The Morning examiner. [volume] (Ogden, Utah) 1904-1910, 1910-07-24
~ ole BRITISH CRISIS -
XIX-DAVID LLOYD GEORGE.
By FREDERIC j. HASKIN

| Al twenty-one he qualified as So
Hcitor and In the first year of his
practice took case which gained him
national reputation. A poor quar-
Iyman, at the point of death, sent to
ms Non-Conformist minister and eX-
pressed his desire 10 be buried In the
| grave III the churchyard OF the es-
tabllshed church, where his little
daughter had been buried years be-
lore, and he expressed the further de-
sire that the burial service of his own
Non'Conformist Church should be
used The man died, and the old
grave was opened. ready To receive
the corpse. The Non Conformist min
lster mindful OF the dying mans re-
quest. gave notice under the newly
enacted Osborne Morgan burial act,
which gave -Conformists the right
To bury their dead under the exercise
OF their own ministrations. that the
rectorS services would not be re-
CURED. The rector was furious, and
altnough under the new law he could
not forbid the burial In the church
yard, he claimed the right to decide
where the body should be buried He
ordered the sexton 10 close up the
grave and open another in desolate
corner OF the cburchyard which had
been set aside for the lnterment of
suicides
The relatives of The dead man con-
suited the boy~lawyer, Lloyd-George.
He found that The churchyard had
been given to the church by the COM
munity, and that II was enclosed by
stone wall erected at the cost of the
Pensioners. and that it undoubtedly
was parish property
The young solicitor advised the vii
layers To assemble In force at the
entrance of the churohyard and dc
mand admittance as a riqht And
then, said he, Should the vicar refuse
TO open the gates. then break down
the wall which your subscriptions
have built, force your way into the
churchyard which you own, reopen
the grave, and bury the old man by
his daughter" This heroic advice np-
pealed to the infuriated quarrymen
and Ii was obeyed and carried out to
the letter
The rector brought an action for
trespass and damages in the county
court. Lloyd-GeorGe made brilliant
speech In defense, and under the srell
OF his eloquence the jury brought In
an immediate verdict in favor Of his
clients. But the judge waived the
verdict on a point OF law and awarded
damages to the rector An appeal was
taken before Lord Chief Justice Col.
eridge, WHO quashed the Judgment of
the court below and justified the yio-
lence of the Infatuated villagers as
the legitimate assertion OF their legal
rights.
This case attracted great attention
in Conformist circles all over the
country and it was the beginning of
Mr. LloydGeorge's professional fame
He became secretary OF the Anti
Tithe League, an organization formed
to resist the enforced payment OF
tithes to the clergy OF the established
church tour of the country in be-
half Of this organization was his first
speaking campaign. He was elected
TO the first county council chosen in
Carnaryonshire, and was known as
the youngest alderman in the King
dom. In 1890, when he was twenty
seven years old, he was elected to
Parliament as a representative OF Car
narvon Burroughs. which seat he has
held for twenty years. He has been
cit'tcu ON tIiht5, dHu SdCu time Dy
an increased majority.
His first speech In the House Of
Commons was delivered In the debate
upon the Budget of 1890. and was An
attack upon the privileges Of the
liquor trade 1t was terrific arraign-
ment OF Mr., Joseph Chamberlain and
Lord Randolph Churchill. and In this |
initial effort the young Welsh mem |
Der won praises from the press gal. |
lery and predictions Of a great career.
Later in his first session, he took |
up the fight for Welsh disestablish- |
ment, and with two other Welsh mem
bers undertook series OF filibusters |
which forced even Mr. Gladstone to
attempt to discipline him. But the ]
young Welshman declared that he had |
as much right TO act according to his
conscience as Mr.. Gladstone, and he
did not hesitate to cross swords with
the great Commoner, who. II must be
confessed, was not much Of a demo
crat when the church was involved
Before his first session was ended
Lloyd-George was the acknowledged
x 1aEEEsss sERH5S