The San Francisco call., 1904-09-26
LONDON TINES
BOLTS MARKS
''Thunderer" Refuses to Sup
port a Conservative Can
didate for Parliament
MAKES BITTER ATTACK
Former New York Reporter.
Now in British Politics,
Seeks Seat in Commons

LONDON, Sept. 25.-An extraordinary
element has been introduced into Eng
lish politics in connection with the can
didacy of Harry Marks in the pending
bye-election in the island of Thanet-
Marks, who from 1871 to 1888 was
newspaper reporter in New York and
who now is the wealthiest owner Of the
Financial News of this city, has been
adopted by the local Conservative As
sociation as it's candidate. This action
caused a disagreement, several promi-
nent local Conservatives refusing to
support him on account of his failure in
1890 in a criminal action which he
brought against a man who circulated
various charges. The local committee
Investigated privately and declared that
Marks was a fit person to return to
Parliament, where he sat in 1895-1900
The agitation, however, increased and
was much ventilated in the press, and
was brought to a head by a lengthy
editorial in the London Times on
Thursday, which broke away from par
ty ties and declared it was better for
the Government to lose a seat than be
associated in the cause of Unionism
with a man who gives no public ade-
quate refutation Of such charges as
have been publicly made against Marks.
There are incidents in his career which,
so long as they are not explained. ought
to debar the electors of Thanet from
comforting the honor and trust of Par
lament upon him.
The Times unusual action In advis-
ing the Conservatives to vote against
the Government candidate on such
grounds created sensation in political
and other circles and attracted public
interest in the contest to a degree and
in a personal way that few bye-elections
ever call forth. Many persons thought
Marks would withdraw, but, on the con-
trary, he retorted with bitter personal
attack upon the Times and Walter, it's
proprietor, declaring that the asper-
sions on his honor were entirely due
to the alleged exposure by the Finan-
cial News of the dishonest methods
employed in the sale of the Times edi-
tion of the Encyclopedia Britannica
For some years past" says the Fin
ancial News, Mr.. Walter has been en-
gagged, in company with an American
gentleman named Hooper, in the sale
of an Out-of-date encyclopedia. For the
first time in it's history one of the
greatest of English newspapers has
been employed for the furtherance of a
personal feud.'
Both from the election platform and
in his newspaper Marks challenges the
Times to bring a libel suit against him
for his characterization of the Times
encyclopedia methods as dishonest
The matter, to which lengthy edito-
rials have been devoted, gained further
interest by the publication to-day of a
letter from the Archbishop Of Canter-
bury to the vicar of Margate. replying
to one in which the vicar said he felt
he must oppose Marks on "other than
political grounds" The Archbishop
says he is ignorant of the facts in re-
lation to Marks and therefore must not
be understood as expressing an opinion
in this particular case; but" he adds,
II am firmly persuaded that if our pub
lie life is to be maintained at its high
level and our public men are to justify
the confidence we have been accus-
toned to place in them, voters must
see to it that political or partisan en-
thusiasm does not lead them to record
votes for men whom they do not trust
or respect. Unless we adhere unswerv-
ingly to this principle there will be a
lowering of the tone and integrity Of
our public life, and no temporary VIC
tory at the polls of one political party
or the other could compensate for such
a national disaster"