Part 16 (1/2)
As finally decided in the Report of the Select Committee the new Civil List was placed at 470,000 for the Sovereign--of which 110,000 was to go to the Privy Purse in place of 60,000 received by Queen Victoria; the Duke of Cornwall and York was to receive 20,000 annually, and the duchess 10,000--in addition, of course, to the 60,000 co to the Heir Apparent fro's children, the duchess of Fife, Princess Victoria and Princess Charles of Denmark, were each to have 6,000 a year for life; while the contingent annuity of 30,000 provided in the event of Queen Alexandra surviving her husband, was to be increased to 70,000 and a sied for the duchess of Cornwall and York The only apparent opposition in the Coested certain variations and reductions There was little influential criticises proposed--the _Daily News_, fro of one special increase of 50,000, as follows: ”The Queen must have a separate Household if the Monarchy is to be maintained, as most people wish that it should be racious kindness of Queen Alexandra, who has endeared herself to all the subjects of her husband, will iver”
On May 9th Resolutions based upon these recommendations were presented to the Commons by Sir M E Hicks-Beach and eventually carried by three hundred and seven to fifty-eight--the latter being composed of Irish members and Mr Labouchere The Chancellor of the Exchequer, in his introductory speech, referred to the Monarchy as ”the reat institutions” and then proceeded to enlarge upon the situation as follows: ”Throughout the Eht and proper feeling, of the enormous importance of the Crown as the main link of the relations with all the people of which the Empire is composed Therefore, I think it happened that, in the brief debate in which this subject was dealt with at the con of any difference of opinion as to the necessity ofa sufficient and adequate provision for the nity of the Crown”
He n had bequeathed Balmoral and Osborne House to her successor and that he had to maintain these residences as well as his old-ti Edward had no personal fortune and that the late Queen's savings had been willed to her younger children He concluded by expressing approval of the proposals as moderate and fair Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, on behalf of the Opposition, declared them to be reasonable and added: ”I do not doubt at all that the prevailing desire in this House and in the country is to see that a provision should be nity of the British Crohich shall fittingly represent the loyal attachment of the people” Mr J E Redmond followed and declared that not only had the Irish members refused to act upon the Coainst the Resolutions because of the unrepealed statute and Declaration regarding Roainst theth and was joined in speech and vote by two Labour hter and interruptions, declared theret that the working classes liked Royalty
The next subject discussed in Parliahout British countries generally, was that of the Royal titles As they stood when the King ascended the throne the only countries of the Enized were Great Britain, Ireland and India It was pointed out that Queen Mary in the days of SpanishPhilip, titles which included England, France, Naples, Jerusalem, Ireland, Spain, Sicily, Austria, Milan &c; that E of Hungary, Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Sclavonia, Gallicia, Illyria and Jerusalem; that the three principal countries of the Eh to be properly and permanently represented in this way; that it would enhance the dignity of Great Britain while placing Canada and Australia in a more equal and national position within the Enition had been supported in 1876 by Mr Gladstone and Mr Disraeli in the House of Commons; and that it had been proposed by the Colonial Conference of 1887
ADDITION TO THE KING'S titLES
Within a short ti's accession--on January 29th--a dispatch was sent by Mr Chamberlain to the Governors-General of Canada and Australia saying that the moment was opportune to consider the nize the ”separate and greatly increased i, personally, the phrase: ”King of Great Britain and Ireland and of Greater Britain beyond the Seas” Mr Chamberlain also expressed the belief that there were considerable difficulties in the way of such designations as King of Canada and King of Australia, owing to the smaller Colonies which would desire to be also specially mentioned Lord Minto, in his reply, expressed his Government's doubt as to the use of the word ”Greater Britain,” their preference for the title ”King of Canada” and their willingness, in case of jealousies elsewhere, to propose that of ”Sovereign of all British Dominions beyond the Seas” Lord Hopetoun stated that his Governn Lord of the British Realms beyond the Seas” The Colonial Secretary then communicated with Cape Colony, Newfoundland and New Zealand where the Governnation
