Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-08-02
STATUS OF ENGlAND'S QUEEN.
Not a Sovereign Except BY Right Of
Inheritance.

It may be said that, by reason Of
curious provisions of law prevailing in
Great Britain, the queen is, for private
business purposes, not regarded as a
married woman at all, seeing that she
Is the only woman in the realm who
does not come within the scope Of the
Married Women's Property Act. The
principle of this law may be stated
simply thus: The king, as such, Is en-
tirely different from all other married
men. His time is too fully taken up
with the affairs of state to permit him
to devote any part of the remainder
to domestic matters 1t follows, there
fore, that the whole management Of
the queens private business matters
must devolve upon her majesty herself.
and that no responsibility whatever in
respect to them rests upon the king.
If, therefore, such a thing could be
imagined as Queen Mary contracting
debts in her husbands name, the king
would not be responsible for them, as
any other husband in Great Britain
would be unless he had given due no.
tice to all concerned that he would for
the future decline to settle such ac-
counts.
The king may not be sued for the re-
covery of the amount of money repre-
sented by any Indebtedness he may
incur; but the queen Is accorded no
such protection under the British law.
She has her own attorney general ana
solicitor general to represent her IN
all legal matters, though, of course, eX-
cept for ordinary private purposes,
their services are scarcely ever needed.
Authorities have held that, while the
constitution is glad to recognize the
uueen. the fact must not be lost sight
of that, after all, her position Is limit
ed to that of Queen Consort, and that'
therefore, she is in a sense one OF MS
maiesty's subjects. In certain contln-
gencies, remotely likely to arise in
these times, she would be treated as
a subject; but in other respects she Is
accorded privileges by the realm that
are given to no other person save the
king.
In this relation particular mention
may be made of the question or hlgh
treason. Now, it is generally under
stood that the king is the only person.
age against whom it is high treason to
plot: but II would also be high treason
to conspire against Queen Mary. All
consorts of British rulers have not en-
loved this privilege. When, for IN
stance, Philip of Spain married the
first Queen Mary, it was denied to him,
though some time after the marriage
special act of parliament was passed
in which he was granted the conces-
sion.
The signature "Georgius Rex VIII
be attached to all state documents OF
such importance as to demand 1t; nut
in no circumstances whatever would
the corresponding one, Marie Regina
he allowed to be affixed, either in con-
junction with that of George or with
out 1t. Should Mary survive the King,
many of the privileges that she at
present possesses will be withdrawn
from her, only nominally In some
cases, but actually in others, while
constitutional law provides that some
curious restrictions shall be placed up
on her. 1t will no longer be high trea-
son to plot against her, and 1t is held
bv at least one high authority that she
could not marry again without the spe-
cial license and permission of the
kings successor.-Harper's Weekly