The Liberal Irish Peers complain that they are almost ignored
in the representation of the order. There are 150 such peers, of whom 90 are Tories and 60 Liberals, and they elect 28 represen- tatives. The majority having it all their own way, leave the matter with Lord Derby, who practically nominates to every vacancy. That is not a bad arrangement, but instead of fairly electing every three peers in every five from among Conservatives, Lord Derby selects a Conservative for the other two also, and so the Liberal pelts are not represented at all. The evil is one incident to all very small representative bodies, but the Tories must not wonder if when the balance turns, as it may turn, they are treated with a similar unfairness. It is curious, by the way, to remark, as the value of a title on the hustings becomes understood, how the public appreciation of an Irish peerage rises. It will soon, at the present rate, be worth an English one, and fifty years hence may be worth more.
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