New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-04-02
r1,r RT1RALLIFE OF ENGLAND
BY CAPTAIN MAYNE REID.
.,,r CO1-NTY. THE PARISH AND The
49, SOI1IRE.

81, ,,,oricans haze told me they would like to
- - of onr English rural lie than can De
learnt in lrried run through the country nv
.ar;oor VISITOR 70 England, usually a sojourner III
leo cities or rushing to and fro on railroads. %
little opportunity of becoming acqualn'' 49,;
.uch life least of all in London, inc 'e"'i" - 90
Cockayne whose subjects are lor 'ho - - v,or
ignorant of it as might be the a'ei"so ot,roods
r Rostonion with that of your own o"V N -
vi DosVon - Familiar with this life from
49,, o. 1r lived #. will. with your perhssion'
n"N''s 9ho readers of The TRIBUNE such oil It's
lay austoms and characteristics as conceive
~. be new or of interest to them; anu ioi '"oi'
,ottor co,nprehenson OF it would ask ihu"Igenoo
Inc some rather dry details relating to It's
o1itical organization which come under the heau'
ing of the county - = :..4
In England the county" is term OF important
,'enonce much mole so than your sde and
tho name of each county, or shlre rs IL Is III
d,eorentlv called is as familiar to E1glishmen as
tho ,,,es of your States are TO Americans. Politi-
oaur oil matters of administration relating spe-
iii 20 the sbires are in the hands of the county
.ie+rotes otherwise called justices of the peace,
NTH the Lord.I Lieutenant at their head; he APP
mounting or what is virtually the same thing. nom-
mating them for appointment by the Lord Chancel-
lor ot England: from which source comes bis own
commission Thus it Will he seen that the people
have neither act part in county ADMINISTRATION
no elective voice. not even a whisper OF 1t. Such
excepted matters controlled by their votes
are confined to the local government of towns and
,jllaces-ailairs municipal and parochial-but even
over most of these the county magistrate, n oNGo,
yields an influence.
The English justices of the peace, the Lords-Lieu-
tenant also hold Office for life, OF them recely-
ing any pay And as the service entails consider
able amount of labor with loss of time, II may be
thought strange their thus giving II sratW'ousiy'
Ii has It's compensations. however, IN the hohor
which the office confers, and the po'c'r; thoneh
,atrioti.m and a sense of duty may be dOuotiully
added as influencing motives. Whatever the true
motives il is an Office greatly coveted ana eagerly
sought after; especially by men of the middle
classes who have acquired wealth, and are aiming
10 enter the ranks of the gentry into which 1t
Gains them admission. Indeed, so much is il re-
earded by these. that some would even prefer being
ON the Commission Of the Peace" to having seat
in Parliament: since the latter is often due TO a
mere caprice Of popularity, and may not be perma-
nent while the former lasts for life. Besides, the
one honor comes from above, aud has spice OF
ROYAL flavor about it, while the other Is but be-
slowed by the people. Now, as the Lord-Lleu-
tenant himself the grand fgurehead of shire aG-
ministratlon is always a titled nobeman or other
county magnate, and as rule eltleF rank |
if need hardly he said that the magistrates so APP
pointed are rarely Of middle-claSs belonging Cases |
do occur ana more frequently now than in times |
past: for even the social preiudices of Lords
Lieutenant give way before wealth. But The truly |
eligible are the large landowners of the gentry |
class not excluding some of their poorer relatives
who may not own an acre; the clergy (Epscopaan !
alone: with naval and military officers retired |
from service and settled down in the shires. Law
yers are disentited by reason of their profession;
while doctors though eligible, are rarely justices
of the peace save in remote, out-of-the-way dis
trcts where other eligible persons not to be had
merclant-even wealthy One-in the Commits
sion of the Peace vdra arts; while the hold-
ing of it by farmer or NoncOnformist minister is
thing quite unknown.
OF these non elected and irresponsible layers-down
of the law each county has more or fewer accord
ing to its SIZE. population and other necessities;
though IN this there is no exact symmetry OF pro-
portion; many receiving the appointment as much
through favor and for distinctions sake for any
duties they may be called upon to discharge. The
average county will have two hundred of them. of
course scattered all over il. They meet four times
year at Quarter Sessions" in the shire hall of |
the county town, where they spend part of week
in deliberations both administrative and judicial.
But their chief functions are at home in their re-
spective districts on the Petty Sessions" Bench,
where some Of them sit once a week to adJudicatc
i'll ordinary eases of dispute; at least two being
necessary to give decisions, unless IN matters ofveTy
minor Importance. The county is divided into num-
Der of these Petty Sessions districts each having its
bench of magistrates, those resident within it
though some occasionally do duty in more than one
district voluntarily and by way OF relieving an
other The places of meeting are in the towns and
villages, but not unfreQuently in thinly inhabited
90 no IN bpOp
will hold its sittngs in a country roadside inn
centrally situated. As there is often long journey
10 the place of sitting, with several hours spent
there 1t will be seen that the office of an English
justice of the peace is no sinecure.
AS regards their dispensing of Justice it is gener
ally fair and honorable. Most of them are above
petty spites and when any comes before them |
in which of themselves has personal concern, he
retires from the bench while il is under cOnsdera-
ton. Still instances of "justiceSs justice" do
occur and where there is fragrant violation or mis-
carriage of Justice the magistrate guilty of it
runs the risk of a Government inquiry into his con-
duct and removal from the Commission of the
Peace. On the part of the people at such times.
there is an cutlery against the Great Unpaid" as
the county justices sarcastIcally called, and
clamOr for "stipendares "-salared magistrates
who hold Office under the general Government.the
people having an idea that these administer the
law IN fairer and better manner. This Is an eIrO
neOus assumption however, since stipendiary mag
istfates liable to giving unfair or mist aiken
judgments the Others. Besides were one such
appointed TO every Petty Sessions district with the
usual salary of $1,000 to 81 800 per annum, the
rates would he raised as TO soon put an end to
tie unreasoning outcry, with repentance 10 follow
The people of England too poor and too heavily
taxed for the theory OF justice to pay so high for
Its practice in the dspensation Parties in dispute
pay enough as it is. but with stipendiaries they
would have a surfet of it, SO the Great UnpaidD d