On Wednesday a deputation of Liberal 11T.P.'s waited an the
Prime Minister to complain of the present condition of the Magistracy. Their chief point was that even under a Liberal Lord Chancellor perfectly suitable Liberals are con- stantly rejected. The Prime Minister in reply stated that Lord Loreburn had already made nearly four thousand new Magistrates, of whom three-fourths were Liberals. We are glad to say that the Prime Minister did not yield on the main point. To have done that would have involved a censure of the Lord Chancellor, which must have produced his resignation. We also agree with the Prime Minister that the office of Magistrate should not be given on social considerations or as a reward for political services, but that regard should be had above all things to the degree of public confidence enjoyed by candidates for the Magistracy. As he said, a judicial system which fails to inspire confidence and respect is a gross evil. We regret, how, ever, to note that the Prime Minister went on to declare that "the present system was in many respects an impossible system, and he condemned it root and branch." That is surely a gross exaggeration.
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