New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-22
LIFE IN LONDON.
THE ENGLISH BENCH-SIR CHARLES dixie
-"GENERAL7 BOOTH.
Westminster. Feb. /

Evidonce was from time to time forthcoming that
,he strain of work was telling upon one of the
best known if not in the legal scale the most
eminent Of our judges. His vagarics on the
Bench became more constant and unmistakable
Earristcrs attending to plead before him never
knew what a day might bring forth, and were
exceedingly Glad when one closed without pub
lie scandal Some months ago his lordship with
drew into retirement, and it was thought that he
had made his final appearance on the Bench But
presently he returned and his gigantic figure again
doomed from the seat of justice. A few days ago
matters reached what seemed t. be critical
turn. The Judge was down for particular cir
cult which he would reach on n certain day,
when a man would stand on his trial for life III
an exceedingly difficult murder case. The counsel
for the prisoner, it is said, positively declined TO
share the responsibility Of having the case heard
before his erratic lOrdship.
But what was TO be done? The Judge him
self has not the slightest idea that there is any
thing particular the matter with him. lie used
TO rank among the keenest intellrcts Of the day.
and he is happily unconscious that he has suffered
any change The withdrawal of an English Judge
from the scene is ordinarily effected by one OF two
personages-Death the Judge himself. Neither
is usually in a great hurry. Our judges are among
the most long-lived citizens. and while death
their working days are past Deaf. almost blind
chronically somnolent they rust away in harness
Promotion TO the Bench, coming a rule when
is far advanced in years, the pension system
causes many of them TO lag superfluOus on the
stage. 4 pension is available only after certain
number of years service. Hence il comes TO pass
that there is nothing more common. when CONVEX
sation turns upon Judge long past active work
still clingng to the Bench than to hear il said
lie is waiting for his pension. In the peculiar
case now occupying attention in legal circles. the
learned Judge has still couple of years to serve
before he becomes entitled to a pension. and there
is enough method about his madness TO keep him
at his post till he can retire on pension.
The difficulty about the murder trial has been
got over by device that testifes to the acuteness
and fine feeling prevalent at the Bar Next to
preventing a possible miscarriage of justice in
volving a mans life was the duty of not letting
the learned Judge suspect that slight was being
placed npOn him. Accordingly motion
eravely made in one of the higher courts praying
that the venue in this might be removed TO
London, the reason urged being. not that the
judge going that particular circuit was incOm-
pctcnt TO deal with the case. but because the
counsel concerned could not prepare the defence
in time for the pending asSizes and too great delay
would be involved if it stood over for the next
asszeS. SO the trial will be heard before other
judges in the Central Criminal Court and the
danger is averted. But it is evident that this
sort of thing cannot go on indefinitely No one
knows exactly what ought TO be done; but the
Lord Chancellor's interposition is vaguely
spoken of.
As as the vacancy in Northampton was de-
clared by the death of Mr.. Bradlaugh, Sir Charles
bikes name mentioned as the Liberal candi-
dot II fl,o+
unauthorized. Sir Charles Dixie was at the time
in Toulon. where he still remains quietly at work
in tile little summer house he possesses. More
over, if he has his eye upon any constituency, it
is that of the Forest of Dean, where he was cam
raigning in the autumn though without posing Us
regular candidate. This immediate calling upon
his name when there is a vacancy in popular
constituency is q significant fact indicative of
phase of the peculiar position in which this emf
ucnt statesman stands. There is no doubt that, if
lie pleased to come forward. he could be returned
for one Of a dozen large constituencies. Hardly
week, certainly not a month. passes without
communication being opened with him in behalf
of constituencies in search of candidates. 4 year
or two ago lie publicly declared that he would
not rc-entcr Parliament until he had cleared his
name and fame from the blight under which they
/ have faded these long five years 1t was said at
the same time that he was pursuing Investigations
the result of which, when made known. would
rehabitate him in public opinion. But nothing
more has been heard of an undertaking which, if
successfully carried out would, in single day.
make Sir Charles the most popular and one of
the most powerful men in England.
Meanwhile he quietly, with outward appearance
of satisfaction and even enjoyment, leads life
in strange contrast with the brilliant career that
50 recently as the summer Of 1885 seemed open
to him. lie lives quietly when in town, dining
ont seldom, though entertaining pretty regularly.
In the summer he goes up the river to house lie
has built for himself OF the curious little
islands that Intellectually try 10 check the flow
of the Thames. Here he renews his old boating
experiences, rowing with some of his old Cam
bridge compeers and making the acquaintance
of some newcomers by the Cam. TO one who
knew Sir Charles intimately in the days when he
was at the Foreign Office and in the running for
the Premiership, there is something pathetic, visit
ing him up the river in summertime, to find all
his ambition apparently settled upon reducing his
riding and rowing weight by an ounce or two.
Always terrible worker, he has now turned his
energies in directions He is q tircless oars
nan, constant rider, redOubtable boxer, and Il
particularly skilful fencer lie contributes regu-
iary to the magazines, and occasionally writes
stuppndOus book such as his Problems of
Greater Britain" lie also maintains a regular
correspondence with some of the statesmen with
whom he was formerly in official communication.
This is notably the with foreigners, who are
not capable Of understanding the kind of public
sentiment which has led TO so valuable a life as
Sir Charles bikes being wasted.
II is "a significant circumstance that when Sir
Charles stayed in Paris the other day his way
down TO Toulon he was at once approached by the
not particularly enterprising French journalists,
who wanted the benefit of his opinion on current
political events Five years ago any London
newspaper would have been even more eager to
ascertain and print at length his opinions. But the
moral ban lying upon him has obliterated his polit-
ical and personal influence, and are now so
poor TO do him reverence Yet, when Bismarck
still in the plenitude of his pOwer,thc diSgraccd
En1rliSh Sta hiS hon nr,A