The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-05-21
AN ENGLISH COURT.
T. Powers O'COnnor on the
Parnell Commission.
TO TAKE THE BASEBALLPENNANT.
Captain Arson Gives His OpiniOn-BuffalO
Bill and His Wild West Show in the
French Capital.


special to THE HERALD. -EXaminer Dispatchl
LONDON, May 20.-As l write, all the
Home Rulers are in a state of violent rage
This is because of the scene that has just
taken place in the commission court. 1
always held that the court was one to which
the Irish party and the Liberals had
strong right to object 1t is usual, in all
political cases, to have the members of any
tribunal arranged by mutual agreement
between the different parties involved Of
course the party in power has the FREEDOM
inence; but equally, the party in opposi-
ton has representation, that is is to say, a
strong minority. 1t was thought the
same course would be adopted in
the case of this commission; and | need not
point out that, seeing the vast interests in
yolved, the fierce political passions and all
other attendant circumstances, 1t was abSO-
lutely necessary for the credit of the gov
eminent and for the maintenance Of the
traditions Of the bench that the tribunal
should be above cavil. But Attorney
General Webster acted in this as IN every
other way-with the trickery of a petit
Jogging attorney. He was asked by Sir
Charles Russell to give the names of the
judges beforehand, so that the leaders OF
the Liberal party might have a word to say
with regard to at least one OF the Judges.
Webster promised reply, but never gave
it; and so it came to pass that every single
one of the judges is the enemy of home rule.
Sir James Hammer, president of the tri-
bnnal, is not unknown in America Some
years ago ne made u tour through your
country. He has villainous and most
uniudicial temper This is partly due to
his ill-health, for he suffers from an IN
ternal malady that Is very trying to his
temper He has been much better tempered
of late than he was in the earlier days of
the inquiry, but occasionally the Old Adam
will burst out, and he frets and fumes in
way that is altogether at variance with the
traditions of the judicial bench in England
| am bound to say, with every disposition
TO do him Justice, that up to the present his
fretfulness seems to have been inflicted
good deal more upon the side of the Irish
party than upon that of the government
But even his temper does not put down Sir
Charles Russell.
One secret of the success of this extra
ordinary advocate is that he has more than
the usual allowance of that strong, hard,
gritty nature which belongs to fisherman,
both Catholic and Protestant. He has a
force of character which is quite equal to
the other abilities with which he is so
richly endowed. Most judges with US are
inferior to the leading men at the bar.
Their income is small compared co that of
the leading lawyers. The result Of that
disproportion is that the men who want to
get judgeshipS are not the best, or even
the second best, but third rate men, some
times it even happens that man on the
bench has been the subordinate of the man
at the bar. Here the attorney general has
a Judge who makes up his cases.
on his masters facts; in short
all the detail of the work. This functiOnary
is known as the ''devir' of the attorney
general. The attorney-general sometimes
rewards his "devil' by putting him on the
bench. and then a curious thing happens,
which is possible, perhaps, IN England
alone.
The Encouragement, remaining at the
bar, has to address his subordinate, at
whom he formerly, perhaps, swore, with
all the outward air OF the most profound
respect Sir Charles Russell does not
sometimes make any c0ncealment of con
tempt for the inferior persons whom he
has to address, and the papers sometimes
record the replies of quiet sarcasm with
which he has assaulted the occupants Of the
bench. The result is that good many of
them stand in considerable dread of him,
and others try to take their revenge by at
tempting to snub him whenever they can.
| fancy that Mr.. Justice Smith, who Is one
of the commissioners, and who was once an
attorney generals devil, - has this mingled
feeling of hatred and dread for Russell,
and certainly he seems to take every OPP
portunity of scoring point against him.
AS to the third Judge, it is hard to say
what he thinks. From the very start of
the proceeding he has never once opened
his lips, and Mr.. Justice Day, as your read
ers know, is an English Catholic, and Eng
fish Catholics, curiously enough, are often
the most bitter enemies of the Irish cause.
He has the reputation of being Tory of
a very violent kind, whether rightly or not,
l do not know; but if he be prejudiced
against the Irish, he has given no sign of it
during the present trial.
Such is the tribunal which will have a
certain care in making the future of Ire
land.
Friday we had, asJ began by saying, the
iercest collision ever saw.
Webster took some Of the checks of Mr..
Parnell and found that payment had been
made to persons who were afterward con-
victed of crime. There was really nothing
in the matter, because the money had been
paid when these men were in Jail under
Mr.. FOrsters act. Under that act, men
were imprisoned without trial and simply |
on suspicion 1t had been agreed at the |
time that fund should be raised to supply |
Mr.. Forster's victims with food, and of |
course, no distinction could be made be- !
tween one class of prisoners and another. |
To do 50 would be to stamp man as |
guilty whom Mr.. Forster could only sus-
)ect.
The president Of the court shut up Mr..
Parnell when he wanted to explain this. |
Russell INTERVIEWED with the observation |
hat he thought Parnell had right to eX-
plain. The president famed up and told |
Russell he was wrong in expressing this |
opinion. Nevertheless, continue to hold !
jhe opinion" The judge again expressed in
lis aner tone his condemnation of Rus
,elPs opinion, and again Russell doggedlY |
replied He adhered to his opinion. There |
was a fear for some time that things would |
nave proceeded to extremes and that the |
Judge might have ordered Russell out of |
court Some of the Home Rulers were
very sorry that things did not come to this |
pass. 1t would have accentuated the gen
eral feeling that fair play was not being |
done, and in this way would have had an
important political effect. However, |
though the storm blew over Friday, things |
nay come to that pass yet. Even now |
there is feeling that the contrast in this |
decision of the judges with regard to the |
evidence of the Times, and the evidence
for the defense may compel the throwing |
up of the case by the counsel for Parnel. |
(Signed) T. P. O'CoNSoR.
Baseball HOnOrs.