Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-08


IEW kNEl God, of the United Kingdom
III k@ of Great Britain and Ireland,
id EEeE and of the British Dominions
IA VYNI beyond the Seas, King, De-
iASaAZ1 fender of the Faith, Emperor
of India, Is 6S years old.
He was born at Buckingham
palace on November 3, 1871, the first
son of Queen Victoria and the Prince
Consort He was baptized and chris
tened Albert Edward in st. George
chapel, Windsor on January %, 1912. 1t
is not without peculiar interest to re-
call the fact that King Frederick
William of Prussia came to England
to be godfather to the infant Prince
of Wales. That Prussian kings son
married King Edwards eldest sister,
the Princess Royal, and she was
the mother of the present Kaiser
William II.
Albert Edward, Prince of Wales,
came to the throne upon tho death of
his mother, January 22, 1901, under the
name of Edward VII. He was then
GO years old, and as the Prince OF
Wales, had long held a position
of commanding social prominence
throughout the world He had culti'
waited the social graces, he was the
arbiter elegantorum in the world OF
fashion and he was known as the first
gentleman of Europe. He had laid
more cornerstones, planted more trees
presided at more banquets and made
more conventional speeches than any
other man alive But all the time he
was the Prince of Wales. and his in
diViduality was obscured by the
shadow of the throne upon which sat
his regal and imperial mother.
Therefore, in spite of his long. career
as Prince of Wales, Edward VII as
king and emperor has furnished the
political world with one of the greatest
surprises of modern history. King
Edward, more than any British mon
arch of modern days, has ruled as well
as reigned. The British people will
not brook the interference OF the
crown in party politics, and Edward
has respected the tradition which pro-
hibits the king from active participa-
ton in Internal political contro'
versies.
But from the moment that he be-
came king, Edward has taken an in
fluential part I'm the foreign affairs OF
his realm. When he came to the
throne England was engaged in a wal
with the South African republics. II
was the most expensive and disastrous
conflict England has ever experienced
Not only was 1t a gigantic task to de-
feat the Beers, but England found
that in that war she had little SYM
pathy among the powers. The people
of continental Europe and of the
United States were for the most part
strong partisans of the Beers. Ed
ward was not blind to this condition
of affairs.
During his eight years on the throne
that war was brought to a victorious
conclusion and the South Africans
have been granted constitution which
makes them one of the great self
governing and equal nations of the
British Empire. During all of those
eight years King Edward has looked
forward to what seems to be the in
evitable conflict between England and
Germany. With that possible clash
always in mind. the king has labored
assiduously to build up friendships IN
all parts of the world. The Japanese
alliance, the Franco-Angliean entente
cordiale, the matrimonial alliance with
Spain, the hard and fast secret treaty
with Portugal, the increased British in
fiuence in Turkey. the new cordially
between England and Russia and the
STRENGTHENING OF the ties between Great
Britain and the Scandinavian nation
are the results, in large part, of the
skillful diplomacy of Edward VII.
If England is saved the blood and
treasure which will be spilled If there
is war with Germany 1t will be by
reason of this system of sympathetic
alliances and understandings which
has been built up by the king. If his
efforts to prevent war by means OF
bringing the family of nations into
| closer relations are successful, and II
by these means the great problems
which now engage the minds of Fu-
ropean statesmen are solved peaceably
then Edward VII will be entitled "a
be called, in all future history ED
ward the Great"
Very recently the king has, for thu
| first time, undertaken to use his skill
in diplomacy to prevent great interna
party battde which might have tho
effect of changing the British constitu.
ton. In the pending contest upon the
| budget the house of lords and the house
of commons are arrayed in direct oppo.
sition. If the budget as prepared by
the Liberal government Is amended OF
| rejected by the lords agitation for the
abolition of the house of lords will al
once dwarf every other political issue
| In England. If the lords should reject
the budget, and if on an appeal to The
country the action of the lords shoulC
| be sustained, then the lords would bt
confirmed in the right to amend or veto
| legislation affecting taxation and ex.
| penditure. If the present quarrel be-
tween the commons and the lords goes
to the country whatever may be tho
outcome, the British constitution may
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