The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-03-26
COBWEBS OF. PROFESSIONAL ETIQUETTE
VIII Not eIInd the commen Sense OF
EnglIshmen.
Harcourt's Comment on the course
OF the Attorney General.
Boulanger DlsappoInts uls Followers
with kIng-Maklng ProclIvitles.

LONDON, March 25-In the House OF Com
mons this afternoon. Sir Charles Russell
said he desired 10 make statement regard
ing the speech made by Attorney General
Webster in the House on Friday last He
read letter he had written to the Attorney
General, In which he said he did not believe
that Webster was correctly reported. IL was
absolutely incorrect to say that before Pig
OTIS examination or before Pigott fed. Sir
Charles received information. direct or indi-
rect, to the effect that Pigott had discredited
the value Of his own testimony. II was alb
solutely incorrect to say he had either called
for Or referred to the letters conveying such
-'ation. Attorney General Webster said
infor.. he had written and handed
ba ha,to,o, hut would have % refer
sneh Ietters to nm. Coz confirmation The
to his short hand notes 10 - ~ u, 49,, BSos
inc ha Isd S,s..n,, was mis.s- avi-
testified, letters discredting Pigott's
9ence. Tne letters In which Plgott confessed
MS rear OF cross-examlnatiOn had come nnon
the speaker and his colleagues as a eomniets
surprise; After Pigott's flight they repeat
edly made open complaint IN court regSrd-
ing the manner In which the Attornev fjen-
eral conducted the case They aid NOT inn
pute dlshonorable motives to the Attornev
General, but thought he was led away by the
political character Of the case, into a eourss
Of conduct which. on reflection In less exeit'
ing circumstances, he would not have pur-
sued lCheersl. Continuing, Sir Charles
said that even when Pigott had testified. he
did not get the letters TO which references had
Deon s.sn .Haue aitnougn attorney General Web
ster offered to produce the letter Of Nov. 5.
He asked the Attorney General either 70 ad-
NIT he was mistaken or point out In HIS on
cal report any reference to the letter Of
Attorney General Webster admitted that
relying upon memory, Re had erred when he
wrote Sir Charles. He argued that In any
case the matter was unimpOrtant.
Inc Attorney General persisted that II Sir
SnaIies Dad consented to have the letter from
MI. ooames 10 Ptg0tt read In court he would
have been in a position to demand the cor
resPondence to which he referred.
MT. Asquith. Of the Parnellite counsel. fol-
lowed and asserted most positively that
nsltner iis,. ne nor Sir Charles had ghost or
glmmering OF a notion that a letter of pig
outs existed In which he announced that hls
testimony would be diScredited
Sir William Vernon Harc0urt eoutended
Inat no answer was given to his charge that
the attorney-general, knowing Pigott 10 he a
doubtful witness, allowed the Times for two
months 70 repeat OdiOus charges and sat a.
lent while Mr.. Houston affirmed he had com
plete trust In Plgott, which statement Sir
Richard knew to be false.
Acknowledgement Webster-ssI have nro-
tested that had no means Of knowing Mr..
Houston's statement was untrue"
Sir William said an attorney might weave
eobwebs OF miserable professional etiquette
about the matter. The common sense Of the
nation would revolt against keeping alive 10
the last moment charges known TO be false
as an act OF professional cruelty and inius-
tice.
LONDON, March 26.-The Daily News in a
scathing editorial says the utter collapse Of
Attorney General Webster's defence Is glar-
ingly shown by the fact that besides the So
lawyer who attempted to support him In the
debate in theHOuse of Commons. IL Is notice
able the Standard has no leader on the suD-
iect.