Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 05.pdf/549

 77/6' Green Bag. even now when this has become a super the Four Courts, one must certainly go both fluous thing in courts of law. And besides to bench and bar. Promotion is so quick an expectant audience there are other incite and the judges are so many that, if the ments to eloquence. An Irish jury and an " bull " may be pardoned, the leaders of the English, for instance, are widely different bar must be looked for on the bench. In bodies. The English lawyer who knows so England, unless it be a very strong individ well that acme of Cockney respectability — uality, the man is usually merged in the that phalanx of twelve faces of varying position, so soon as a judge is made. But in degrees of wooden stolidity, aptly called a Ireland the men go to the bench who in "panel " — may well England join the Cab be excused if he drops inet; they are mainly oratory and sticks to politicians retired from his brief. They have business. The judgecome there with two ships are the highest ideas : the first, the appointments in the awful solemnity of the country, — highest occasion; the second, both in position and the conviction that in salary, which ranges the British juror is from .£2,000 to £8,000 not to be hoodwinked. per annum. In a Hence they greet the country where busi advocate with an un ness languishes and blinking stare, and commercial enterprise oratorical flourishes is almost dead, these with the suspicion naturally draw the that the orator is try greatest intellects to ing to impose on them, compete for them. — an unfortunate de The way to the bench cision for any jury to is almost invariably arrive at. In an Irish through the House of law-court he will find Commons, and the twelve men instead of method finds its justi THE RIGHT HONT. SAMt'EL WALKER an amalgam, and each fication in the splendid Lord High Chancellor of Ireland. man packed full of calibre of Ireland's humors. The enthu present jurists. Norsiast who during Butt's speech for Duffy bury and Clare and Clonmell have found no rose and shouted, " Hurrah for Repeal! " successors, and Ireland may point to her may be seen in any jury-box in Dublin to judges to-day as presiding over one of the day. He is a little more staid, as becomes fairest tribunals in the world. his added years. But he is quick-witted The Right Hon. Samuel Walker, who holds and keenly critical, something of a humor the blue riband of the legal race, is probably ist, and with an eager, speaking face, from the soundest lawyer at the Irish Bar. The which an old jury lawyer may almost tell making of a new Lord Chancellor is not how his case goes. Surely an ideal audi infrequently made the occasion of a few sar ence for a speaker, and one that will lead castic comments on a system which teaches him to do his best. a man to study politics if he wish to become In sketching a few of the important facts a great lawyer. But nothing of the kind and features about the men most talked of at could be said when Mr. Walker went to the