Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-04
Xxx.
His Majesty
King George.
By
FREDERIC J. HASKIN

world wide and magnificent loyalty is a
man about whom only three things are
certainly known-he is one of the six
best shots in England, he is one of the
greatest postage stamp collectors in the
world, and he suffers with dyspepsia.
There is general custom among kings
which DEGREES that the crown prince OPP
poses always the political views of his
father. Queen Victoria was popularity
believed to be tory: Edward was a lib
eral. George. by the same token. is pre-
sumed to be a tory. Certain it is that
most of his friends have been stanch
tories, and George never has exhibited
any of those democratic traits which made
his father popular outside of his own
realm as we'll as within it's borders.
King George, so far as anything is known
of him at all. is an intense Englishman,
having the average Englishman's SUI
preme contempt and hearty dislike for all
foreigners. His queen, too. is English
the first English princess to sit on the
English throne for many years. She too,
dislikes and distrusts foreigners
In his career as Prince of Wales George
| made one speech which was something
more than mere
Supposed to Be conventional utterance.
a Tory. I'm va" En sn,ru,.u y ~as
an exposition Of the doctrines of the i'm
perialistic party. which is to say the tory
party. 1t is inevitable that George, hav-
been a sailor from his childhood until
the death of his elder brother. should be
hearty supporter of the navy and a
belieyer in the doctrines of the blue water
school.
With respect to the navy and to i'm
perialism, it is possible to guess that
George is an ardent tory. There is no
one thing upon which one may base a be-
lief that the new king in any way SYM
pathizes with the liberal party. AS far
as the domestic political crisis is con-
cerned, King Georges attitude is not
known: it may not be guessed at intel
ligently. Cropping in the dark, one feels
rather than sees that the king will OPP
pose. whether actively or passively, the
efforts of the British democracy to de-
stroy- the peculiar privileges of the aris-
tocracy.
The divinity that doth hedge a king is
as nothing compared to the obscurty
| which envelops an heir apparent. Wit
| ness the Prince Imperial of Japan. the
Crown Prince of Austria or the Vice
President of the United States. Secure in
that obscurity. George formed his political
| notions. He was an interested auditor in
| the galleries of the house of commons
uol ing llIS iOHS UcDdttS VII lHc COHSlllu-
tional crisis last winter. He heard at
| first hand the best arguments of both
sides. But on his face he wore a royal
mask which effectually concealed his
emotions. If he ever communicated his
comments on that debate to any living
soul. the English people do not know it.
| Here is the ancient kingdom of Eng
| land in the throes of great constitu-
tional crisis, the issue of which probably
will change forever the course of British
affair The OnnOSfnQ sides lined
In battle array, all ready for the fight,
waiting only until their new king may
get his crown. before invoking the arbitra-
ment of political war. And yet both sides.
each believing that the future of Eng
land depends upon the success of its doc
trines. will be willing to defer to the
judgment, or perhaps to the prejudices, of
this unknown and unknowable man.
The leaders of both parties know that
the kings will may not be opposed. un ess
the king should violate his pledges to the
people. If he shall let it be known, with
out personally meddling in the political
situation that he favors the continuation
OF the present relations between the lords
and the commons, his will probably will
prevail. And yet the British people would
not permit him to take active part in
party politics. for to do SO would be to
violate the best traditions of English
kings and would forfeit him the respect
of his people.
X
Perhaps if George is the tory that
many believe him to be he will save the
aristOcracy it's privileges
A Possible and block the attack of
militant democracy by ap-
oooA0S' peaing to all the people not
to do anything that will embarrass him.
1t is an apparent certainty that the lib
erals cannot win in their fight against the
house of lords unless the king will give
Mr. Asquith the power to name a suffi-
cient number of new peers to go into the
house of lords and to vote that ancient in
stitution to suicide. 1t is equally appar
ent that the king will desire to escape the
embarrassment of receiving such de-
mand. For the first time in more than
century it is possible that the king
might refuse to take the advice of his
ministers, and that that refusal might re-
ceive the approval of the people.
King George occupies position of tre-
mendous responsibility, and the world will
look upon the gradual revealment of his
political faith with breathless interest.
Upon his beliefs may depend the future
course of British government, and, there
fore. the future peace of the world. For
it must not be forgotten that George has
cousin also in the king business, and
that between these two cousins lies the
fate of the two greatest nations OF Eu-
rope.
Tomorrow-THE GERMAN ADJ
VANCE.
Ia Militant and Ambitious Nation.