New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-01
LORD DUNR4VEN'S NEW OFFICE.
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE LORD LIEUTENANT
OF A COUNTY

The appointment Lord Lieutenant of the county
Of Limerick. which has jus, been conferred upon
Lord Dunraven. the official notification thereof APP
pearng. by a strange coincidence. in The London
Gazette" on the self-same day that his expulsion
from the New-York Yacht Club announced
there by cable. must be regarded gift from Lord
Salisbury Although the patent Of office bears the
sign manual of the sovereign. the dignity is con.
ferred upon the nomination Of the Prime Minister
who makes a point Of always selecting for the
Office a peer great territorial magnate who has
rendered services in the past ard Is In position 10
render political service in the future 10 his party.
The office OF Custos Rotuorum is nowadays ASSOC
ciated with that Of Lord Lieutenant, the Custos be-
ing strictly speaking civil official. and the Lord
Lieutenant a military The "Custos Rotuo-
rum" Keeper OF the Rolls and Records Of the
Session OF the Peace" is such the chief Of the
justices Of the peace and Of the county magistrates;
and previous the revolution OF Cromwell. the
office was always held distinct from that Of Lord
Lieutenant
The Lord Lieutenant is the principal representative
OF the Queen IN the county. and such. even If a
mere commoner. takes precedence Of everybody n
the shire. no matter whether earis dukes. The
Office dates from the re On OF Queen Elizabe n, and
in those days the hoder thereof intrusted with
the duty OF mastering and training the local militia
and OF guarding the coast and boundaries OF tho
county from invasion. AT first he only nomi-
mated in times OF difficulty danger but grad.
ualy his office became a permanent one ana the
power until then held by the high sheriff vested
in him. and he termed the Vice Regent OF his
Sovereign.
Gradually and by degrees the office Of Custos Ro-
tulorum became merged in that of Lord Lieutenant.
and stated above. the Offices now invari-
ably held by the same person. VINO is thus not only
the chief justices OF the peace ana OF county
magistrates, but also the dgnitary having their se-
lection and appointment. Being always grea; ter
ritoral magnate rule the grandest peer and the
biggest andholier OF the shire ne usually makes y
a rule appoint none but feilow-magnates ard
squires 10 the position OF deputy lieutenant and
justices Of the peace. In this the entire county
magistracy Of Great Britain has come into the hands
OF the landowners and "squirarchy, who adm.nis-
itng vita especial severity Offences against the
game laws. poaching being considered the most
henous crime in their calendar.
The territorial magnates, a general rule. belong
TO the Conservative party. Liberalism being relative.
~ rare among the squirarchy and county families le
therefore follows that almost the entire rural magls:
tracy OF the United Kingdom, the great unpaid
Mr. Labouchere describes them, are OF Tory per-
sion thus constituting NdIu9 Die ala 70 the po-
li;ical faction of which Lord Salisbury is the cnief
The Lord Lieutenant Of a county wears a gor-
grous uniform OF scarlet and gold. with plumei
hat II Is. in fact. the uniform OF militia general.
being really the military rank OF this, the prln-
pal dgnitary OF the county. The Office * held FOR
life and by reason O. the prestige and precedence
which confers upon its holder. l. invariably con-
sidered In the ligAt Of prize and reward for scr.
vices rendered 10 the party.