The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-08-02
Lord Clifden's Son Had Expert
encc With Them While Run
ming for Office.
ny - MAnouIsn DE FoNrnNoY

Aicmher of Parliament for Inc 81.
austen Division Of Cornwall. who Us
due In New York to-day on board the
Cunarder i.usitania. was the victim
2oilr cars ago OF the extraordinary
/ severity ~ the laws Of England dealing
/ with political bribery and corruptfon
In 1905 he had been elected hv a
I"tEe majority tor the Bodmn DIVISION
| OF CORNWALL Unfortunately. while the
! electoral campaign was in progr.ss his
/ mother Niscountess Cilfden. gave "a
! garden party at l-anhydrock her place
/ IN Cornwall. In connection with Lord
( clifdens presidency Of the Liberal As
/ ISOLATION Of the duchy in which MS
/ estates extend over an area OF some
! 'v.vpV acres The garden party was a
great success. but after the election
Z OF Thomas Agar Rohartcs. the defeated
L nionist candidate lodged petition
against his election, on the ground that
! he and MS friends and agents had
} rendered themselves guilty OF viola
ton Of the anti-bribery statutes. with
regard to parllamentary elections
The matter was brought into court
ana tried in the usual fashion before
two Supreme Court Judges. sitting at
I Bodnin. and resulted iu decree in
validating the return Of the Hon
( since Lady Clifden by giving her gar
| don party had violated that section OF
{ the anti corruption law which strictly
! prohibits "treating' in Parliamentary
campaigns. This law runs as follows.
/ by proxy. either before. during. or
F, after the election. directly or Indirect
" gives. provides or pays Tor. either
wholly or in part any meat. drink.
entertainment or provision 10 or for
persons entitled to vote and also
Any clectoy who accepts such meat.
drink. entertainment or provision. or
tho equivalent thereof. shall be held
guilty of bribery"
The decision against Agar Robartes.
in addition to dcpriving him of the
A. -t... = D UNsn fr..
being elected TO the House Of Commons
for the constituency in question, that
is. the Bodmln Division, where his
home and the greater part of his
! 81 period OF seven years. Poor Lady
. Clifdvn. who is Il charming woman. ana
who certainly never had any idea or
/ rendering herself guilty OF bribery,
was subpoenaed in the case. competed
TO testify in court and made to FEEL
/ that her garden party had virtually
/ sOnment and fine. Two years iateT
/ Tom Agar Robartes was elected WIN
/ out opposition for the ST Austell DiVi-
/ sion OF Cornwall
! nlsh estates and his tin mines in the
/ duchy. which arc the most valuable
( in Great Britain. extending for miles
I under the sea, and yielding him an IN
/ cor,. of about 100000 a year, is a
I great landowner in Canbridgcshire, OF
which county he is the Lord I'ieutenan..
Some OF this Cambridgesnlre pIopertS
has been the subject OF mucn had plood
/ between him and some of the most IN
I nuential members OF the English arls-
tocracy, especially that portion OF II
/ which is connected with the court
where the viscoun, was for similar roa-
sons viewed with disfavor during the
last two rcigns.
Tho fact is that Lord Clifden. who
in those days sat in the House or
Lords as Lord Robartes, acquired by
purchase mortgage on the Wimpole
HALL estates Of his k!nsman. the nth
Earl OF Hardw!cke. comprising the prop
erty and his ancestral home. with its
glorious avenue three miles long, or
Gins hundreds. Of years old 1t is
( claimed that Lord Robartcs suddenly
took advantage OF a monetary embar
rassmcnt that prevented the earl from
paying on the appointed date the in
terest on the mortgage. 10 foreclosc
thereby obtaining the entire property
worth. At the lowest estimate. $1,000
600. Tor onc-third of it's real value
Both the NTH E.rl of Hardw,clSc ana
his son. the sixth earl. were peTsonae
Sratissimae with the rcigning family
The late Lord Clifden, the immediate
/ predecessor and cousin OF the present
/ Niscount, was familiar figure IN Lon
don society OF ten or twenty years ago
I as Leo Agar Ellis. and was celebrated
for his hatred OF high hats and irock
! coats. Invariably showing himself in
Pail Mall st James and in the Row.
in the most countrined and bucolic OF
/ costumes. He figured in numerous law
. suits against his wife. "A most popular
! woman. who still surviving ms Dowager
. Viscountess Clifdcn is sister OF the
late Roman Catholic Archbishop Sto-
| nor. and Il grand aunt therefore OF Lord
I Camoys who married Miss Mildred
/ Watts Sherman. Of New York
The conflict between the late Wis
count anu his wife which furnished
q constant element OF interest TO Eng
/ lish society. originated in dispute
/ about religious matters, and at one
moment the trouble became SO acute
! that Lord Clifdcn made futile effort
/ to secure his wifcs arrest on charge
/ of Kidnapping their son. A. the ume
! OF their marriage Lord Clifden had
I yielded 10 his brides entreatlcs and
/ had promised that all the children horn
/ OF the union should be brought Mp IN
the Roman Catholic Church, to which
! She belonged When later on the
/ couple separated. Lord Clifden cons1d-
/ cred himself released from the agree
I meut and insisted on reversal OF tho
stipulation. The dispute was carried
/ into court where IT was decided on np-
f peal that in England a father has the
/ supreme right to control the religion
+ Of his children while minors. and that
no private agreements in the matter
are recognized by law.
still rs a compromise. ono of Lady
Cnfden's daughters, Harriet. known in
London society "Ducky" Ellis re-
/ malned with her mother and was
brought mp as a Roman Catholic. while
the other daughter and the son. al
/ though baptized as Roman Catholics.
I were brought up by their father as
members OF the Established Church.
Both children predeceased their father.
/ while "Dusky" Ellis made a secret and
I runaway marriage with Captain Gran
! yille Knox. OF the Kings Royal Rifles,
member OF that Scotch house of Knox
/ Of which Lord Ranfurly is the chief.
| and to which John Knox the reformer
| belonged and. as might be expected. a
! Protestant Having but little money
/ the Hon Mrs Granville Knox. when
/ last | heard or her had set up IN bust
! ness in Dublin az the owner and man
ngcr of manicure establishment and
! beauty parlor. Her mother. the Dow
/ ager Viscountess. likewise kept mill
! lfnery store under her own name in
London resolved as she was. not TO
accept a penny piece of her husband
money. Of which he. II may he added,
/ ma M, little his nephew and predcccs