The French Chamber is getting hopelessly out of hand. On
Saturday it rejected the Government Bill suspending the irre- movability of Judges until a remodelling had been accomplished, and decreed removability as a principle by 282 to 193, a very large majority. This decision, should it be persisted in,. will enable a Reactionary Government summarily to dis- miss all Republican Judges, or compel them to decide according to its wishes. A proposal was then debated that the Judges, " instead of being appointed by the State, should be elected," of course by the people, though probably through a restricted suffrage. M. Humbert, the- Minister of Justice, resisted, as did also M. Gambetta; and an offer was made to fill Judgeships by competition among quali- fied men of ten years' standing, but the Chamber was resolute, and carried election by 275 to 203. M. Humbert immediately resigned, bnt M. Grevy refused to accept his resignation, and it is hoped that the Chamber will be induced to rescind its vote. It is quite possible, however, that it will not; and if it does not,. the securities for competent and unbiassed Judges will be finally swept away. With incompetent electors, and a Government allowed to dismiss at will, the able officials who in France seek judgeships will betake themselves to some other branch of the public service. Even in England election gives us the Coroners, decidedly the feeblest Judges in the country.
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