Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1856-08-19
RICHMOND WING.
LIVE pEgRAgE
Mum the Lo-io- T'-ss.

Liff FkkkAIhS
No., fhs Lo-do- T-ses.
No defeat vas ever marc elearl. 'ore-een or more J
" deserved than that which has followed 'ne
propos. Of the House Of Lords Tor reform "
Jurisdiction. Although enjoying tie support o. ~.
80. :, an. too yr,., parties in the STATE the bill en-
trsy "a. To concaie any amount Of independent
from am, ou.,,rr Members went vote for IL as th"'
,.,. yoiny ,o execution and when the final result was
the evidence satisfaction quite as mani
,.., In IN. faces Of the minority OF the majority The
House took different sides In appearance but In rea
there "a. no difference OF opinion Such coneordsn' as
cord .uch unanimous Division was never seen. was
b.. in which the vanquished onged Tor defeat ' ardent
k . IN. conoueror- for victory and both sides retired
.,.s.d the one With success and the other with iai-
ure.
What were the which led to this remarkable In
version Of the ordinary feelings OF the eombstant ~ -
worth while TO explore them because they curiou-i! mus
trsts the force and weakness ct party ties and the m-
which circum-criic the power OF the leaders "i r'a S'
tiona The cause of the confusion shch We nNe JuH'
WAS the discreditahc state o the appellate lus
icti,n of IN. House of Lords That fact had become "
notorious and scsndsious 10 b. any longer PSsse1
In silence The highest Court Of Appeal Sas reuuceu 10
sngle i,dye and he one OF those whose Judgments H-
..ls ,iyht most frequently be expected What was toll
Grated in the DAYS OF Eldon and harwcke coud ot oe
endured when men had learnt to consider the eee"t
administration of Justice Of more consequence
than sny party combination, any trsditonary
privilege and any individual or national pr'lu
dice whatsoever For this grievance Ministers sought
a remedy, and found it, or believed ,hey nsa 'ounu
IL in the revival pecrsgcs for life This uniucky mea
snrc had AT least this neTitthat Il Kept the aumnStra
ton Of Justice still in the baud. Of the House oi Lords ana
kept il also gratuous: hut il was highly disasteul 10 e
feelings of that assembly implying power IN the 'i-
yernn.nt of the day overwhem them by new oreao's
and without permanently increasing the numbers OF 's
order 70 swamp its Independence. Whether tue Femeb
was worse than the disease the disease than the RENE
.slI lin ohxbl n
bend j. ceriain-that the means when Tue aorN VI %
House of Lords took put matters TO rights nave o-
ceL state OF things infinitely worse tina" either VIM
out venturng that the pterogauve did ho' rh'
the Lords refused admit the Peer IN whose favour ad
been exercised and thus by one aud the same act SET
themselves against the constitutions" power OF tue
by which they themselves created and opposed the
only vet proposed for remcdying crying ana pa
tent abuse Of the first magnitude-the decay anu im''
nant dissolution OF the Court OF Appeal OF highest u'Sue
10, This Wa position douby untenablc Tor the leader
81 H. Conservative party-unenable towards the Crown,
whose rights had thus niringed and untena0e TO-
wards the hubble whose fortunes aud liberties were expo
sod TO risk nv the decisions OF Court in which no one ad
ANY confidence and the reform OF which had become an
absolute necessity ~, a..
A. marty n,ana.uvrc nothing could have becns'cticr
than to Lord Derby and his followers to enjoy inc
double iscrct OF dsOyay their Sovereign and indlfer
enc. to the rights and feelings OF their ieo~-suplrc's
We never remember instance OF more presunptous anu
and orsghtcd rashncs-, tending more ullecuS !" is
osn punishment and dscreit. But in this extremity
Lord Derby found allies in his opponents and ASSISTANCE
where he had nothing look for but obstruction ana re-
pulsion Those who had been defeated OH the question
of neerages for life felt strongly Lord Derby himself
the dscredit and difficulty into which he had brought
the House OF Lords Their feeling Tor their Order Was
stronger than their feeling for their party and they were
content To waive an advantage political opponent
in order the danger that Threatened the Peerge
it,eC compromise rather "croas, was agreed on
between the leaders OF parties in the Lords by which
the one the creation OF two lite peers ami
the other to the limitation OF their number aud the uris
diciion preserved in to the House, while Ia -n-
stance il transferred to tribunal paid b, Ihr pubic
TO do the duties the grautOus discharge Of ~ch The
Hous- of Lords claim honor and Distinction IL " among
the most singular instances of the extent 10 which the
spirit of caste will blind the clearest intellect that 1t sold
ever have been supposed such schene could OBTAIN thr
assent of the Lower House that II il did II could have
preserved for day the Judicial dignity OF the House oil
I.ords.
IT, a. might have been oreseen, satisfied nobody The
advocates of life peerag-s did like the restriction oi
the progatye the opponents OF life p-erages did not
like 10 --r them established To make the House sit ia
vacation divorce the Judicial from the legislative
character pay judge not TO assist ~ doing but &C
tnay TO the duty OF the Houao OF Lords Tor II was ir
to he hollow cheat 10y which false and mistaken dig
nifty preserved by throwing new burden on Tue pub
lie IL vas besides. very strongly felt that IN making
question such national importance the subject o
secret arrangement between themselves the leader OF
party had ansgr ssed the limits OF their implied author
IT, aud had assumed bind their followers in hater III
which the latter might reasonably claim To exercise Az n
tetIered discretion Nor did escape remark that "lt
the compromised the Cro~n did not make good
Cont o Appeal and saddled the public with heavy rH
DENSE it was emnently unjust Lord Wenseydae ~ho
seemed to have been Offered up sacrifice to the augrS
passions his elevation had provoked. No wonder that
such failed the wonder rather that At should
hss- obtained Temporary even momenary success
The abuses of the appellate jurisdiction are respited
till session. and hope the time for deliberations
will be better employed than 1t has hthsrto been What
should be done il is province TO Dot have
difficulty in saying what should not No Court OI APP
peal will sasfs the public which is not the best
that can in the present state Of Judicial knowledge, Toe
constructed. and amount Of convenience OF dignity for
the benefit the House of Peers will be- accepted
equivalent II the ?eers still wish undertake the All
min-lton Of Justice, they must make mp their minds TO
administer it for nothing Money and honour cannot come
from the source. ve willing, they wish to
relieve them from their Judicial duties but will pay
Others DO those duties tor them that ley prst"d
little longer that they are doing them themselves.