332 THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNMENT [part 11 
Houses. For this there are various reasons : the Lower House 
has alone the power of originating Money Bills, and thiswould 
leave a Government which had not their support in a helpless 
condition : then the Upper House has never quite equal 
powers in regard to Money Bills, while, in all cases save 
that of the Commonwealth, it does not represent so much 
democratic feeling as the Lower House. In the latter case 
the Upper House is more democratic than the Lower, but 
even there the Government depends on the Lower House. 
It is indeed conceivable that the Upper House might, in 
virtue of its position as at once a democratic House and 
a representative of the states, decide that a Government 
must depend on it also for its existence, but such a claim 
has not yet been made by that House, and if made would 
be very inconvenient in result. The Upper House does not 
divide on purely party lines, but exercises an independence 
which would be quite impossible if the Government were to 
depend on it for its existence. 
The nearest approach to the control of the Government 
by the Upper House is perhaps to be seen in the case of the 
Legislative Council of the Cape. In 1907, by its tactics as 
to refusing to form the appropriations for the year, it 
caused Dr. Jameson to agree to a dissolution, and in 1898, 
according to Wilmot,! it compelled the Government to pass 
a Redistribution Bill, by threatening to prevent legislation. 
In the former case the Council had an equal number of 
members and the Bond was in opposition: in the latter 
Sir G. Sprigg’s supporters formed the majority of that House. 
It may be added that it is beyond question? the right of 
the Governor to decide whom he shall select as Prime 
Minister. This was asserted by Governor Head in Canada 
on May 22, 1856, when on receiving certain advice he 
acknowledged it, but pointed out that it was not a matter 
on which he was bound to act on advice. Again, in 1908, 
the Sveaker of the Commonwealth House of Revresentatives 
t South Africa, iii. 347. 
* Cf. Baker, Constitution of South Australia, Pp. xxv, 
* Pope. Sir John Macdonald. i. 336.