11 SEPTEMBER 1920, Page 3

The Times of Tuesday published an admirable letter about the

Lord Mayor of Cork from Mr. J. A. R. Marriott. Members of Parliament, he says, are at liberty, like other citizens, to petition the Crown, " but I hold strongly that it is not part of their duty collectively to interfere with the discretion of the Executive in regard to the exercise of the prerogative of mercy." Mr. Marriott then goes on to declare that since the imprisonment of Mr. MacSwiney is due to the action of the judicature, the function of saying whether he should or should not be released ex gratia belongs solely to the Executive. " I can conceive nothing more mischievous than the intrusion of the legislature upon the legitimate sphere of the judiciary or the Executive."