Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-06
Queen Acts for Husband.

When George l and George III visited
their continental dominions these lord
justices were usually appointed, but on
several occasions Queen Caroline alone
acted for her husband. George ii. The
last occasion on which lord Justices were
appointed was in September. ISL. when
george IN was about 10 absent himself
trom the kingdom In the books of Ire
p.iVy council against this date YOU NAV
@ead the formal announcement:
HIS majesty in council was this day
pleased TO declare his intention OF going
OUT OF the IiIngdom for a short time
*hereupcn the annexed draft OF blank
commission for appointing guardians or
justices Tor the administration OF the gov
eminent during his majesty's absence was
read at the board and approved. And his
majesty was further PLEASED to declare
ana nominate the following persons to
ne the said guardians and justices, viz:
.he Duke OF York, the Archbishop of
canterbury, the lord chancellor and other
great officers of state appointed
Altogether this commission which in
GUIDED the Duke OF Wellington. numbered
nineteen. ratSer cumbrous number to
exercise the functions OF one man. Par
Hament had no say in the matter the
whole business was done by letters patent
under the great seal. and. though a mat
ger OF considerable formality. was the
direct act of the king. IL is probable
that this precedent will be followed In
1913 Lord John Russell brought the sub
ect up for discussion in the house of
commons Queen Victoria was about to
visit France as the guest of Louis Philippe
and Lord John stated in the most en-
phatic terms that such a VISIT ought not
10 be carried out without provision being
made for che exercise OF the royal author
lty by the appointment of lord justices.
Eventually 1t seems to have been agreed
that the queen took with her 10 France
one of her secretaries of state III the
person of Lord Aberdeen. whereby an
<E
abroad as at home. the needs for lc.rd
justices for so short time did not arise.
But when the king goes TO India it is
clear that the lords justices Will have to
ne appointed. and il is interesting
speculation TO consider who they will be-
All the members of the cabinet will ne
on the committee For a short time Mr..
Asquith Mr.. Lloyd George. Mr.. Winston
Churchill. Sir Edward Grey, Mr. Birrell
and Mr.. John Burns will be in the theo-
retical position of being capable of doing
no wrong. As ministers. of course,
sponsible TO parliament. they oan com
nit all sorts of intersections but as lords
justices they will be erime-proof 1t is a
question whether their persons viii be
sacred, but. presuming that they become
endowed with all the rights of the
eregn. il Will go hard with any militant
suffragst who endeavors either to horse
whip MIR. Churchill or TO hustle Mr.. Biz
rell. She may find hGself-so curious is
constitutional practice in solution-guilty
OF high treason, and liable 10 the most
feTociOus penalties.
1t is. of course. an idle speculation. but
one may be allowed to wonder what
would have happened, presuming the king
was in India and the lords justices were
exercising his prerogative. if the crisis
between the house of commons and the
house of lords had arisen. Would the
lords justices have been authorized to
appoint peers-the prince regent in the
reign of George III made peers. so pre-
sumab bly, they would have the same right
and what would have happened in par
liament if they had? The brain becomes
all Iost dizzy with the thought of COM
fs,ications and dramatic situations that
might have arisen, and the sensational
novelist. in search of a plot. might do
worse Than indulge in piece Of specu-
lativC writing the subject.