Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1891-06-18
The Baccarat Case.

Sir Edward Clarke's address to the
jury In the baccarat trial was bold,
mastery and eloquent. 1t stamps him
a great man, and lifts his fame upon a
common level with that of Sir Charles
Russell. Indeed, Sir Edward has
fairly outrivaled Sir Charles in this
particular case. The latter was en-
barassed by the constant necessity Of
attempting to shield his royal client,
and while his conduct of the exaHrfna-
ton OF witnesses was remarkably keen
and able, his address to the jury was
lacking in the moving eloquence with
which Sir Edward made manifest for
the plaintiff.
The speech will pass into history.
The publicity of the case, the promi-
hence of the contestants, and above
all the bold manner in which it dealt
with the heir presumptive to the
throne, mark an event in the life Of the
British nation. Never before has king
or prince royal been subjected to such
practical democracy.
There will be murmur of disap-
proval in tory circles, and Sir Edward
will be holly abused for what the more
conservative will term his brutality Of
expression. But fair-minded men the
world over will admire the daring
counsellor, for In reality he has done
nothing more than his duty-refused
to sacrifice his clients interests because
the veneration for royalty sought to
throw a fender around the Prince of
Wales, and adopted the course that
would prove the most effective with the
jury. Less than this would have been
dishonorable.
"Then there was the strange and
subtle influence of royalty" still more
solemnly and dramatically said the
solicitor general, land still Sir William
Gordon Cummings action in signing
the document was due to all influence
that has adorned history and has
made many knight do unknightly
and dishonoring deeds to save his king,
because they gave honor rs freely as
they would have given their lives for
the interests of dynasty, to conceal
the fault of q prince"
That was powerfully effective because
it expressed truth that has been run
ming through English history for nearly
700 years. Nowhere has this blind de-
votion to royalty been more conspi-
cuous, more dramatic or more tragic
than in the loyalty extended by por-
ton of the British people to the house
of Stuart, from which the Prince Of
! Wales claims indirect descent. Thack-
cray brings this remarkable trait into
strong relief In his historical novel,
Henry Esmond." In youth young
Esmond fell under the influence of one
of those Jealous intriguers of the Roman
church so peculiar to the iron times,
who wove about the cause of the young
pretender a romance of patriotism and
religion which caught the young mans
youthful fancy and led him into fool
hardy attempt to restore the banished
prince to the throne of his fathers.
How the conspirators in that move
ment fell under the ban of law, how
Esmond's fair young kinswoman threw
away home and virtue for the throne
less prince, and how the royal viper
stung the hand that fed him the nov
elist has shown in full dramatic force
We do not believe that Sir William
Gordon Cumming Is Of such clay as the
Esmonds, for had he been he would
never have dragged this case into court;
but it is not improbable that he may
have yielded in part to the logic of the
case against him and in part to the
wish of the members of the card party
to shield themselves as we'll as the
prince from scandal. At any event 1t
was Sir Edwards duty to place that
construction upon his clients conduct
To meet that duty he was forced to
speak plainly and even sharply about
the conduct and the motives of those
who had arranged themselves against
Sir William Gordon Cumming.
The disclosures Of this exciting trial
will yet crop out in British politics.
1t is not probable that the government
would dare now to risk bill relieving
the Prince of Wales of his ruinous
debts. They have long fought shy of
such policy, even under the strong and
persistent pressure of the throne. In
London belief is general that
this scandal has destroyed the last
hope the prince might have entertained
of such relief at the hands of parlia-
ment.-Spokane Review.
1t Is said that all the Indians and
beasts of the forests are leaving the
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