The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1912-08-23
bRITAIN'S CABINET
1t Really Has No Legal Warrant
For Its Existence.
YET 1T RULES THE NATION
This Most Powerful and Important
Committee In the World Is Without
a staff, a Secretary, a Seal or a Min
ute Book and Has No Fixed Homo.

ute BOOK and Has NO FiSed fome'
Sidney Low, the English writer, calls
attention to the fact that the British
cabinet has really no standing in law,
though it is actually the body which
rules England. He makes several In
teresting statements in describing the
situation.
The British cabinet has long been
one OF the mysteries OF that greater
mystery. the British constitution. To
be quite exact, indeed, it Is not correct
to call it part Of the British consu-
tuition, for strictly speaking 1t Is un-
known to the constitution. The cabinet
no legal status. 1t was not until about
1901 that the word cabinet appeared
on the notice paper or other official
document.
A cabinet minister takes the same
oath that every priyy councillor takes
"to be a true and faithful servant
unto the kings majesty as one Of his
majesty's privy councl' and "to keep
secret all matters committed and re
yealed unto you or that shall be treated
secretly in council" The entire body
OF the privy council is supposed to ad
wise the sovereign on affairs Of state,
but to be made n privy councillor to-
day is practically an empty honor. 1t
is regarded as high compliment, but
II n privy councillor Is not a member
OF the cabinet he hears no secrets and
performs no official functions.
All the executive and political func-
tions of prlvy councillors have passed
into the hands OF those of them who
form the cabinet. which Is really a
secret committee of the kings servants
who in practice collectively rule the
country so long as they remain In of
fee.
But" as Sidney Low writes In an
article in the London Daily Mail, mo
act Of parliament ever gave them these
powers, which could not be asserted or
defended in any court Of law. They
are due to prescription. accident and
custom.
Technically the cabinet as a cabi-
net can do nothing. 1t cannot even
write q letter or issue n signed order.
It has not indeed the means Of doing
so, for 1t does not keep a clerk or
typewriter; It has no Office, nor has
It any money wherewith TO buy sheet
of note paper. The most powerful and
important committee in the world is
without n staff, a secretary, seal,
minute book or a fixed location.
when a cabinet council sits 1t has
no agenda before 1t, nor has 1t any
record OF what was done at its last
meeting. No one keeps the minutes,
and 1t is sill deemed n little contrary
to etiquette for any minister 10 take a
note OF the proceedings or indeed to
write anything at the meetings at ALL
"In fact, the cabinet council is still
treated as if ii were nothing more
than n casual private consultation be
tween n few of the priyy councillors
1t bears the traces of its ancestry, for
It was born over the dinner table.
at originated in the reign of Queen
Anne in those famous Saturday din
ners at which select group OF the
privy council assembled TO discuss the
affairs OF their party without the pres
ence Of the queen and OF colleagues
whose presence was not desired. The
cabinet has always kept to the tradi-
ton. 1t is Il secret committee of gov
ernment and secret committee of the
dominant party in parliament, and
where the one function begins and the
other ends no one can ever say.
"All It's members are collectively re
sponsible for hte acts of one OF them,
but there are no means Of knowing
what the decisions Of the cabinet are al
any moment till they are embodied in
action, or how many Of the ministers
may dissent from the opinion of the
majority, or whether indeed II II the
majority or n minority that really iii
rects the policy"
The promotion OF Sir Rufus lSaacs
the attorney general, To the cabinet
was a double novelty. Not only wa
there no precedent for an attorney
general being n member of the cabi
net, but never before had the Oliicial
announcement Of the conferment OF
cabinet rank mentioned. as 1t did IN
the case OF Sir Rufus lsaacs, the
words his majcsty's cabinet" This
appointment therefore marked a fur.
ther development i'm the acquisition
Of a corporate existence by the cabl-
net.-New York Sun.