New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-06-17

| Ifrttor- General. will then become Attorney-Gen-
eral a swift promotion but also popular one.
Mr. Reid always popular personally In the House
of Commons, has made a sudden and cxtraordi-
nary advance in reputation since he became ore
OF the law officers OF the Crown IL gave MN an
opportunity and ne had the high order OF aolii-
ty necessary TO avail himself Of the opportunity.
One of his chief occupations has been getting
the Chancellor Of the Exchequer out OF diff
culties with his Budget-dilculues due In part
10 clumsy drafting. in part also, 10 lts author 5
imperfect apprehension of the financial and hs-
cal perplexities created by a revolutionary scheme
of taxation
Mr. Haldane IS TO be Solicior-General, If he
cares to be- Heretofore he has been content with
the less brilliant but hardly less influential post
of confidential adviser TO the Prime Minister
whose personal friend he is. He. too, ike Mr..
Reid has been helping Sir William Harcourt over
his financial stiles. He has long been known as
one of the best lawyers in the House. with a
curiously unprofessional bias In favor Of novel
ties political. legal and social HIS Is perhaps
the only doubtful seat among the four-at any
rate the only narrow majority.
The Hon. Bernard Coleridge. who ngrates.
whether he will or not, to the House of Lords,
which as an advanced Radical ne wants or did
H.,
the good in Sheffield. Sir John Rigby had nearly
as many in Forfarshire; Mr.. Reid half as many
In 1892 in Dumfries. for which he has just been
reelected on becoming Sollctor-GeneraL Never
theles. the Conservatives are in a lighting mood.
and their extraordinary gains at the last cleo
ton in Hackney encourage them to challenge
every seat In each moreover. there may be
more distinct issue on the House OF Lords than
has vet been presented. The Leeds conference
Will be held next week expressly In order 10 deal
with that unreformed and still unrepentant body.
The extreme Radicals with that great constitu-
tional LAWYER Mr. Labouchere. at their head, are
making tremendous efforts to commit the Liberal
party TO some definite proposal for the extinction
OF the present legislative rights OF that branch
Of the legislature II they succeed, and II four
new Liberal candidates all at once take their
stand on an abolition platform, these four con-
tests may prove exceedingly interesting, and per-
haps significant.
The death Of a Lord Chief Justice OF England
is always an event. Lord Colerldge was not
great Lord Chief Justice not great lawyer,
perhaps not a very great advocate. lie vas not
generally liked, though he had many warm
friends. He was not universally trusted. Eng
lshmen sometimes said he not English.
meaning that the emotional side OF his nature
expressed itself more freely than Is usual with
the English. Various other criticisms were and
are passed upon him. The fact remains that he
had abilities OF very, high order, and career
Of unbroken and very brilliant success in life.
He had the capacity to be great lawyer had he
chosen He liked patriotic theology better than
law, and culture was 70 him more than Coke upon
L.t:leton. He was charming In conversation.
charming in oratory. persuasive. mellinuons. 1T
erary and on the whole stately figure IN Eng
lish life. G.. w. S.