The New York herald., 1879-11-22
GRILLING THE "BEEFSTEAk."
Quest Of the London Diogenes for
Thirty-Eight Honest Men.
" FLUNKEYS AND FOOLS"
Sacrilegious Invasion of the Privacy of
St. James Street
[BY CABLE TO THE HERALD

LONDON, NOV. Il, 1919
The last phase of the Labouchere controversy
attacks the axiom of club land that the privacy
of club is inviolable. Consequently Mr.. La
bouchere's appeal to the Master of the Rolls
has raised an excited discussion in every ono Of
the seventy odd club houses in London. Mr..
Laboucheres grounds for appealing to the law
to reverse the decision of the Beefsteak Club are
understood to be as follows:-in the first place
he denies the right of the club to exclude
member for writing anything concerning another
member in newspaper and, furthermore, in
the present case, he maintains that he was only
second place he denies that the resolution ex-
pelling him received the requisite majority.
According to the rules two-thirds of those pres
ent must vote in favor Of the resolution; but
two-thirds of those present did not so vote.
QUIRKs AND oUIDDITIEs.
In the third place he alleges that the meeting
was invalid owing 10 errors of procedure.
According to the rules of the club expulsion
was only possible after an inquiry There
was no inquiry Moreover, no general
meeting can be convoked except by a
service of fourteen days notice, whereas the
meeting which expelled Mr.. Labouchere con-
voked after only thirteen days notice. Truth
on Wednesday last published an account of
Fridays meeting Lord Wharnclffe presided
1t should be stated, as politics enter largely
into the controversy, that Lord Wharncliffe is
conservative. He maintained that if Mr. La
bouchere had addressed to Mr.. Lawson in
in Truth, if he had placed them over the
mantelpiece, he would have broken rule of the
club. AS he published them in newspaper
which might have been brought into the club and
there read by members his course was precisely
the same as if he had uttered them in the club.
The Duke of Beaufort seconded the motion Of
expulsion.
TRUTHS FOES AND FRIENDS.
In discussing the result Mr. Labouchere
says:-"Almost all the literary men, actors and
well known personages like Captain Fred Bur-
naby voted for me; but votes are counted, not
weighed. As ten just men could not be found
in Sodom, the Beefsteak Club is to be congratu-
lated upon numbering among its members
thirty-eight just, Independent and wise men,
who fulfilled without fear or favor the judicial
functions thrust upon them. In an age like this,
of sycophants, time servers. funkeys and fools,
it is refreshing to find thirty-eght men who pro-
tested against an act of unqualified injustice.
OF course it is open to any club to make mutual
admiration its bond of union and to regard any
publication in newspaper regarding member
of the club, but not concerning the club itself,
as legitimate ground for expulsion. But this
ought to be clearly set forth in its rules in order
that those who join may know to what they
assent Such construction of the rules was GER
tainly never drcamt of by their trainers, and
cannot see how any journalist, with the slightest
club If Lord Wharnclifies construction of the
rules can be upheld
NICE POINTS OF HONOR.
"For. my part l should regard myself as
stultifying the name of this newspaper and sac
riicing the most elementary ideas Of journal
istic honor were to accept any censors but the
law of the land and of the public, one of whose
humblest servants 1 am. No conservative
peers, no hole-n-the-corner committee for me, if
neither summonses nor indictments, will ever
hinder mo from attacking every man and every
measure which think ought in the public in
terests to be attacked. conceal myself under
no incognito. Iprctend to be no mysterious Sir
Oracle. don't trade upon the mystery of the
unknown for what publish. am responsible
to the fiat of twelve men good and true in the
Jury box, and to no other tribunal. Were I to
recognize any other responsibility should be q
disgrace to Journalism and base and servile
wretch, deserving the contempt of all honorable
and independent men,"
DISTINGUISHED voTERs.
"Among the members of the club present at
the meeting were the Duke of Beaufort, Lord
wharncliffe, Lord Dorchester, Sir Henry De-
Bottle, MIR. Herbert of Muckross, Member of
Parliament; Colonel Dupat, Queens Equerry;
Sir julius Benedict Mr. Henry Irving, Mr..
Ashby Sterry, Mr.. Sutherland Edwards, Cap
7
Mr. Indcrwick, Queens Counsel; Mr.. Collins,
Queens Counsel Mr.. Matthews, Queens Coun-
sci; Mr.. Sidney Bancroft, the actor; Mr.. Hare,
Mr. Kendall, Mr.. Burnand and Colonel Napier
Sturt, of tho Guards. Rule 20, under which
the vote was tnken, reads as follows =