Arizona republican., 1901-07-08

| Niif l'l'ubliN'
In England all the members of the
royal household and the officials OF the
| royal court. no matter what their de-
! gree, are subject to a special tribunal,
known as the Board OF Green Cloth,
which has likewise exclusive jurisdic-
| ton I'm the case OF all Oifenses COM
mitcd within the precincts or the royal
palaces and the gardens. grounds and
parks connected Herewith. The Board
| OF Green Cloth, composed OF several
high dignitaries OF the household, Is
| presided over by the lord steward or
| the household. Who has the power to
delegate to any judge or magistrate ms
authority to deal. in the name OF the
board with offenses that would legally
come before the latter. 1t is as the rep
reeantative of the Board Of Green Cloth
and as the deputy % the lord steward
that the senior police magistrate OF the
metropolis holds court In room under
meath the grand stand at Ascot during
the Ascot race meet each year, the
Ascot race course forming part OF
tho royal domain OF Windsor
Besides the Boarl of Green Cloth,
there IL the house Of lords which Is
called upon to serve a. tribunal In
n number of specific cases. strictly
speaking. there are two separate trl-
bunals known a" the house or lords.
There is for instance. the tribunal To
which cases may he carried on appeal
from the supreme court, and which Is
composed of what are known as the
law lords. shat is to say. of peers who
=. id IN hanEn
who are still regular members of the
high court of judicature. But no lay
or spiritual peers have anything to do
with this tribunal, which has jurisdic-
ton only In the United Kingdom, the
judicial committee OF the privy coun-
ell serving as court of final appeal Tor
the British empire. As the law lords
of the house Of lords IRE likewise mem
beers of the judicial committee OF the
privy council the two courts, which
are entirely distinct. are often con-
fused. The judicial committee OF the
privy council Is virtually the final tri-
bunal OF appeal of the empire, repre-
senting as 1t does the sovereign, who
is the last resort In all legal Issues.
The tribunal. however. by which Earl
russell is lihtly " Nc JubSNb 'liNl'tiJ
different from either Of the courts just
mentioned. In the FIRST place, its mem
bership is in no sense restricted to the
so-callcd law lords of the upper cham
Der of the national Legislature. On the
contrary, every temporal peer who ia
not minor or a bankrupt has IL right
to take part in it, and to sit in judg-
mcnt in the case brought before II.
Even insanity IL no bar. Earl Rus.elIS
guilt or innocence of the charge of big
amy will be determined by "A majority
of votes, and there is nothing to pre-
vent the decisive votes being cast by
peers who are lunatics. For it Is i'm
possible to forget that no less than
three peers were brought from insane
asylums to Westminster in charge Of
their keepers to take part in the mem
orable vote by which Mr.. Gladstone's
home rule bill, after being passed by
the house of commons was killed by
the house of lords.
There are two distinct and separate
classes of issues upon which the house
of lords H. called to sit in judgment in
its entirety. The first of these Is when
the houge of commons impeacheS "a citi-
zen, be he cabinet minister, high official
or royal parsonage. In that case the
house of commons. assumes the role of
prosecutor as it did, for instance. in
the memorable instance of Warren
Hastings, tried by the house of lords,
after impeachment by the house of
commons, on charges of corruption and
oppresGion, while governor general of
India. The second case Is when a peer
of the realm is charged with treason,
he can claim trial, not by any ordinary
court of law. by his fellow peers, name
ly. the house of lords. This prerogative
extends to his wife, and likewise to a
to have forfeited her prerogatives as
peeress by remarrage with man who
does not happen to be a peer of the
realm. Both Irish peers and Scotch
of lords as representative peers Of their
r spective kingdoms. an nevertheless
entitled to trial by the upper chamber
of the national Legislature. But this
prerogative is. not enjoyed by biahops
and archbishops who form part of the
upper house, but merely spiritual lords
of parliament" which Is quite a differ
ent thing. Thus, although the arch
bishop of Canterbury ranks immedi-
ately after the royal family, enjoys the