On July 27th, Lord Salisbury introduced a n ”to make such addition to the style and title at present appertaining to the Idom and its Dependencies as to His Majestyunofficially, the Premier intimated that the Royal title would probably be ”Edward VII, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and of all the British Do, Defender of the Faith, E a short discussion in the House, two days later, Lord Rosebery suggested the title of ”King of all the Britains” Lord Salisbury did not consider this admissible, however, and the measure passed its second reason without opposition
Eventually the bill becaeneral approval at home and in the Colonies The title was then officially proclai of this action, Sir Horace Tozer of Queensland told the _Daily News_ of July 31st that the Commonwealth Act declared the desire of the Australian people, in its first words, to unite in one indissoluble Commonwealth ”under the Crown”
and he expressed the opinion that this action would ”ratify and give expression” to that deliberate decision
On May 10th, a Dublin newspaper called _The Irish People_ published an article about the King which was not only seditious in language but aboations and statees The paper was at once seized, and on the following day the Irish members precipitated a debate in Parliament upon the action thus taken Mr John Dillon pointed out that this paper was the recognized organ of the Nationalist rossly illegal, and declared that it was a blow struck at the freedoround Mr George Wyndham, the Chief Secretary for Ireland, spoke of the article as containing ”outrageous, scurrilous, gross and coarse ree n papers which had been so co the year He had ordered it to be seized because it was guilty of ”seditious libel,” because it was his duty to prevent such a nuisance fro inflicted upon the public, and because similar action had been taken in the past year upon an article attacking the late Queen Victoria Mr John Redmond declared that the action was taken too late, anyway, and that plenty of copies had gone through the mail to America and the Continent Mr Balfour supported Mr Wyndham and asked, if ”obscene libel” and ”a foul and poisoned weapon” were necessary aids to Irish agitation He pointed out that the Sovereign was incapable of replying to this sort of stateross offense against public decency and public law and loyalty” Mr H H Asquith, on behalf of the Opposition, took the ground that those concerned could appeal to the Courts, if injured, and that he could not but accept the Government's description of the article and support them in their action Messrs
Bryn-Roberts, Labouchere and John Burns criticised the Government, and the vote stood two hundred and fifty-two to sixty-four in approval of their action
The debate in the Imperial Parliament was, however, not the end of the matter A newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, called _The Tocsin_, republished the article in question, and its proprietor, Mr E Findley, MLA, was at once expelled froislature The discussion and vote took place on June 25th, when Mr Findley disclai publisher and not Editor, but defended the newspaper's stateal act He expressed regret, however, that the article had appeared in his journal, in view of its having given offence to the House The Premier of Victoria, Mr A J Peacock, at once declared that no apology was sufficient unless it included unqualified disavowal and disapproval of the article in question, andResolution: ”That the Honourablethe printer and publisher of a newspaper known as _The Tocsin_, in the issue of which, on the 20th instant, there is published a seditious libel regarding His Majesty the King, is guilty of disloyalty to His Majesty and has committed an act discreditable to the honour of Parliament, and that he, therefore, be expelled from this House”
Mr Irvine, Leader of the Opposition, endorsed the action of the Government, and declared that the republication--even to the appearance of a second edition of the paper--was a deliberate atteive currency to this ”foul and scandalous libel” as being a fact Many others spoke, and Mr Findley in another speech said he had no sympathy whatever with the article, and was extremely sorry that it had appeared
Orders had come from outside for thousands of copies of the paper and had not been filled The House, however, was determined to take action, and he was expelled by a vote of sixty-four to seventeen Mr Findley ran again as a Labour candidate in East Melbourne and was opposed by Mr
J F Deegan--a man of no particular politics, but known for his loyalty, and supported on the platform by both party Leaders The latter candidate was elected by a substantial majority A very few other Australian papers had, meanwhile, republished the article, and perhaps half a dozen Canadian ones
