The Daily News. TUESDAY, MAY 4, 1920. ROYALTY AND DEMOCRACY.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 May 1920, Page 4

The Daily News. TUESDAY, MAY 4, 1920. ROYALTY AND DEMOCRACY.

The Prince of Wales' visit to New Zealand, the most truly democratic unit of the Empire, the spontaneity and enthusiasm displayed by all sections of the community in his welcome, and the intense loyalty that is everywhere evident, may well cause thoughtful people to reflect on what all Republican countries may justly regard as a constitutional puzzle. Britain has shown the world how it is possible for an Empire to be democratic in the fullest meaning of the term, and yet be Imperial; to be completely self-governing by the people, and yet to regard the Sovereign as the king-pin—the most important person in the whole group of units which make up the [Empire. He forms the one un- | broken link in the machinery of Government—the King never dies. Parliaments have a limited existence and are renewed; premiers come and go; ministers rise and fall; the King alone remains at the head of the State, and When removed by the hand of death the succession to the Throne is immediate, so there is no break in the continuity. In every activity there must be a head, whether it is an Empire, a nation, a kingdom, a church, a municipality, a business concern, a trade union, or any other body, and though the British sovereign is the supreme personage, the King-pin which keeps the nation and the Empire together, he rules, but does not govern. Theoretically he appoints his Ministers, but actually this is done by the Party leaders, and yet it is the King who leads the people in nobility of character and by force of example. Possessing no power, yet the inspiring source of power; having no i'is:ht to dictate on matters of government, yet ever ready to advise in times of crisis; in one sense the personification of authority, yet devoid, of all control. He is the one great link in the chain of Empire, and it is in connection with this vital position that the Heir Apparent's tour of the Dominions assumes such a vast importance by bringing home to the overseas people of the Empire the personal element of kingship and its potency in attracting loyalty to the supreme head and amity between the units. Never has the British Empire been so powerful or been held in such high esteem as it is to-day under King George, and the visit of the Heir to the Throne has enabled the people to realise to the full the important part the Royal Family play in promoting a common bond of union without -which the fabric of Empire would speedily dissolve. If we contrast the great American Republic with Britain it is at once seen bow far superior from all

i points of view is the British Constitution. Our King could never be placed in an invidious position like that in which President Wilson found himself over the Peace Treaty and the League of Nations, when having acted for his country as the head of the greatest democracy, he is flouted by party-mon-gers in the Senate, and made to appear as a nonentity. No British Sovereign could suffer such an indignity, nor is he subject to the ordeal of having to win votes in order to rule. In this analogy can be seen the great advantage of that security on which the whole British fabric stands. It is also [accountable for the purity of British justice, and for the high ideals that animate the people. British people the world over may well be proud of their privileges and their Constitution, with Royalty at the head. The people of the Empire, in demonstrating their immutable loyalty to the reigning House as personified by the Prince of Wales, are giving no uncertain testimony to the fact that they appreciate to the full the wise and beneficent rule under which the Empire has flourished, and under which liberty, justice and prosperity are yielding a rich harvest of loyalty and contentment. May it be so for all time!