New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-20

r~o,, the beginning Vt Nne wi NV mas
IRON 49, "a make this visit. Whether he
ws"'. has not great genius for the
hss y If a great Empire, he has Quail
ruins .,hieh III him for his post as Con-
r .9..,;onsl Sovereign of the realm. One
s,', ,ssn Is an intu.tive appreciation Of
OF ' .'ts Of public feeling. Now he
s s' ,.eYv we'll that, though the act
NVS sership Of armies is no longer
uA ~. 80 Of him, the days when Kings
eNP'>. -. field in person have left a
lovS s,snent impress on the EngilSh
pellllN"Th There is still a subeonscious
milo' "a see the King do something to
Sisn hst the field Of battle rs where,
she y;,r he really belongs. If you get
Is NM, the roots of things, that is
Cow enough 20 account for has pres
We there to-day.
The Hing and Mr.. Asquith.
49,. han once he has signihed to
~. W;n;sters his wish TO so. AT least
hs no nut the matter before the
Snse Minister formally for his
fI. n;o, and advice. Strictly, he was
epln'SSst "a do that. and bound to follow
s0N. .sv;se given him. The Prime Min
Ms bes been. i'm an emergency, Min
W.. ~ War. but his bent and habit
~" ;,5 are not wsrlike; or were not
800 no accented the insolent chal-
49,. WHICH Germany flung in his face.
,st;rcts are those of a party
~, of lawyer, of a great Parlla-
R@..,;ar and Of a Minister of the
nS.-nSto whom the Constitution as a
49, ;s more than the Crown, which
nsr+ OF the whole. The King rs TO
,bs Parliamentary Head of the
go rtirninc by a Parliamentary .tle
ga 'r,ssnonsible through his Ministers
az psrliament. The Kings duties are
$500 nv Acts of Parliament. Com
TsnSer.in-Chief as he IS Of the Navy
"a Amy. it is with his civil rela-
..rs n the Commonwealth that his
W;nisters are chiefly concerned. There
: ~ course. nothing in the Statute
p,ot nor in tradition TO prevent his
is.ying The KINGDOM. The late Queen
.s.sn {be late King often, went abroad.
S.rnsiimes for reasons of State, much
49, often for personal reasons.
n, | suppose the Prime Minister
= hound 10 consider that whereas
,ssss visits Of the Kings predecessors
"a re Continent had been made in time
- nssee. this IS q time Of war. true,
T;,c Edward went at least once to
T,sses Al much personal risk against
- v,;sb and remonstrance both OF MS
~, Ministers and Of the French gov
lament II is one of the ironies OF
t;s,orv that this visit. so undertaken,
J,rli have laid. and been meant by
,Is King 10 lay, the foundation OF that
rr+snte between France and England
vbirb is now proving itself a bulWarK
~ Civilizatiou against Barbar SIN mas
casrsding as Culture. King Edward
is5 as his son has, the courage OF MS
,,rs No risk Of personal danger, or OF
vIst was worse, insult IN the streets
~ paris. deferred him from dong, or
s,,smnt;rg % do, what he thought .
S;cb npblc .utv. The risk was OF a
80 5;Ferent kind from that of to-day,
brt i was a risk. which the gallantry
and personal charm OF hing Eu"a'u
tuned into q triumph.
With this and much else in his mind'
the Prime Minister, when the hlhg
wish was first formally signined u, 70
hin. felt 10 his duty to advise ms
Majesty 10 remain at home. ne hlng'
very reluctantly but IN obedlence 70
what then seemed a consututlonal
dgty. Welded 10 the advice OF MI.
Asouith. It may well enough be that
the military situation at that ume
some weeks aCo-seemed 70 the King
advisers. among whom not only MI
Ar0uith. but Lord Kitchener may be
included. uncertain or even critical
To the King himself. with his soldierly
Instincts. that may have seemed only
another reason for going. To ms
Minister'S. bound TO take thought Tor
he safety Of the Sovereign, II may
have seemed, and did seem, a sufficient
reason for Withholding their sanction
10 his journey.
The King BY Himself.
Prosting by this experience, the King
bided his time He has a great stock
Of patience. lie has also one of those
strong Wills on which time makes no
Impression win which opposition
cniy strengthens. He knows the tenn
per Of his troops and of his people.
he is sailor, but sailors and soldiers
are IN 0ne thing very much alike. They
are both Instruments Of war, and Of
var they hold warlike views. II will
not Be rash 10 assume that while, dur
ing ms Interval, the King still brooded
over the visi. % the front, be took
counsel with certain friends in uniform
VINO stand 70 him in what may be
es,led personal relation.
Nor would be 10 rash 10 say that his
mihd vas made up. He found reason
lor believing that in a period OF war
Whstlutioaal msxims lose some of
.hef force, and many of them disap-
gear altogether. England at this mo-
Isnt comes very near being in a state
" siege, or, to use a less picturesque
sna more accurate phrase, is for the
F.fposes Of this war under military
'ao' lie late Order in Council, issued
-uuer the Defence Of the Realm Act, is
EliOoi enough Of that IL is the aim of
N,l1isters 20 interfere as little as pos
~ win the ordinary operations and
Is9eas Of civil law, but when they
Ina u necessary they sweep civil law
Due They have taken power from
.aalIament 70 do that, and for doing
were can be no criticism upon them;
e,iuclsm IS for not doing 1t more
'0mpletely and efficiently.
. nen the King TO be blamed If he
well as his Ministers, puts a new
We IN force? The Order in Council
ms In terms The rule Of private
iauget may well seem to him to be
mere is authority for saying that
us take this view; that ne felt
CIi.S entitled as COmmander-in-
s,S . ot his Army to visit his Army;
NJ. mat Instead Of again asking ad-
ro; ~, ae told the Prime Minister he was
ae Preparations and Precautions.
mere were, Of course, preparations
/ N " made made: by the Admiralty first of
~, me Channel is infested by Ger
nj. submarines, which show no scru-
srn.I iiking unarmed as we'll as
lI,.ao ships. They have lately sent
so shlps Of the merch marine