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Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 342, 24 August 1889, Page 2

IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN WORSE. The leading Opposition paper, ths Wellington Post, of course does not approve of tho appointment of Mr Conolly, to the vacancy on the Supreme Court Bench, and as the remarks may be taken as constituting the strongest case that can be made against the appointment they will serve to show the weakness of the Opposition. At the same time our opinion may be added that it is a matter for great regret that some of the leading newspapers will persist in making party questions of appointments of this nature. There are enough political shadows tc fight about without impinging upon the Department of Justice :—“ Mr Conolly was born in August, 1822, and is consequently 67 years of age, a period of life when most men think of early retirement, rather than the assuraption-of new and arduous duties. Mr Conolly is, no doubt, a vigorous man for his age, but it may be questioned whether he will prove equal to the herd work which ia required from a judge of the Supreme Court, to keep the legal machine moving. Mr Conolly's legal practice also has not been of a character to constitute a flrstclass training for the Bench. The higher Courts know little of him as a counsel, and even when he was Attorney-General his appearances in the Court of Appeal were not frequent. Asa politician he was not a success, either as an a dministrator or a Parliamentary speaker. The trouble which his action as Minister of Justice, in regard to a certain French modiste and a sealskin jacket, led to in the House some years ago, will not readily be forgotten. Probably what will most commend itself to approval in regard to Mr Conolly’s appointment is the consideration that the Ministry might so very easily have made a much worse selection,”