Page:A short English constitutional history for law students (IA shortenglishcons00hamm).pdf/31

 form in which the statute was intended to take and it was called “a Bill.” This the King had cither to accept or reject 11 toto. Under the fudovs the exercise of the royal “veto” was seldom used, because they were seldom asked to assent to a measure which they disliked. The Stuarts used frequently to assent to a Bill which they dislavoured, relying on their pre- rogative to nullify its effect by means of the suspending and dispensing powers. e. William III. used his veto frequently, because he was personally unpopular with the House of Lords, and could not use any suspending or dispensing powers as his predecessors had been able to do. f. Anne was the last Sovereign to use the veto, doing so in the case of the Scotch Militia Bill, 1707. Yhe veto has really become obsolete since the Revolution, owing to the transition fram “ the government by the Crown through the instru- mentality of its Ministers, to that of the government by the Ministers in the name and through the instrumentality of the Crown.” ce & oR Claims which the Crown formerly itade in virtue of its supreme executive power to exercise legislative authority. a. Edward I, sought to change the law merely by an “ordinance, ’* thus usurping the power of the Legislature. i, Parliament tried to prevent this, e.g. by a declaration in 1322 iil. Nevertheless the King used to continue this practice and Parliament hit on the device of giving statutory effect to ordi- mances already passed to remove the possibility of a dispute, ¢.y, the Statute of Staple embodied the Ordinance of Staple, 1340; the Statute of Labourers embodied the Ordinance of Labourers. b, Richard Il, who became absolute in power, obtained from Parliament the complete sub- jection of its legislative powers.