The Washington herald., 1910-02-20

sage 10 lis p+opttf SUCH ~ a HJtiHf1ttPi
OF the birth. the marriage. or the death
OF a member Of his family. or his grail
tude for manifestations Of public sym
patty or his coincidence with the victims
of some great disaster. he invariably
does so through the home secretary.
II is through the latter that all petit
tons to the sovereign have to be present
ed, no matter whether from public bodies
or from individuals, and 1t is through the
home secretary that the King exercises
his prerogative Of mercy In the matter 81
pardoning prisoners or committing their
sentences TO some minor penalty than
that 10 which they have been condemned
by the tribunals.
The secretary OF state for the home de-
partment is also required to be in at
tendance at all royal births. This Is in
tended to convey an assurance "a the na
ton that there has been no substitution
and also is designed to relieve the infant
from any such suspicion as that which
hung over the head Of the old pretender
whose own sisters. Queen Mary and
Queen Anne. cndeavored 10 strengthen
the popular impression 20 the effect that
he was suppositltious child and not the
real offspring Of James II and Of Queen
Mary Beatrice Of Modena
There are hundreds of other matters IN
connection with which the home secre-
tary is brought into close and intimate
contact with the sovereign and with the
members of the reigning mouse. and un-
der the circumstances il IS incOnceivable
that any statesman should be appointed
TO that office who was in any way per-
sonalIy Objectionable 90 the monarch OF
to his family
All told. there are in Great Britain now
adays FIVE secretaries Of state the prIn-
cipaI one. who is at the head Of the
home department. the secretary for for
eign affairs. the secretary for the colo
MES. the secretary for India, and the
secretary for the war department The
secretary for Scotland and the secretary
for Ireland are not secretaries OF state
and are not qualified TO fulfill the duties
of the latter
In spite of there being thus FIVE secre-
taries Of State. they constitute in reality
but one. the division OF their work being
merely matter OF arrangement for the
more convenient dispatch OF hNsineVs.
Each secretary Of state has consequent
" power 10 transact the business OF one
Of his colleagues. should occasion arise,
and there is nothing 10 prevent Winston
Churchill. ag secretary OF state for the
home department. taking the place and
doing the work OF Sir Edward Grey. the
secretary Of foreign affairs. OF Of Lord
Morley, the secretary Cor India. in the
event Of an emergency.
Thus. in June. ls7s. when the cabinet
desired 10 give instructions TO Lord Bea-
consfeld, the premier. and Lord Sails
bury. the foreign secretary. concerning
the policies 10 be pursued By them as
British plenipotentlaries az the Congress
Of Berlin, the document. dated from the
foreign Office. was signed by Lord Cross,
as secretary OF state. although he was AZ
the time at the head Of the home de-
partment.
Originally there was but one secretary
Of state, who was in reality the chief
secretary 10 the sovereign. II being his
duty 10 conduct his royal masters cor
respondence. and TO communicate his
commands in writing 10 the high officers
Of state. when those functionaries did
not receive them verbally from the mon
arch in person.
Until the reign OF Queen Elizabeth
the dignitary in question Wss known as
the "King's secretary" It was this
Queen who first gave 70 Robert Cecil.
son Of the great Lord Burleigh the title
Of Our Principal Secretary OF state
and there is I'm existence in the library
of the British Museum In London.
pamphlet written by him after his eleva-
ton 10 the Earl Of Salisbury entitled
THE State and Dignity Of a Secretary Of
States Place, with the Care and Peril
Thereof In which he describes the
duties Of his Office. The opening para
graph Of the pamphlet is just as Apostle
to-day as it was AT the time it was peuncd-
II runs as follows. "AH officers and
councillors OF the sovereign have q pre-
scribed authority by patent by commits
sion or by oath. the secretary only ex-
Cepted. But 10 the secretary. out OF
confidence and singular affection. there
Is liberty to negotiate at discretion az
home and abroad. with friends and ene-
mics. IN all matters Of speech and in
telligence. All servants Of the Crown deal
upon strong and wary authority. They
warrant disbursements as ueasurers
they enter into conference with enemies
as generals. &C. in commissions I'm exc
cutting offices by patents and instruc-
tons. Only the secretary Of state hath
no warrant Of commission
And then this ancestor Of the present
Marquis of Salisbury goes on to show
that the duties Of secretary OF state
practically included them, as they do To-
day. all those which are not otherwise
definitely assigned by patent. oath. OF
commission.
In course of time the work became TOO
onerous for one secretary of state. and
two were appointed, the one being known
as secretary OF the north and the other
as secretary 81 the south The former
had charge Of foreign affairs. whereas
the secretary OF the south was intruSted
more particularly with the Affairs Of the
United Kingdom. Ireland. the colonies,
and even the southeast Of Europe
This arrangement continued until near
the close OF the eighteenth century. wneu
the responsibilities Of the foreign depart
ment were more strictly defined. and
third secretaryship of state created.
namely, that Of war, which was also
given control of the colonies
At the outbreak of the Crimoau war.
in 1854. secretary Of state for tho colo
MES was called into existence. In order
to relieve the overburdened war depart
ment Of the colonial business. aud four
years later, when, after the great Indian