Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-09-26
WHAT KINGS CAN'T DO.
Some Things In Which Monarch Is
Powerless.


One has read amazing accounts
more or less true, of the omnipotence
of the king-how, for example, he
could at a word disband his armies
and leave the empire defenceless; or
| in some freakish impulse, sell every
warship that floats his flag.
When he travels in foreign lands we
are told that he can defy with impuni-
ty every law of the country whose
guest he is. He can refuse to pay his
hotel bill or his railway fare: he car
enter a bank and seize bundle OF
notes or break a jewelers. window and
fill his pockets with treasures of gold
and jewels; and outraged law could
only look on with tied hands.
But is the king really so far beyond
the reach of man made laws? There
is, as there always will be, another
side to the shield; and there are lim-
its beyond which he may not step. If
for instance, king assaults the mean
est subject of a foreign country ir
which he is travelling, no law can pre-
vent the man from hitting back OF
punish him for acting in his own de-
fence, even against a crowned mon
arch.
If, too, the authorities have good
reason to conclude that the sovereign
intends to commit some offense agains
the law, they would be justified II
placing him under restraint until hi:
own government was communicated
with; and in an extreme case they
would be entitled to ask him to leave
the country. If he were to commit
grave abuse of hospitality they could
convey him beyond the frontier.
And even in their own countrie:
kings may not do just as they please
when their pleasure involves breach
of the law, as King George of Greece
discovered not long ago. When it was
discovered that his dog license had no
been renewed, his majesty at once
gave orders that the tax, as well a!
the customary fines, should be paid a
once-a spontaneous act by which HI
recognized his duty equally to his law:
and himself.
When the king Of Italy found hi:
way recently barred by a sentry, whC
refused to allow him to pass, king ol
no king" Victor Emmanuel not only
| took the rebuff with a smile and re.
traced his steps, as the least of hi:
subjects might have done, but thu
next day the faithful sentry received
from him a watch inscribed ITO the
soldier who knows how to obey or.
ders."
Even in such a simple matter as g
hobby or snort kings and queens have
found that they can not always follow
their own sweet will. A few years ago
for instance, King Alfonso was tolt
by his ministers that he must not risk
his valuable life by motoring at reck-
less speeds, as he was in the habit OF
doing Very WELL" answered his ma
jest, quite humbly. Il will try to be
more careful in the future" Ant
about the same time Queen Wilhelmi-
ma of Holland, who was eager to learr
to ride bicycle, was told emphatical-
ly that she must do nothing Of the
kind, as bicycling might have unde,
sirable physical consequences.
Thus we see that there are limits tc
sovereign's defiance of law and order
abroad; and we shall find similar linn
itations in our own country. In some
of his many characters King George
enjoys few more privileges than his
own subjects. At Grogmore, for in
stance, he is a tenant farmer, subject
like any other farmer, to all the condi-
tions of his lease, to the payment OF
rent, and of such rates as are fixed by
the local authorities. His very farm
carts must proclaim his name and ad-
dress to the world, as much as If he
were plain John Smith.
And as lords of Marlborough house
our rulers have had for long years tC
contribute a good many hundred:
yearly in the shape of rates to the par.
| ish of st. Martin. What would hap.
pen in the very remote event Of his
majesty refusing to pay rent and rate:
to observe the terms of his tenancy Il
is difficult to say, but at any rate the
| liability is beyond question.
If the king wishes, in the interest:
of his privacy, to close a public foot
path-such, for example. as the path
| way across the royal park to Sand
| bingham church, it is very doubtful
whether he could do 1t. In a similar
case, when Queen Victoria wished tC
close a path at Osborne, she could
only have her way by coming to term:
with the local authorities term:
which involved an echange Of lands.
Even in the exercise of his roya
prerogative of granting pardons, thu
kings power is not absolute. He may
save a score of murderers from the
scaffold, but if any man breaks the
| law of Charles ii against Sunday trad
| ing he would appeal in vain to hi:
majesty for relief, for the king has M
power to remit his fine. Nor can III
send kilograms without paying fol
them, although the money, amounting
to many hundreds year, goes into hi:
own exchequer-practical from one
royal pocket into another.
Such, then, are some of the limita-
tions of the power of kings. AS fol
princes, even when heir to the throne
they are almost as amenable to the
laws of the land as any other subject
They can be summoned as witnesses
| figure as plaintiff or defendant in law
suits, and, whether as householders
or parents, or in any other role, must
observe all the laws affecting them In
these characters.
Their position is even worse ir
some respects than that of the lowest
subjects, for they can not leave the
country without the kings consent
nor can they follow the distates OF
their own hearts in the choice of wife
or husband unless the king approves
their choice.-London Tit Bits