New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-25
DEc|ES IN THE LORDS
His Election as a Representa-.
tive Peer of ireland.

tive Peer of ireland.
Copyright, 1912 by the Brentwood Company
Lord Decies, whose barony, being an
Irish one, has not heretofore Possessed +.
seat in the House Of Lords, has Just been
elected for life to the latter nody As q
representative peer OF Ireland. The irish
peerage is represented by twenty-eieht Of
its number in the upper chamber of the
national legislature at Westminster
They are elected for life and hold their
places as such, no matter whether or NOT
they subsequently receive either BY gf,
from the crown or by inheritance. A
peerase of the United Kingdom. which
carries with it, ipso facto, the prcrogats.
OF hereditary leeislatorship.
As soon as one OF these rcprcseutati,.
peers dies, two of his colleagues notify
the Lord High Chancellor of England of
the fact. The latter thcreupon issues A
writ, under the Great Seal OF Great Bit.
ain and in the name OF the King, asking
for tho election Of successor TO tho
defunct legislator. II is addressed 10 the
Lord High Chancellor of ireland. The
latter, complying with the royal command
contained in the writ, dispatches through
the clerk OF the Crown and Hamper at
Dublin writs to every peer of Ireland
summoning each of them in the name OF
the sovereign to send to the Crown one.
at Dublin his vote for a representatiy.
peer to fill the vacancy
There is no meeting Of the Irish peers
for the purpose, as in the case Of the
election OF the representatives Of the pear
age of Scotland, the members OF which
assemble for the purpose in Holyrood
Palace, at Edinburgh, after each general
parliamentary election. Ireland's pears
merely mail their vote in duplicate form
to the Hanaper once al Dublin. where
one part is fled and the other forwarded
to the Clerk Of tho House Of Lords.
A peer Of the Emerald Isle does not re-
ceive from the Crown through the Lord
High Chancellor Of Ireland an invitation
to vote for the election OF representative
peer for Ireland until his rights 70 tn.
peerage which he holds have BEEN decided
in his favor By the Committee Of Priv.
leges OF the House Of Lords. II ths.s has
ever been the slightest question as to chs
validity Of his succession Tho Crown IL
careful. before 1t issues its wr1ts 70 Insh
peers. to make sure that it is not sum.
moning the wrong man. There Is no
such check, however, with regard 10
Scotch peers.
The Act Of Union provides that the
Crown shall create only one new Irish
"a 49,
tinct. Only eight Irish peerages have
been created by the Crown IN the last sew
enty years. namely, the Dukedom OF Alb
ercorn, and the Baroniss Of Athlunuey,
of Dunsandle, of Formoy. Of Clermont, 81
Rathdonnell, OF Bellew, OF Cranmore and
Of Curzon. Owing TO the fact that an
overwhelming majority OF the peers Of
ireland are not only Unionists, but even
Conservatives, TO which latter category
Lord Decies belongs. no Liberal Irish peer
is ever elected TO represent his order in
the House of Lords.
The election does not add in any way to
Lord Dsciess rank or precedence. But Il
does give him q seat i'm the House ~
Lords and a vote in the upper house Of
bh' HdNioitdi AtSloldlhltr AilhN J. " rNfs
a voice in the affairs OF the empire, which
he has not until now enjoyed
With regard 10 the diSnitary mentions,
a bove as clerk OF the Crown and Hama.
per-" he owes his queer title to the fse'
that the writs Of the Crown. and Of tn
Court Of Chsncery. in ireland. were orig
inally kept in a certain department M
the Chancery Office in London and *
Dublin, In basket or hamper, known IN
Latin as a "hanaperium." Gradually tnis
word came TO be applied 20 the bureau IN
which the basket or baskets were pre-
served That is how the clerk Of the
Court Of Chancery in Ireland became
known as the clerk OF the Crown and
Hamper" The Hamper Office survives
only in Ireland. In England it was swept
away by one Of the reorsanizations Of the
judicature as far back as in 1850.