Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-06
ELECTIONS IN ENGLAND
Methods Employed for Choosing
the House of Commons.
EXPENSES OF CANDIDATES
Aggregate Estimated as High as
100000.
PROFESSIONS IN PARLIAMENT
Ages of Members Range From % to
S4-Average is a Little Over
81 Years.
PROFESSIONS IN PARLIAMENT
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald,

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
When a majority of the house of COM
mons no longer sustains the government;
when the ministry cannot command enough
votes to pass the laws they promise, and
carry out their policy the British parlia-
ment adjourns, the eabinet resigns a new
prime minister is appointed and a rev cleo
ton is ordered by 1.-The clerk of the crown"
a permanent official who has charge of the
election machinery and supervises political
contests at the polls. The present clerk
of the crown is Sir Kenneth Muir Macken-
zie, who has held the office for many years.
He is supposed to represent the king in
protecting the sacred suffrages Of his peo-
pie. He prepares and publishes writs and
summonses to newly created peers, makes
out the appointments and commissions for
newly-created commissioners and officials
appointed by the king. He prepares
and publishes all proclamations by his
majesty; when there is Vacancy in the
house of commons he is informed of the
fact and Immediately, or at his conven-
fence. calls a new election. After the votes
are polled and counted he is officially in
formed of the result; he receives all the re-
turns and has the custody of all the bal
lots, poll books and registration lists. In
addition to these duties he keeps record
of laws that have passed parliament,
makes out warrants and all other docu-
ments requiring the signature of the king
and the impress of the great seal.
Election Writs.
Sir Kenneth Mackenzie signs writs
for elections, but issues them in the kings
name. They read:
Edward VII, by the grace of God, of the
united kingdom of Great Britain and Ire
la nd of hn Ri Sh ,ipin hour md
the seas king, defender of the faith, to the
mayor Cor sheriff, as the case may beg Of
the city of London,
Greeting: We command you that. no.
tice of the time and place of election being
first duly given, you do cause election to
be made according to law of member to
serve in parliament for the city Of London
in the place of the Right Honorable John
Smith. deceased, and that you do cause
the name of such member when so elected,
whether he be present or absent, to be
certified to us in our chancery without de-
lay.
Witness ourself at Westminster the 31st
day of October. in the sixth year of our
reign and in the year of Our Lord nineteen
hundred and six 9Signed)
"MUIK-MACKENZIE,
es Grown Office in Chancery,
Palace of Westminster
TIE king of England formerly used to in
terfere in the elections and tell the people
whom he wanted them to vote for, but such
partisanship would be fatal to any candi-
date today, determined the Britons
In resenting infringements of their rights.
In 1858 King Edward VI sent letter to
every sheriff and mayor in England COM
handing them to not to permit any inter-
ference with the choice or election of can
didates, and it concluded by saying that he
wanted 1.-The most chiefest men in our
realm for advice and counsel
For some reason or other the clerk of
the crown issues the calls for election in
England, Scotland and Wales only. The
writs for Ireland are issued by the lord
chancellor and privy council at Dublin, who
use the kings name in the same way.
Election Expenses.
There are 542 parliamentary districts in
Great Britain, which, with the 1O1 in Ire
land, return 643 members of the house of
commons.
Returns of parliamentary elections are
made by the mayors Of cities and sheriffs
of boroughs to the clerk of the crown, who
certifies them to the king and files them
away among his archives. The poll books
and ballots are kept for year and a day
and are then destroyed, unless a contest
should require their further preservation.
files of the Office of the clerk of the crown
extend back to the year 1915 and contain
the certificate of every man elected to
parliament since that date.
1921, 6S7, which furnished 7.O66,7 TOP voters
at the late election. The government pays
the cost of holding the election, which
amounts to about $1,6OO,0OO The private
expenses of candidates vary according to
the constituencies, but are very much larg-
than in the United States. The aggre-
gate expenses Of the candidates for parlia-
ment in England at a general election are
estimated high as $7.O0O,OO0
Every profession and occupation you can
imagine, every social stratum, every shade
of political and religious opinion, is repre-
scented in the house of commons, but what
strikes the attention of the American OBJ
server most fOrcibly Is the compare lively
small number of lawyers. The members
of that profession fill four-fifths of the seats
in our Congress and state legislatures but
less than one-hfth of the seats of the Brit
ish house of commons.
Professions in Parliament
There is no official publication in Eng
land like our Congressional Directory, but
a number Of manuals and registers of
semi official character, containing personal
and political information concerning par
Lament are issued by private parties. The
following table, which shows the various
professions and occupations represented in
the present house of commons, was COM
piled from a register issued by the Pail
Mall Gazette.
Barristers and solicitors IL
Country gentlemen. ......................... 70
Merchants Observation-Disclosures. "a
Manufacturers NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. SO
Trades union officials ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 81
Retired army army officers. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 35
Peers and heirs peerages. ................. IL
cfors Of anrrp Ions