have nothing to do with their action or management. Local justice is
administered by unpaid magistrates as in England, but they have been
assisted, and gradually are being supplanted, by magistrates appointed
by the Lord-Lieutenant and paid by the State.

This state of things arose many years ago from the want of confidence
between resident landlords and the bulk of the people. When agrarian or
religious differences disturbed a locality the people distrusted the
local magistrates, and by degrees the system of stipendiary, or, as they
are called, resident magistrates, spread over the country. To maintain
the judicial independence and impartiality of these magistrates is of
the highest importance. At one time this was in some danger, for the
resident magistrates not only heard cases at petty sessions, but, as
executive peace officers, to a very great extent took the control of the
police in their district, not only at riots, but in following up and
discovering offenders. Their position as judicial and executive officers
was thus very unfortunately mixed up. Between 1882 and 1883 the Irish
Government did their utmost to separate and distinguish between these
two functions, and it is to be hoped that the same policy has been and
will be now continued, otherwise grave mischief in the administration of
justice will arise. The existence of this staff of stipendiary
magistrates could not fail to weaken the influence of the gentry in
local affairs, and, at the same time, other causes were at work to
undermine still further their power. The spread of education, the
ballot, the extension of the franchise, communication with America, all
tended to strengthen the political leaning of the tenants towards the
National party in Ireland, and to widen the political differences
between the richer and poorer classes in the country. The result of this
has been, that not only have even the best landlords gradually lost
their power in Parliamentary elections and on elective boards, but the