The Sun.
London, England, 1868-11-19 00:00:00

THE LATCH-KEY.

Two important decisions have been given in the
Registration Appeal Courts of Dublin. In the first
case the famous latch-key question was decided.
Because a landlord had not got a latch-key,
the revising barrister declared that he had
not that control over his house to enable
his tenants to vote as lodgers. Such an
absurd deduction from the non-possession of a latch-
key—(was the barrister the relative of a lockmaker ?)
—has been declared untenable. In another case,
students occupying rooms in Trinity College were
not admitted as lodgers.

urnsn " ELOQUENCE."

For a non-politician just now newspapers must be
exceedingly interesting reading. How he must look
upon the long lists of members returned and candi-
dates rejected ! To him the journals are a dreary
waste—a compilation of rubbish. But to those whom
these elections excite, the speeches and the numbers
lose all appearance of dry, dreary statistics, and
become exceedingly palatable. There is, at any
rate, no want of " earnestness " in Ireland.
The leading Liberal journal of Dublin—the
Evening Freeman —by no means sends forth
from its trumpet an uncertain sound. Speaking of
the election, it exclaims : " Who amongst them will
fail in his duty at such a time ? Shame on the
recreant who would so play traitor to our glorious
cause! lie should crawl for the rest of his degraded
life like a reptile amongst a people who loathe
such dishonour more than any other people on the
earth." We suppose readers really do take this in,
or it would never be written. But Captain Mayne
Reid would hardly have written a clause in his
" curse " more " stirring," as it is called, than this.
With all the excitement of an Irish election, it
hardly reaches the point that characterises the
Americans. At the Presidential election on the 3rd
‘7lrlt sent round the

rouse their voters.

THE PUBLIC SAFETY.

Sir Richard Mayne has been moved at last.
Aroused by public opinion, he has been good enough
to prepare returns, of which the _Dail✓ News says that
they do not, at first glance, bear out the assumption
of the great increase of crimes of violence on
which the alarms of the public have been
founded. They shew, indeed, supposing them
to be correct, that in the metropolis crimes
of violence have been fewer in the twelve months
ending September 1868 than in the previous twelve.
The numbers apprehended, too, in proportion to the
crimes stand in a higher ratio. One would like to
know how the number of violent crimes where no
apprehension follows is ascertained.

A STRANGE SUBSCRIPTION.

The Prince of Wales has subscribed twenty guineas
to the restoration fund of the church of All Saints,
Lambeth. Our readers may possibly know that the
vicar, Dr. Lee, is an extreme High Churchman. He
is a great Tory, and very eccentric in the exposition
of his views. On the Sunday before the elections he
favoured his congregation with a political sermon,
during which he used such quaint expressions that the
members of hischoir could not concealtheirmerriment.
Whether his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales
has heard of the doctor's doctrine of the divine right
of kings, we know not. The reverend gentleman
denounced as an absurdity the theory that power
emanates from the people. We might as well say
that a child has the right to decide when his parents
were to flog him. He reminded his hearers that the
clergy of the Church of England were pledged to the
law of the Church as it is, not as it might be altered
by an infidel Parliament. Ho was very bitter
against the insolence of the philosophers,
and very decided as to the separate jurisdiction of
the Church over the State. If the Church of Englai,d
did not do her duty another communion would take
her place and do it very effectually. We should
hardly think that Royalty has yet been to church in
the New Cut.