Arizona silver belt., 1890-03-08
PRIVILEGES OF PEERS.
Modern NoblemeD Have More Privileges
 in Theory Than in Reality.

!
 include Dukes, Marquises, Paris, Wis
 counts and Barons; though it is gen
 erally understood to include all per sons entitled to the prefix of Duke or
 Lord. In common parlance, these are
 the two prefxes of English nobility.
 The title of the present Prime Minis ter is the Marquis of Salisbury, but
 nine times out of ten he is referred to
 as Lord Salisbury. That nobleman'a old rival, the Earl of Derby, is gen
 orally spoken of as Lord Derby, and
 for every man who speaks of ViscOunt
 Wolseley there are at least a score
 who apply to the hero of Tel el-
 keber the shorter and moro popular
 prefix Lord" Lord Tennyson is fre-
 quently spoken of but the poet laureate
 is really Baron and his correct title,
 to be punctiliously accurate is Alfred,
 Baron Tennyson. In other words, al-
 most every peer with lower prestige
 than a Duke is familiarly spoken of as 'Lord,n striking evidence of the growing carelessness of the public aa to titles; and it is needless to add that
 peers themselves are much too jealouI of their privileges and titles to be guilty of such disregard of discrim- ination.
 The only persons who, to be strictly according to Burke, should be ad- dressed as Lord" are tke younger sons of peers who are entitled to the prefix before both Christian and sur name. Thus, by courtesy, young CT brother of the present Duke of Marlborough is known as Lord Ran dolph Churchill, and the son of the Duke of Devonshire who was mur- dered in Phoenix Park, was Lord Frederick Cavendish. The personal privilege which used to be most high ly valued was the right of peer ol the realm to demand trial by jury of his peers if charged with treason or felony. Such trials, however, are oi very rare occurrence and the privilege amounts to very little. It is largely responsible for the ancient saying about there being ono law for the rich and another for the poor, especially as in times gone by a peer had to be wealthy, and was even dispossessed of his title if his fortune fell below what was considered the nobleman's mini mum.
 Among the other privileges of the individual is freedom from arrest in civil actions and the exemption of the person from attachment. To-day this does not amount to much, as arrest in civil suits is very rare occurrence. But it was different in the old inn prisonment-for-debt days, when the privilege was often extremely con- yenient. It is quite commonly SUD- posed that peer can not be arrested by the police for a criminal offense, but this is an error, and of late years several noblemen have been run i'm for misdemeanors Exemption from jury service is often more valuable privilege, and a peer has also the right to sit in any court of justice with his hat on. right. it is needless to add, that few noble men are caddish or idiotic enough to take advantage of. The Barons of Kingsdale possess, in addition, the right in perpetuity of sitting in the presence of royalty with their heads covered. In an American novel there is an amusing reference to a nobleman who was granted the right to sit in the presence of the King, and it is to be presumed the author had the Kings dale privilege in his mind when he penned his little satire.
 There are few other privileges pos sessed by peers. They may, under certain circumstances, decline to be sworn, pledging their honor instead of their oath, and it is still, according to the statute books, a most serious offense to criticize or malign a peer But the old Scandalunl 7nagRatWn7, de- scribed by Blackstone, is partially a dead letter, and it is now good form for peer to treat his traducers with silent contempt. American visitors often express astonishment at the bar renness of the honor of peerage, and possibly some readers may imagine that nobleman is in receipt of some kind of remuneration. Such is not the case. There are many sinecure offices connected with politics which are always, or nearly always. given to peers, but the salary often fails to come up to the expenses. Even the granting of peerage does not involve a royal or national grant. Some peers owe their titles to the immortality of certain female ancestors, and still draw pensions in part payment for their great great grandmoth- CTS shame; others, the Marl- boroughs for example, draw pen sions as a result of nations grati- tude to a successful General. But, speaking generally, a peerage is a source of expense and not of revenue. No man will accept peerage unless he is comparatively wealthy. Hence, peer is often a peer because he or his on0ooUofS were DleSSeu WlIn plenGy ol this worlds goods, but it is to confuse cause and effect to imagine that a peer. age involves wealth. It is often just the other way.-St. Louis Globe-Dem- ocrat.
 Much Lost.
 A neat proverb advises you to Pocket your watch. and watch youT