The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-10-02
BY WILLIAM THoRP.

1t is difficult to compare a Parlia-
mentary general election in Great
Britain to a Presidential campaign in
the United States The spirit of the
contest, the attitude of the people, the
machinery employed by the contend
ing parties, the very object striven for.
are all largely, if not entirely, differ
ent
The rank and file of the British
electorate has nothing to do with the
choice of the Prime Minister, who
occupies much the same executive
position as the President, although
possessing less power. He is selected
by the monarch, usually upon the ad-
vice of the leader or leaders of the
rival political party.
If Mr.. Balfour were to be defeated
On an important question in the House
of Commons tomorrow, he would
have to choose one of two alterna-
tives. He could go to the King with
the designations of himself and his
Cabinet Ministers, in which case he
would advise the King to send for Sir
Henry Campbell-Bannerman, or some
other Liberal leader, and request him
TO form a Ministry; or he could dis
solve Parliament and appeal to the
country to decide the political issue
by means of general election.
When there exist two sharply-de-
fined parties, each with an acknowl-
edged, unchallenged leader, it is easy
for the defeated Premier to advise
the King whom to send for to replace
himself. In the old days, when Sal
isbury and Gladstone led the Conser-
vative and Liberal parties, nobody
dreamed of anybody else for Premier;
but when Mr.. Gladstone retired from
public life in 1894, with his party still
n power, Queen Victoria must have
been puzzled as to which Of his lieu
tenants she should ask to reconstruct
and lead the Ministry. There were
three of them at that time with prac-
tically equal reputation and power
in the party-Lord Rosebery, Sir
William Vernon Harcourt, and Mr..
John Morley.
Morley was out of it from the
start, because he manifested a strong
disinclination to become Premier. Mr..
Gladstone at first advised the Queen,
as subsequent revelations have
shown, to send for Sir William Har-
court. This advice was resented by
Her Majesty, who objected to Sir
William because he had taken lead
ing part in opposing financial grants
to the royal family. She wanted to
send for Lord Rosebery. Lord Sails
bury, the rival leader, whom she con-
suited, strongly urged the choice of
Harcourt, as being the more popular
man; but nevertheless Her Majesty
invited Lord Rosebery to become
head of the Government and he con-
scented to do so, after patching up a
hollow truce with Harcourt
This is not the only instance in
which Queen Victoria picked out for
Premier a political leader who would
not have been chosen by his own
Parliamentary party or by the general
body of electors throughout the coun-
try. Anything more radically differ
ent from the American political spirit
and political methods cannot we'll be
imagined; yet this British system
suits the people and works well. Nine
times out of ten, the defeated Prem
ier gives the best possible advice as to
his successor, and the advice is taken.
If the alternative of general cleo
ton is chosen, the country is not
stirred up so violently from end to
end as it is here in a Presidential
campaign, although the electioneering
methods adopted are sometimes much
more violent than those to which