Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-07
THE KING

II ING EDWARDS death at the
IL height of a constitutional crisis
IN in the United Kingdom will hurry
history Events that were slowly shap-
| ing themselves and were marshaltng
themselves purposefully will now
hasten to consummation. The heredl-
tary peer.ge of the United Kingdom has
been deprived of its shield; for in spite
of his democratic tendencies, it was the
kings personality that stood protect
ingly between the peers and the people.
His geniality and popularity nursed
along an institution which is out of
sympathy with the central part of the
empire. and at variance with the polit
ical doctrines and practices of the
remoter part.
A good fellow" among the radical
masses of the United Kingdom. King
Edward was but a name to the ad
vanced democrats of New Zealand; and
between the radical and the conserva-
tive extremes of the most amazingly
heterogeneous and inconsistent "em-
pire" upon which the sun has ever
shone royalty has been perpetuated in
distracting paradox; powerful but
but tongue-tied and disfranchsed by
the commons; flattered by titles rich in
sonorous attributes of a purely tonal
value: illustriously innocuous; splen-
didly null.
AS the first British royalty to visit
-,
many years enjoyed an American vogue
and popularity associated with his
personality, and encouraged by the
tattling "reminiscences of dear old
dowag gers who prattled artlessly of
their dances with the charming prince
of Wales.
Edwards geniality was genuine. His
democracy was sincere. He was most
at ease when discussing with "horsey''
men the points of the Derby favorite;
or punching the ribs of fat Holsteins
at the Sandringham show. This demo-
cratic geniality stood the British gov
ernment in good stead at various times,
and more than once menacing war
clouds We're dispelled by a timely use
of a quality that won the voteless, veto
less monarch the reputation of being a
successful diplomat.
In the plainest language, King Ed
ward was a good jollier," and some
times oiled troubled waters and some
times smilingly smoothed an irritated
continent while a distant British gem
eral was hosting the Union Jack over
another large section of valuable real
estate.
With the passing of democratic, dip
lomatic Edward. the crown goes in
heredity to a younger son, who on the
death of his brother found himself
equipped for the duties and response
bilties of "heir apparent by a strenu-
Gus course in seamanship, and char
acter formed mainly by intimate asso-
citation with the breezy free and easy
class forming the vast literally float
ing" population of the British empire.
King George. the fifth of his name,
has no sympathy with government;
is not well known. He has never done
anything worth while: he has never
said anything worth repeating.
Even his reported falls from grace
are not brilliant, audacious and
Lothario like, as were those of his dash
ing father. They are commonplace and
are reported to be intimately concerned
with the water wagon.
The new king would like nothing bet
ter than to be retired on a pension
which would enable him to live com
fortably at some seaport where, like
old, forgotten William ", the most
eccentric monarch of the nineteenth
century. he could talk with the tarry
brecks who spend part of their time in
rolling over the bounding main," and
could be piped to grog regularly.
And in his hearts desire the British
democrats may humOr him.