

Ino ceremony was mace aS eplanQtO anu ,
stately as possible, as if to emphasize the
importance of the occasion; but the fact is in
itself significant. King Edward, in this, as
in some other matters, is departing from the
president established by Queen Victoria,
and reverting to the practice Of bis Georgian
arc stors Until the middle of the pine.
teepth century the British monarchs bad
10 careful TO maintain the outward signs
Of the soyereign's formal supremacy in the
state. In order to emphasize their thao-
retica] control over the central forces of
government, they made polot of jnsugu
rating the Parliamentary session with due
ceremonial observauces, and PERSONAL,
commencing their "faithfu( Commons" to
their duty.
The late Queen allowed this custom to |
fall almost Into abeyance. In the last
forty years Of her reign she only opened
Parliament in person seven times, and she |
did not prorogue it once ater 1854 Iu |
other respects Queen Victoria permitted
the regal prerogauvs to be so seuslbly
weakened that many of its lofty preteDsioDs
become meraly polite fctions. Parliament
was suffered to Dissolve the 6d close CON
nection between the crown and the army,
and to transfer the direct authority, which
the sovereign had exercised oGsr mill
tary administrat on, to the Secretary of
State for War. The rig to pardon Grim
inals-the "prerogative of mercy" to which
the Queens predecessors c'ung so tenacious
Twas vested in the Hone Secretary.
y The throne, again, could act correctly be.
| described as the "fouutaiu of honor"
except in very limited s. use in the later
years of the ultra constitu !oDal ruler for
though the Queen was able to bestow a few
decorations on her personal friends and the
members of her household, the general dis
tribVion OF titles and "hono-s"-the peerages
S bardhetcjes. knighthoods, the orders Of the
Bath, ST. Michael, and St. George, and
| the rest-passed into the hands OF the
Ministry of the day, and became almost
o regular part Of the machinery Of psrty
politics. Finally, the QUEENS ir, quent ab
sence from the center OF executive authority,
aud the strict, and rather inaccessible,
/ retirement which she maintained during the
greater part of every year, impaired the
close connection between the crown and the
Administration.
4 The Kings Se'f-Assertion.
King Edward the Sevenrn mas already
Q shown many indications Of desire to aban.
T. don this self-eftacemens on the psr3 of the
, occupant of the British throne. La several
Of the particulars just referred to, he has
displayed tendency TO 60 back TO the older
+ usages. He is evidently determined to
keep clearly befoIe the popular mind the
! close connection between the Grown and
Parliament, and he is taking much more
active personal interest in tie course of
administration. He occupies himself good
deal with military matters. On several
occasions recently Lord Roberts has been
required to explain to the King, and this
Without the assistance of q Cabinet Min.
lister, the scope and meaning of some of the
forces. Some months ago, when certain
new uniforms were required for the troops,
specimens we're submitted to the King be-
fore they were passed by the authorities
st the War Office, and couple of private
soldiers, arrayed in the new equipment,
we're sent to Marlborough House for his
Msjesb's inspection. Tae episode would
not have occasioned any remark in Bsr-
lin, hut it is distinct innovation in Great
Britain. Again, his Majesty il known to
have kept pretty tight hand over high
military appointments, and he has insisted
that his veto in such matters shall not be,
t as it usually was during the later portion
of his predecessors reign, merely nominal
, There is no: much doubt that Gen. Butler
owed the confirmation of his appointment
as commander of the FIRST Army Corps,
after his inglorious achievements in Natal,
largely to the Kings influence. When Sin
= Redvers sgave himself awaJo by his amsz.
, iugly inds3reet speech at pubic luncheon
r party, the King was still inclined to sup
port him. MIR Brodrick, the Secretary for
5 War, hurried to BAlmoral, and it was only
after somewhat severe struggle with his
royal master that be was able to gain h
o. ipct, and to compel the peccant officers
retirement from active service. In fact,
The activity of the King is becoming very
marked in many Departments of tbs Ad-
mlnistration. He is constantly in London,
and expects to be consulted by his Minis |
ters ON even comparatively unimportsnt
administrative details. Another symptom |
of the same kind is tho fact that the usual
New Years Day distribution OF " honprs !"
did not occur. Lord Salisbury has been ir.