The first Parlia had suffered the loss of his distinguished sister, the Eust 8th, there passed ahat the _Times_ well termed ”a life of brilliant promise, of splendid hopes, of exalted ideals”--overruled with relentless rigour by a hard fate which brought her liberal principles into conflict with the iron will of Bismarck, nullified her capacity by the opposition of the Court of Berlin, and removed her husband by death at the very moment when the opportunity of power and position see, accompanied by Queen Alexandra and Princess Victoria, at once left for Frederickshof They were received at Ho by the Emperor William and conducted to the Castle The funeral took place aust 13th and the E were present as chiefland at the Chapel Royal, St Jah and in various other churches throughout the country
PUBLIC INCIDENTS AND FUNCTIONS
Meanwhile, various incidents illustrative of the King's tact and influence upon public affairs had occurred His well-known interest in American affairs was shown on June 1st by an official reception given at Windsor Castle to theEngland as guests of the London Chamber of Commerce
Accompanied by Lord Brassey and the Earl of Kintore, soentlemen were presented to His Majesty and Queen Alexandra They included General Horace Porter, Mr Morris K Jessup, the Hon Levi P
Morton, the Hon Cornelius N Bliss and Mr J Pierpont Morgan Some of the American expressions of opinion upon this not unusual courtesy to distinguished foreigners were extre Others, such as that of the N Y _Tribune_ were dignified and appreciative I of the atte sent a despatch of deepest syn Office to keep him informed as to the President's condition He was at the tien and to that place the bulletins were duly cabled froraphed to the American Ambassador at London: ”I rejoice to hear the favourable accounts of the President's health God grant that his life may be spared” After Mr McKinley's death, three days later, the King immediately cabled the Ambassador: ”Most truly do I sympathize with you and the whole Auished and ever-to-be-regretted President” In his reply Mr Choate declared that ”Your Majesty's constant solicitude and interest in these trying days have deeply touched the hearts ofat Court and soon afterwards received a ratitude for the sy declared that the Queen and hireat affliction and pray that God th to bear her heavy cross” On Septeranted a special audience by His Majesty in London and presented the formal thanks of Mrs McKinley and of the people of the United States for ”the constant syh the darkest hours of their distress and bereaveotten to show his continued appreciation of iven soof the Prince of Wales'
Hospital Fund on May 11th, presided over by the Duke of Fife and attended by Lord Rothschild, Lord Farquhar, Lord Iveagh, Lord Reay, Mr
Sydney Buxton and others the chairman stated that it was held by His Majesty's wish in order to announce his resignation of the Presidency and consent to take the position of Patron The King's place was to be taken by the Duke of Cornwall and York Lord Rothschild spoke at soth upon the i and of the valuable aid which they had consequently been able to give the hospitals and suffering poor of London On June 10th a letter was hton Probyn on behalf of the King, expressing to the Royal Agricultural Society of England his earnest hope that it would succeed in raising the 30,000 which was needed for building purposes, subscribing two hundred and fifty guineas toward this end, and expressing not only His Majesty's interest in its future welfare but his pleasure at having been associated with it during twenty two years of progress On July 3rd the King and Queen Alexandra, accoyll, received at Marlborough House so Institute inaugurated by the late Queen Badges were presented by Her Majesty to a couple of hundred and an address read and graciously answered An incident typical of the King's courtesy and thoughtfulness was seen in his inti the early part of the proceedings was standing bare-headed in the sun, to put on his hat--the King resu his in order to create the opportunity
His Majesty took great interest during the year in the proposed National Memorial to his Royal mother He had early appointed a special Committee of representatives to deal with the preliminaries and, on March 6th, a Report was sub that a statue of Queen Victoria should be the central feature of such a Memorial, and the location be either the vicinity of Westhalas and Lord Esher, the King visited the suggested sites that afternoon and finally approved a general position near Weste a the succeedingincident occurred on July 28th when a s the Countess of Aberdeen, Lady Taylor and others connected with the National Council of Woh House by Queen Alexandra and tendered an address signed by twenty-five thousand women of the Do and affection for his Consort In replying, Her Majesty referred with special pleasure to the tribute paid the late Queen and spoke of the beauty of the volumes in which the address was incorporated