New-York tribune., 1906-12-17
HOW KING EDWARD BREAKS" OFFICERS.

HOW KING EDWARD BREAKS off1CEf'0'
p-.s,dent Roosevelts request for legislation en-
novrerng the Chief Magistrate to dismiss from tRe
navy. and presumably also from the army olIl-
GERS without the action OF court mar uai
serves TO call attention to the fact that thls lie
rrsroga+ive enioyed by some European rulers ana
denied TO others. Thus II is claimed ana ehercised
by King Edward, whose government may Do de-
scribed as the most democratic monarchy IN OK
fstepce He is by virtue OF the terms OF the coh-
.,..,or .t lthsrtv to dispense with the services OF
, officer or man whom he 1T to dismiss from
the army or from the navy. Oflcers, IN paIucu'ai'
are frequently removed from the army WITHOUT any
court martial or judicial trial OF their cases.
roars notice in The Gazette" TO the erect lhAt
.r,;e majesty has no further for the services
OF Captain This Major That is all that is neces-
sarv TO break officer and 10 restore nm u
priyste life with the brand OF what Is eQulE aIeH'
To 6fshonorabIe discharge in this country he mas
absolutely no redress in law and whhe no HiAS
demand a court martial the sovereign IN his ca
pacity as commander in chief is at perfect ieeoo'
m turn deaf ear TO the application.
This fact was brought 10 light at the une OF .he
T2osr war when a number OF ofcers were us
-.-os either for hopeless Incompetence or else
for d,sobedience. Some Of them conceived that
tho, had been badly used. and were convinced that
nv reason Of their having given the greater part
90 ,air life TO The service Of their country IN the
-, ,ta,- had a right, at any rate TO judicial
b-ar,nc in the form Of a court martial or OF a
court of inquiry. before being dismissed hut ley
,,,cl found out their mistake ana thf4t lile Io4uio
OF their commissions was entirely oepehoeH' NPoii
tho pleasure of the sovereign
IT.. CroV,n IS absolutely supreme In command OF
,, e,vov and navy and has the sole ana exclusive
cover of raising and regulating armies ana heets'
rI,s ,rerogatiye was disputed and claimed py the
so-ca1lA6 Long Parliament OF Charles / bH1
- .,-a restoration it was solemnly declared oy
-, Crovn and Parliament to be vested ia uie
o,,.ro,gn alone OF course the payment Oh any
,o-cos thus raised by the Crown mas uiuilAIely 10
y. ro,,,ded by Parliament, which IN thls way may
=, Ia 20 control the action OF the throne III 'ho
- PINT the first step must be taken ny inc
,,parc7 who alone possesses the power oi iii
tive IN affairs of this kind
C,,riousIv enough, this power OF dismissal oI oi'
Gers and men from the army and navy rs Po
sossad IN a very restricted form by the cohtheiIai
,,,lars save in Russia. where the Car au'noiity
in This pafticular is quite as large as that OF me-
,,ncIe Edward VII in Great Britain Ihe tzar
oapnot only dismiss from the service any olnoer
whom he sees 1T 10 discharge but can even reuuce
4,r redeed generals to the ranks, ano conpei lheih
"a continue 10 serve In the army as mere priVhtes
q, the very brigades ana divisions which tley may
i've previously commanded. In fact, he lnhlcte1
his nenaty two three years before the war win
Tanan upon q couple OF generals who, rather the
,,orse for drink. had disgraced themselves ny
este encounter in the presence OF their troops