Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-09-14
FAMOUS BARRlSTERS.
The Men Who Grace ths English
Bar.
LORD CoLERIDGE AND HIS FRIENDS.
How Gladstone Stands as a lawyer-Judah
P. BsDamin, an American, Rising
Above AIl-Russell land
harcourt.
LORD CoLERIDeE AND HIS FRIENDS.

Harcourt.
Lord COlerIdge's. present visit to
America makes the following facts in
regard to the English bar OF especial in
terest: Lord Chief Justice Coleridge is
one of the most presentLble and pro-
nOunced men of the English bar. Hell
typical English lawyer, but not typ
ical judge. I.e can present case bet
ter than preside over it. Yet he is a
most impressive JUICE on the bench
and most captivating counsel at the
lar, but above all the most charming Of
guests at q dinner table. An afLerdinner
speech with Lord COieridge, and in
deed with his hearers, is better than APP
petite waiting on digestion, or vice versa.
While he only eats TO live, he makes
his dinner a material and a mental
agency of food, he inheritlng and inn
parting some of the tastes and talents OF
his renowned uncle, the poet. 1tshOuld
lie understood that the great prize O,tbe
English bar, seat upon the wOolsIck,
llluSl SllOILl1 OCCODlC NGCauNJ 90 NhN
present lord chancellor. SelbOrne has
been for some years falling under an
| incurable disease. Candidates for his
his high Office are three, who run one
another very close. First by usage
comes the Attorney-General Sir Henry
| James, whose office carries kind of
presCrptive right to the refusal of
any great legal prize that may
I'll l,f3 larv.a Torn
II is whispered, however, that
Sir H. James, although he has 50 far
stuck to the ministry, Is by no means a
stroLg or advanced liberal, aud IS not
| the mostenthusiastic OF Mr.. Giads.One's
admirers, for which reason, rs the lord
| chancellor has necessarily great weight
in the cabinet, it is surmised that Mr..
| Gladstone is not particularly anxious
| 10 promote 8 man who would be almost
/ certain to blossom out intoan opponent
! ssOoR as he reached the secute nursery
| of the House Of Lords. The next cludi-
| date is the present home Secre tary, Sir
William Vernon HaIcOurJ, who used
to have a limited practice at TIE OAR,
| and was said 10y his friends to be an au-
| lhOTity on international law. But
! agaiu il Is whispered, or rather said
! aloud, that Sir William is personally
one of the most unpopular men that
ever held high office. In that con-
| nect,Un it may be interesting to recall a
good story of Sir Williams Oxford
days When he was at the univers ~
il occurred to six BalliOl under-gr ldu-
ates of an original miGG that they
would have little dinner at the
"MitrC,' aud that each should invite
the most unpopular man he knew.
When the company assembled there
wore only seven, and the seventh was
Willy Harcourt. This appropriately,
together with very thorough and uni
versal disbelief i'm his legal powers, will,
it is thought, prevent him in having
much chance for the coveted position.
The third candidate Is the present
lord chief justice of England, John
Lord COleridge, who, in addition 10 a
brilliant legal career and a high uuiyer-
sity reputation, has the great advantage
of having been associated more or less
all his life with Mr.. Gladstone and his
set. Yet there are those who say that
Lord Coleridge is rather a crOtchety
iu,,iS-e and that in politics he has yer
made q very imposing figure. 1t IS to
silence these insiGuatiOn5, among
NluN lAllLASt AAlsAl lAAN AFPlN NAASA - aSNaSS
intends TO pose for the Hext three months
as the exponent of international
courtesy and the representative OF
English law in the United States Of
America. And there is little doubt that
he will do it well. OF those who ac-
company him the most notable is Mr..
Chas. Russell, q. c., NJ. p, who, since
the retirement of Mr.. Judah p. Benja-
min, is probably the undisputed leader
of the common law bar. He is an adj
vocate of the most extraordinary power
and has refused many judgeship9. But
il Is said and not cOutradicted That ne
would gladly take his seat on the treas
ury bench rs one Of the law oIhcers OF
the crown. 1t so happens, however,
that Mr. Russell did not enter Parlia-
ment until comparatively late in life,
and although he has since that time
made UNUSUALLY ~N"'l progress, Jams
AND power as politician or far more
than ordinary grasp, reach the states
mSnship, and as sn orator above the
usual type, he has two serious dirticul-
ties to contend with, for he is an Irish
man and Papist. In Irish politics ne
has always taken very strong and sure
position, because, although he sympa-
lUILtS Will dll udliOueAA -
the popular policy, he has vet never
committed himself to the leadership OF
Mr.. Parnell. In consequence it fell to
his lot during the debates on the recent
land act to stand as kind Of mediator
between the home-rule party and the
government, position in which he was
able to do excellent service to both.
Since that time there has been no va
cancy in either of the ministerial offices
attorney or solicitor general, but Chas.
RuSSell's name has been very freely
mentioned for an eventual succession.
There are still many, however, who are
not reeOnciled to the idea Of admitting
an Irish Catholic to English ministerial
office, and public visit to America will
give the able orator abundant oppor-
tunities Of convincing all whom 1t may
concern that there is no filter candidate
for promotion.