The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-06-17

law, or rule and regulation and of
etiquette, which constitute the divin-
ity which doth hedge a king" For
some there are historical reasons in
their origin, for others such reasons
still exist, others are mere matters of
admitted propriety, others simply the
capitalization Of long custom and OBJ
| servance.
In some matters the King of Eng
land is governed by statute, in others
he and his mere wishes are supreme,
hut even in the latter category there
are matters in which that pleasure
must be conveyed in writing.
The limit of the power of the SOW
ereign was perhaps best illustrated by
the old operation Of the law of at
tainder, though that law has for long
been obsolete in practice and is now
modified by Statute QS7O). A person
accused of treason is tried by a court
of law-the court of the Lord High
Steward, in which the peers are judges
and jury if the accused be peer or
peeress-the ordinary law courts if
that be not the case. Following upon
the verdict, and before or after the
execution of Judgment the man was at
tanned by the passing of an Act Of At
tainder.
Assuming that act to have been
PASSED, the King could, if he choose,
grant the convicted person a full and
free pardon. That relieved him from
the execution of the judgment, but
nothing more; the King could restore
him to all his forfeited property, but
the King could not replace the man
in his former position, for he remained
unable to inherit.
He could restore forfeited peerages
and titles Of honor, but, unless another
act of Parliament reversed the Act of
Attainder, the action of the sovereign
did no more than create new peerages.
The king could grant a patent of prec-
edence, but that would have had no
effect in the House of Lords, where
precedence is governed by statute.
The constitutional position of the
sovereign accounts for one-and to
many of us groanins under the budget
a most portant-difference The SOW
ereign pays no rates or taxes. The
reason for this is that theoretically all
taxes are levied in the Kings name
for the purpose of carrying on the
Government, and that, as in fact it
would have been before the days of
the civil list to tax the income of the
King for the purpose of defraying the
Kings expenditures, was simply TAX
ing money from one of his pockets to
put it into another.
So stringently is this theory adhered
to that the exemption from taxation eX-
tends no further than the person of the
sovereign, and all other members of
the royal family are subject to the
same taxation as the rest of us. The
matter was tested by the late Prince
Consort in connection with his farm
ing experiments at Windsor.
But the King does not evade the pay
ment of his just debts, and, contrary
to what is often supposed and fire.
quently stated, the King pays from his
privy purse both for his special trains
and theater tickets. If the King pro
poses to visit theater, notice is sent
beforehand, and the royal box, in those
theaters which possess one, is sold
subject to the condition that it must
be given up if intimation is received
that its use is required for His Maj
esty.
1t is the accepted etiquette That the
King never writes a letter. aose WHO
need TO correspond with Ills Majesty
who are aware OF the IlsnJ proceuuIt
usually write to the Kings secretary
or member of the household, asking
that the matter in question should be
placed before the King, but petitions
for the exercise of the prerogative il
any form on matters OF state are re
4 quired to be submitted through thu
Home Office.
The King does not accept invitations
and a visit of any form is not preceded
thereby but by his intimatiOn that he
{ will pay it. 1t other words, he always
invites himself, and in matters o
social intercourse the same etiquette
extends to other members Of the roya
family, The Queen never accompan
les her husband to the establishment
oil a bachelor.
If the King proposes to visit any
house, list of the proposed guests has
to be submitted to him beforehand