On Monday in the House of Lords Lord Bath called
atten- tion to the memorial on the appointment of Magistrates presented to the Lord Chancellor in December, and moved for papers. The Lord Chancellor laid it down that there could be only one safe general rule, and that was that no one should be appointed to the Bench who was not thoroughly fit for that high situation. He thought that ultimately some machinery might be invented to secure suitable appointments irrespective of party considerations. We agree heartily with Lord Loreburn's remarks. It is not desirable, of course, that the Bench should be looked upon as the appanage of any one party. At the same time, it so happens that in country districts the great majority of men suitable for the Bench are men of means who are Conservative in politics. The type of country gentleman is, on the whole, an excellent one for the Bench. His financial independence makes him less susceptible than most men to undesirable influences.
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