The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-03-11
Sir Kenneth Muir Mackenzie
Will Accompany Lord High
Chancellor to America.
By LA siARaUIsE DE roNTENoy.

BIZ LA NARQUlSE DE FONTENOy.
O IR KENNETH MUIR MACK EMILE
who according to dispatches just
- received from England. viii ac-
company the Lord High Chancellor
across the Atlantic in August to visi:
the United States and TO take part in
the annual meeting OF the American
Bar Association at Montreal, Is some
thing more than the principal and
permanent secretary to the Lord Chan
cellor.'' For he is the clerk Of the
crown, his office carrying with il n
salary OF $4,000 year, while it's i'm
portance may he gagged by the fact
that he is II member or the Kings
Privy Council, and possesses the Grand
Cross Of the order of the Bath
1t is upon him that devolves the
elections. TO issue the Kings writs
calling for a new Parliament 10 meet
''at the City OF Westminster" The
writs in question are sent by the
clerk of the crown through the mails
free Of charge. and all sorts Of pre-
cautions are adopted TO Insure their
safe and speedy transmis sion. wiliul
neglect or delay In delivering or
transmitting the writ OF the clerk OF
the crown-such was occasionally
practiced In former days-being a
misdemeanor punishable by lne and
Imprisonment.
The writs are sent by him to those
temporal peers Of England and Wales
VINO do not happen to be minors or
undischarged bankrupts. TO what are
known as the representative peers Of
lreland-but not to those OF Scotland
Ito the spiritual peers OF Parliament,
that is to say. to the archblshops and
bishops OF English and Welsh Angli-
can sees, occupying as such seats in
the upper house, TO tho judges OF the
High Court. not being peers-all for
the House of Lords-and where the
House of Commons. is concerned. to
the nigh sherifs Of counties. TO the
Mayors Of municipal boroughs and TO
the returning officers OF parliamentary
boroughs
In the case OF the Commons. the
election must be held not less than nine
days after the receipt OF the writ. and
the returning officer. after the poll
has been taken, must send to the clerk
of the crown his certifcate OF the re-
suit, along with the poll books
With regard to the Scotch peers.
they at each general election assemble
at Holyrood Palace 10 choose sixteen
OF their number TO represent them in
the House OF Lords The returns OF
this IIolyroed Palace election are com
municated by the lord register of
Scotland to the clerk of the crown
The latter is the official custodian OF
all the returns to Parliament for the
United Kingdom and ireland. of all
the poll books and ballots used ut the
elections and soon as one general
election is finished. the Office OF the
clerk OF the crown at. once commences
separations for the next general cleo
tion. although the latter may he seven
years off-seven years being tho stat
utory life or Parliament unless
meanwhile dissolved by the sovereign.
From this II will be seen that the
clerk OF the crown IS one or the most
important factors In the Legislative
existence OF Great Britain. and thar
he forms sort OF connecting link
between the crown and the people
since II Is he who In the name OF the
sovereign summons peers, judges. pre-
lates and commoners TO assemble 70,
the transaction OF the legislative bust
ness of the vast British empire AT
the City of Westminster"
The present incumbent OF tho ON CO
the Right Hon. Sir Kenneth Muir
Mackenzie, must not he COMPOUNDED
with that Sir Kenneth Douglas Mac
kenzie who figured the other day In
the cable dispatches as having in
voked in London tho statute Of limi-
tatlons. for the nonpayment OF a loan