New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-07-01
ROYAL BIOGRAPHY
Edward VII-PoIitiCaI Secrets
Two Reiqns.

| CONSTITUTIONAL ruler. Inc secrets are dis
closed by Sir Sidney Lee in an authorits-
tive article in the second supplement Of
the Dictionary of National Biography"
and form an important contribution to
political history. King George as Prince
Of Wales must have shared them. for
with Lord Knollvs as mentor he has FOL.
lowed his fathers opinions and prece-
dents and been Influenced by them in his
action on the Parliament bill and the
proposed creation of peerages. In Janu-
airy. 1911, | was enabled on the authority
of a member of the Cabinet to announce
in The Tribune that the Prime Minister
had obtained from King George guarsn.
tees for the requisite majority In the
House of Lords. That forecast was full
filed before the close of the year, when
| Mr.. Asquith informed Mr.. Balfour and
Lord Lansdowne Of the royal intentions
| and the passage of the Parliament act
was assured King Edward never watt
ed for a crisis to arise before making I'D
his mind as to his own procedure. He
! held private consultations with expert
| enced advisers and anticipated the trend
OF events and his own obligations as a
constitutional sovereign. During the
last weeks Of his life he foresaw the final
| stage Of the struggle between the houses
and reluctantly conceded the necessity
| for the creation of peerages on large
scale. when the crisis came. after the
failure of the conference Of eight leaders,
King George did precisely what his
father would have done I'm his place.
Sir Sidney Lee offers ample proof that
King Edward did not allow his sympa-
thies and prejudices to interfere with his
neutrality in politics. He disliked Mr..
| Lloyd Georges famous budget with the
land taxes: and yet he considered the
| rejection of IT by the Lords a tactical
| error and endeavored by personal innu-
ence to prevent an unconstitutional act
and A political disaster. He did not
favor any alteration in the status or
| composition OF the upper house. and pre-
ferred to have IL remain purely lered-
| itary chamber. His private views on
this question could hardly have been
more definite and emphatic, but ne Of
fered no resistance to the Radical pro-
posals for rendering the will Of the dem
ocratic and representative body enec-
tive. and # he had lived he would prob
ably have acted OH the advice or tne
Prime Minister and not have withheld
the guarantees. He was benevolent
neutral who sought to effect compro-
misses by conferences and personal iniiu-
ence. but his intervention was never Of
fcious and his views were never coloren
bv craftsmanship. With opinions OF his
own on every subject from tariff re-
form To woman suffrage, there was
compIete detachment from party in
terests
IN domestic politics King Edward hal
the 1exibility Of mind required for adapt
ing him to circumstances and protecting
him from harassing controversies over
details. AS a constitutional ruler he Kept
| IN constant communication with his re-
sponsible advisers and worked with them
tactfully, as King George has done after
MIN. nc tOOh n dNti'O f"hN ~ 80
eign affairs than in any other branch OF
the business of state and his success
in it was due to his going straight and
keeping faith with governments and ma
lions. Sir Sidney Lee does less justice
to his achievements as master diplo-
matist than 10 his neutrality IN hons
politics. II Is surely a rash assumption
that he had no personal control over
diplomacy and no direct responsibility
for the initiation Of the entente cordisls
He never presumed to interfere with the
policies of the Foreign Office, but he e.
operated cordially and effectively with
Lord Lansdowne and Sir Edward Grey
and assisted them with his conciliatory
disposition and practical instincts. The
improved relations with France and
Russia were mainly due to his synpa-
thetic conduct I'm meeting their rulers.
The biographer asserts that King I'd
ward had no conception Of any readjust-
ment OF the balance OF European power.
Certainly the sovereign challenged the
ascendancy of the German Emperor
converted London into the diplomat
capital of the empire and transformed
the conditions Of Continental affairs.
King George has followed the lines OF
his fathers successful diplomacy with
out taking the same personal interest In
foreign affairs. His ambition has been
to be known as a great imperialist King.
and while an adequate sense OF perspe;-
tive is now lacking, there is likely to be
a fulhlment of his hopes. II his father
enlarged the diplomatic resources Of thu
kingdom he himself seems destined TO
consolidate .hc material interests Of the
empire by series of state visits 10 the
self .governing colonies. The living real
ity of the discipline of responsibility mas
taken the place of the dead traditlon o.
ruling by divine right. Without haNlh4
any unmistakable trend toward great
ness, King George has a sound snd com.
n,.te equipment for the business CT
reisnlng, is profiting by his fathers ad-
vice and example and is proving an en-
lightened and sagacious sovereign
While he may have talked like an un'
regenerate Tory in shooting boxes "nl''
he was Prince of Wales, he mas ois
armed Radical prejudice, has shown "
conciliatory temper in a constitutions
crisis and has been inspired Dy -"
fathers laudable ambition to render pa
triotlc and statesmanlike service 10 'hs
British Empire. The new reign is hoo
elled closely after the old one ana dra"S
It's inspiration from 1t.
Since King Edwards supremei! usei"
g., koA, affacttyely perpetual