The Portland daily press., 1865-07-21
rHE FALLnN oHANo BIZ.

Recent advices from Europe give us the
concluding chapter of painful and disgrace
full history, the chief actor in which Als been
the Lord Chancellor of England s..-.
Baron Westbury, formerly known as Sir
Richard Bethel, the Lord High Chancellor of
the realm, the presiding officer of the British
House of Peers, the s'Keeper Of the Queens
conscience" sees himself to-day in the unen-
viable position of the most disgraced man in
Christendom, unless, indeed, we except Jeffer-
son Davis, and even his guilt finds more apollo
gists than that Of the dishonest English
Judge.
A powerful effort has been made by the
ministerial party to prevent parliamentary &C
ton in Lord Westburys case, but it was not
sufficient; public sentiment was too strong;
the House of Commons passed vote Of cen
sure upon the Lord Chancellor, and he was
compelled to resign. The really astonishing
point is, that to a man of his position, ability
and pretensions, the consciousness that he
was an object of scorn and contempt to every
honorable Englishman should not have made
his Office so uncomfortable, as to force him to
resign it long ago. But heseems to have val
ued the highest judicial position of the realm
chiefly for the opportunity it gave him to pro-
vide fat offices for the various corrupt and dis
honest members of his own family, and so held
fast to place with the clutch of vulgar sharp
er.
The particulars of the Edmunds scandal.
the Wilde scandal the Richard Bethel scam
dial and others, will be too fresh in the recollec-
ton Of all our readers to need reorganization.
The one sole principle by which Lord West
bury's conduct appears to have been govern
ed was to provide fat places for his own sons
and nephews, no matter who was swindled in
| the operation. The process was simple
When some official with large salary had
forfeited his right to his place by dishonest
practices, he was given to understand that if
he would resign in favor of one of Lord West
bury's family he should retire on pension and
no questions would be asked. Ii only single
case of the kind had been proved his lordship's
reputation might have carried him through,
but when it became apparent that the thing
was asystem, and the cases not one or two but
lnotuy, III IuOr0 bllaI1 one instance WH6re
the retiring pension had been forfeited by mall
versatiop, the Chancellor had pledged himself
to silence, this plan for providing for the
youthful Bethells proved too much for English
patience. The Palmerston ministry has done
its best to stave off inquiry, and the Times has
dispensed its whftewash with liberal hand;
but the public and the honester portion of the
press have spoken unsparingly of the noble
culprit. The history Of our time does not fur
nish so shameful case of dishonesty and cor
ruption in high places; and when we consider
that traditional sense of honor by which Judi
cial officers are supposed to govern themselves,
we can appreciate the mingled anger and NOR
LITIGATION with which the English contemplate
this stain upon the judicial ermine Of their
country. They cannot but feel keenly the
damaging effect which such blot upon their
public record must have on their national
character and influence.