Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-08
King EdW ards Birthday
Bv Frederic j. HaSkin

De essentially cnanBeu. hltller inc
lords will be abolished or they will be
given the right to shape legislation
upon questions of taxation.
King Edward is far too wise to inter-
fere in such quarrel in behalf Of
either party. 1t is pretty well known
that for the greater part of his life
King Edward has been, at heart, a
Liberal. Yet it Is to be doubted IL ne
sympathlzes with the radicalism of the
present government. Publicly, of course,
the king has no party politics. There
is reason to believe, however, that ne
is taking part in the present political
situation in the role of pacificator.
As the chief conservator of the British
constitution, he hopes to prevent an
election upon the direct issue of the
quarrel between the two houses of par
lament. If he is successful in his eff
forts, and IL the coming election does
not involve a radical change in the
constitution, then he will have added
another great diplomatic triumph to
the record of his reign.
Edward has accomplished the greater
part of his diplomatic work by direct
contact with the people of the con-
tinental European nations. He is the
uncle of all Europe" and he has tried
to be like the good uncle of the fairy
story. He has spent much of his time
upon the continent where he is ex-
tremely popular
In this connection IL is interesting to
recall his only visit to America. When
he was lad of 10 he was sent by his
royal mother to Canada to lay the
foundation stone of the parliament
house at Ottawa. The Canadians had
asked that the queen pay them a visit.
This was deemed inexpedlent, and the
young prince of Wales was sent to
tho VWhan fhn visit
was announced President James Blu
chanan, on the Fourth of July, 1860, adj
dressed an invitation to Queen Victoria
asking that her son also visit the
United States.
In company with the duke of New
castle, then secretary of state for the
colonies, the young prince came TO
Canada. He was received with I'M
precedented manifestations of loyalty
by the people of the eastern provinces
of what is now the federated dominion
of Canada. The effect of his visit was
particularly marked upon the French
communities along the banks of the st.
Lawrence river.
He came into the United States at
Detroit. but upon crossing into Ameri-
can territory he dropped his royal pre-
negatives and assumed his inferior title
of Baron RenfreW. The English corre-
spondents who accompanied him were
very severe in their criticisms of the
American people who refused to re-
spect his incognito, and who insisted
upon hailing him as the prince OF
Wales He visited Chicago, which was
then a small city of only 100000 inhabi-
tants. He stopped at Dwight, ILL.,, for
a few days shooting, went to ST. Louis,
Cincinnati, Pittsburg, Richmond. Wash
ington. Baltimore, Philadelphia, New
York and Boston. In Washington he
was met at the railway station by Gen,
Lewis Cass, secretary OF state. and was
taken to the White House to be the
guest of the president. The great event
OF his visit TO the United States was
his pilgrimage, in company with Presi-
dent Buchanan, to Mount Vernon.
When Albert Edward, prince of
Wales, great-grandson of George III,
stood with barred head at the foot of
Washington's grave the people of both
England and the American republic de-
clared that all the bitterness of past
conflicts was buried forever. The
United States that Edward VII visited
as a boy is not the same United States
which exists today. That was upon
the eve of the great struggle between
the north and the south and long be-
fore the beginning of the era of prog
ress which has brought the American
republic TO its present position as the
second BIedleSL power III Ilt NOflus
second only TO that over which Edward
VII reigns as king and emperor.
1t is interesting to recall, however,
the fact that Edward saw the United
States during the period Of its greatest
political contest In Chicago he wit
messed torchlight professions of the
partlsans of Lincoln and Douglas, and
in Boston he was kept awake all night
by the noise of a political rally of the
followers of Bell and Everett. An in
teresting souvenir of the princes visit
to America is a dainty volume in which
is preserved the list of the girls with
whom Edward danced at the balls given
in his honor in Canada and the United
States.
The kings birthday is the chief holi-
day in the British world. But when
Edward VII came to the throne he de-
creed that the celebration of May "a.
the birthday of his royal mother, should
be continued as Empire day. This re-
mains the chief holiday in the British
possessions throughout the world. But
November is the kings birth
day, and wherever the Union Jack flies
in the red belt around the world sturdy
sons OF England drink to the health of
their beloved king. In the United
States the American people join with
their beloved English cousins in the
prayer God save the king"
IT,. II H.kI. i.