The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-11-23
! ,..p. the only Reason Sir hurus
,.s,cs Escaped Severe News
paper Grill
Ing.
me MARcoNI SCANDAL
Prince Henry, Kings Third Son,
Treated Like Other College
Students at
Eton.

emit of the United Press.]
LONDON, Nov. 22.-"The king can
N no wrong" That's one reason why
me storm of protest against the ap-
Oointment of Sir Rufus Isaacs as Lord
chief Justice ceased the moment his
commission received the royal sigma
lure. OF course, the king really had
/ nothing to do with 1t. Under the un.
written law George would have O. KID
anyone whom the prime minister had
named for the job. But the effect
Is just the same.
The other reason is found in the
reverence, amounting almost to awe,
with which the English people regard
their courts. When a man once dons
the mattress-like wig with which
Judges over here are won't to deco
rate their domes of thought, he auto
matically becomes immune. Any
proposition looking to the recall Of
the Judiciary would be considered
quite as revolutionary as the recall
Of the monarchy; and he who would
be SO bold as to censure an occu-
pant Of the high bench might Just as
well commit treason.
Hence 1t wasn't at all surprising
that the opposition papers, which for
weeks had been saying all sorts of
mean things about Attorney General
Isaacs on account OF his connection
with the Marconi scandal and viewing
with absolute horror the mere
thought that he might succeed Lord
Alverstone, filed their columns the
day after the appointment was an
i nounced with fulsome praise OF his
abilities and glowing projections that
he would make one Of the greatest
chief justices that ever happ ned
Only few of them made even pass
Ing reference to the horrid Maroon
affair, and then mostly of an apollo
getic character. He had merely blum
dered. All men blunder some time OF
other. It's all. passed and gone now
There was nothing in it anyhow tina
could possibly affect his career OF
the bench or prevent his handing gu
perfectly good brand Of justice.
This is the way the same paper
talked the day before: 1T Is almos
Incredible that he should be offere'
such post seriously and should b
seriously intending to accept it. N
government has the right to raise t
the bench man enveloped in sue
dense atmosphere of suspicion a
SIT Rufus Isaacs has lived In TO
months. If he accepts he will ad
another proof to that already fu +
lshed that he is not sensitive to ques
ions of public propriety and honor.
Curiously enough the hostility t
isaacs arose not so much from tn
iact that he bought for speculatio
american Marconi shares on Il
from his brother Godfrey, managin
director of the English Marconi con
pany when 1t was negotiating a col
tract with the British postoffice &,
partment, but because he tried
squirm out when questioned in pa
lament about the deal. His accusel
al1n't have the goods at the tim
Ihey thought he had bought Englis
Maconi shares, and 1t wasn't unit
months afterwards that they learne
mat his indignant and vehement d
hlals applied solely to questions I
transactions with that concern, ar
mat he had been dealing in shares I
the American company which is III
der practically the same managemel
and handles the same patents. Isaa,
mad said nothing but what was stric
" true; but he certainly left the II
preston with his hearers that
Had never bought any kind of Ma
conf shares. Those who were di
posed to overlook the charge OF me
a. obliquity simply couldn't stand fl
inc obvious lack OF caudor And
MS friends continued to be distress'
and his enemies kept UP their attacl
Until Isaacs mounted the bench.
Then Fate played him an unkiI
lr'ck It SO happened that the We
hrst case he was called upon to he