Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1906-11-09
F1TI6N lN BRITAIN
 HAS N0 FINED DATE
t,nn.I t1 Voters When t0Am0i.> B}- eride Desires 0f the Gov
 crnmcnt.


 sr.tv of the house of commons no =5oeer sustains inc government, R@eH he ministry canot command eHoaeh votes to pass the laws they propose ..od carry out their policy, the British parliament adiourns, the cabinet r"- signs. a new prime minister is ap .,ointed and a new election is ordered s.z "the clerk of the crown a perna- nent official, who has charge of the a)pction machinery and sUpeINise5 political contests at the polls. The -,.nsent clerk of the crown is Sir kenneth Muir-Mackenzie. who has held inc office for many years. He Is sup aosed to represent the king in protect ing the sacred suffrages of his people. He prepares and publishes writs and snmmonses to newly created peers, makes out the appointments and con- missions for newly created officials and for all commissioners appointed by the king. He prepares and publishes all proclamations by his majesty; when there is a vacancy in the house If commons he is informed of the fact and immediately, or at his con venience, calls d new election. After the votes are boiled and counted ne is officially informed of the result. and receives all the returns and has the custody of the ballots, poll books and registration lists. In addition to these duties he keeps records of laws that have passed parliament, makes out warrants and all other documents re- auiring the signature of the king and the impress of the great seal.
 Sir Kenneth Muir Mackenzie signs writs for elections, but issues them ill the kings name. They read:
 Edward VII. by the grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britian and Ireland and of the British domin- ions beyond the seas, king, defender of the faith, to the mayor tor sheriff, as the case may bel of the city of LoL don
 Greeting: We command you that, no tice of the time and place of election 10 be made according to law of mem- Der of parliament for the city ot Lon don in the place of the Right Honor able John Smith, deceased, and that you do cause the name of such mem Der, when so elected, whether he be present or absent, to be certified to us in our ehaneery without delay.
 Witness yourself 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.
 (SignedD NIUIR-MACkENZIk. Grown Office in Chancery, Palace of
 Westminster.
 The king of England formerly used to interfere in the elections and tell the people whom he wanted them to vote for, but such partisanship would be fatal to any candidate today, so determined are the Britons in resent ing infrinsments of their rights. In " every sheriff and mayor in England commanding them not to permit any interference with the choice or elec- tion of candidates, and it concluded by saying that he wanted 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 elec tion in England, Scotland and Wales only. The writs for Ireland are is sued by the lord chancellor and priyy name in the same way.
 There are 5l2 parliamentary dis tricts in Great Britain, which, with 101 ill Ireland, returns 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 preser- yation. The certificates and returns are kept permanently. The files of the office of the clerk of the crown extend back to the year 1273, and con- tain the certificate of every man elected to parliament since that date.
 The population of the United King dom is 43,217,6S7, which furnished ',o66,702 voters at the late election.