The Barrow Herald and Furness Advertiser. — 1890-02-15 (Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England)

BABROW -IN-F1:IINBSS,  SATI-RDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1890.  HOME RULE A remarkable article has a peared in the I Contemporary Review of this month on the object filome Rule in Scotland, and in India. The writer describes himself as a Bengal magistrate, and relates how he has represent the Government in its transactions with ropulations exceeding those of Wales, or of all Inland. He further relates how he has resided in Ireland, trod has stud it d the present regime in comparison with the action of Government in Bengal. The article is diviled into several heads, treating, of famines, land commissions, magistrates, police, the religious minority, eta., etc We earnestly commend it not early to our t iberal friends, but also to those of our o,Tonents who find the subject of Irish Government a difficulty and a perplexity. Wethink, 'hen they have read it, they will bight to see why Bengal is prosperous and contented, and why Ireland is restless and disconteute I. Perhaps one of the most interesting portions is that in which he compares the district and assistant magistrates in India with the remuvables in Ireland. Our readers are sufficiently asqUainted with the character and the doings of the " re-novables " to appreciate the comparison. "The district mat,istrates in•lndia are chosen by open competition to I which all subjects of her Majesty have access, so that among them are found men -of all colours, races and faiths, Hindu, Moslem, Parsi, as well as Catholic and Protestant." The magistrat, has to pass in examination in Hindu and Moslem law as well as in Engl:sh law, and also in several languages, classical and vernacular. 'His actual work is scrutinised and rigidly tested for years after he has passed this ordeal. The language of the court is the vernacular. After passing the examiners, it is constantly impressed upon them and the public that there is no one more liable to err than a  magistrate, bo when sentencing the pettiest ease, the grey-haired officer has to record his reason in writing Every prisoner sonvicted is allowed a copy free of charge, 911 d the gaol officials are compelled to draft appeals for all prisoners. Thus everyone can bring his case before a higher court, without, stamp, counsel, fee or friend. Not sontent with this, the superior courts inspect abstracts of all decided cases which are sent up daily. They call for the records, and in hundreds of cases they cancel the order. The Indian motto, in fast, is that justice must be done between the Queen-Empress and the swarthy prisoner at the bar, and however tedious and costly, all precautions must be taken." The result of such care and impartiality is, as might be expected, that the people respect the law and respect the magistrates. "It has been my lot " says the writer, "on more than one occasion, as an Indian magistrate, to stand between rival masses numbering 30,000 on one side and 50,v00 en the other, both yearning for hostilities, and with the aid of a few policemen only, peace was preserved without evea a baton charge, or a broken head." The article is interspersed with statements that are no less than startling, as for instance, that "the main objects and machinery of the Plan of Campaign are lawful in India—nay the course followed by its supporters is prescribed by law as compulsory on the magistrates ;" or, "the men who committed all the noted murders of English officers from Fraser to Lord Monro, were Moslem. These outbreaks of individuals did not lead to reprisals by the State upon the Moslem nation ; no Coercion Acts were passed Increased energy was shown, rather, in sending the schoolmaster among the ignorant Pathans." Or again, in discussing the Land Commission : " Speedy justice for the toiling masses is indispensable. If the interest of large landowners stand in the way, they must be thrust aside." It is impossible for us in a short space to give more than a glance at the many interesting subjects discussed in this ar:ielc. But it may be said that the description given of justice in Bengal, as compared with what is called the "justices' justice" of Irish Removahles, shows the one system to be the greatest possible contrast to the other, and goes a long way to explain the difference in the results of those systems