The Hokitika Guardian WEDNESDAY, OCT, 26th, 1921. HIS MAJESTY.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 October 1921, Page 2

The Hokitika Guardian WEDNESDAY, OCT, 26th, 1921. HIS MAJESTY.

Mil Masmky in too good a loyalist for anyone to suspect him of wishing to uiulormino the popularity of the Crown lint really the picture lie drew in the House of Kopresentativs the other evening of the part King George plays in the politics of the Empire would expose him in other circumstances t<> very grave misunderstanding. In the earlier part of the debate which followed upon the tabling of the report of the proceedings at the Imperial Conference, one of the Prime Minister’s supporters, Mr A. S. Malcolm, had! corrected his chief who had attributed to His Majesty "great power,” when the more

j fipproi‘riate term, the member for I Clutlia thought, would have been ■ “great influence. ’* But Mr Massey* 1 paid no attention to bis friend’s rebuke and in the course of his reply at 1 ' e conclusion of the debate 'lie made it quite* clear his words had been deliberately chosen. “It is true,” lie insisted, “that the King has tremendous powers. Ho is the only authority in the Empire that can set the machinery of government in motion. The recommendation of the Cabinet is brought along to hint hv the Prime Minister or by' the President of the Council, and the King discusses every detail of the proposal. T have been there and 1 know. Sometimes when he takes a different point of view from that of his Ministers he is able to induce even the Cabinet to change its view to .a, certain extent. Let ns make no mistake about it. The King takes a very active part in the Government of the Empire, and there is very importance going on in any part of the Empire with which he is net acquainted. 1 think that is a, very good thing.” Some of this loose talk is harmless enough, and some if it is even admirable. W want tho whole world to know that we are proud of nnr unfettered Constitution, of which the monarchy is the coping stelle. and that we hold in tho highest respect and regard our sovereign, lint when tho Prime Minister speaks of the King having “tremendous powers” and of his getting his own way, even to a “certain extent,” against the dolibor- . ate judgment, of the nation’s eonstitu- j tlonal representatives, ho does some

measure of violence to the popular eon. caption of a throne “broad based upon the popular will.” Tint though Mr Massey happens to have been there and to know, as- he says, moaning, we presume. that lie has actually seen Mr Lloyd George and his colleagues being dissuaded from their settled course by the eloquence and persistence of His Majesty, we venture to i-ontinue believing that the King is far too jealous of the spirit of the Constitution under which he reigns, and of his own dignity to do anything of the kind. That we are not' alone in tins belief may he judged from the haste with which the Reform organ in Wellington set about putting its protege right. “When Mr Massey remarked in Parliament yesterday” the “Dominiin” explaned in the. same issue as iti published the Minister’s words, “that, tint King lias great power, what lie obviously meant was influence, and it is unfortunate that at the moment lie did not see lit to accept the .correction w filch was at once supplied. .ft. is well understood that the

ning acts bv and with the advice and consent” of his Ministers. This tradition has been established throughout several centuries of llritish history. King George throughout Ids reign has maintained the strictest observance of constitutional rules and usages. Any term which would convey an impression to the contrary is unfortunate. The King, ofj course, has great influence, and that influence is sometimes most usefully and beneficially exerted. Wo are sure that nothing was further from Mr .Massey’s mind than to suggest any such unconstitutional tendency on the part uf His .Majesty as might he inferied from his remark.” This vicarious vet met ion of the unfortunate words may he allowed to close the incident, hut, one, cannot help regretting that the exclusion of history from our primary schools has left so many of our politicians in profound ignorance of the lessons of the past and wholly unalarmed by such a picture of the operation of the llritish constitution as Mr Massey presented to Parliament last week.