The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-06-20
MUD-THROW|NG
FEARED BY THE
PARTY CHIEFS
British House of Commons
Succeeds in Closing the
Marconi Affair, Involving
Two Cabinet Ministers.
VOTE OF CENSURE
EASILY DEFEATED
Big Guns ON Both Sides Take
Part in the Debate, Speak
ers Being Very Moder-
ate in Tone.

That this house, after hearing the state.
ment of the attorney general and the
chancellor Of the exchequer in reference
TO their purchase of shares in the Mar
conf company Of America, accepts their
expression OF regret that such purchases
were made, and that they were not men
toned in the debate of October IL last
and acquits them of acting otherwise
than in good faith and reprobates the
charges of corruption against the min"
listers, which have been proved to be
absolutely false. -
With this substitute motion, pro-
posed by Sir William Ryland Dent Ad
kins, adopted by vote of 346 to 26S,
the house Of commons officially closed
the Marconi affair tonight.
The heavy guns of both parties-the
prime minister, Mr.. Asquith, and the
secretary for foreign Affairs, Sir Ed
ward Grey, in behalf Of their colleagues
under inquisition, and A. J. Balfour and
Andrew Bonar Law for the Conserva.
tives-led the defense and attack.
The proceedings were judicial and
solemn.
Both Sides Afraid.
There were other speakers and some
sklrmishes occurred, but there were
none of the pyrotechnics which Chan
cellor Lloyd-George and Lord Robert
Cecil furnished yesterday. Even the
members on the Irish benches, who
usually can be depended upon to pro-
duce excitement, seemed strangely dis
passionate. None of the old party skel-
etons were dragged from the closets as
had been threatened. Both sides hest
tated to begin the mud-throwing, partly
perhaps because the newspapers had
warned them that the country did NOT
want such a spectacle, partly because
they Were uncertain which side would
emerge from the affray most spattered |
The speeches of the prime minister
and the secretary for foreign affairs
gave the Impression that the advocates
were not enthusiastic over their clients.
Mr.. Balfour and Mr.. Law had the an.
pearance of performing a dissgreeablc |
duty.
On Party Lines.
The vote on Sir William Adkins s |
amendment was strictly on party lines, !
The Laborites and Nationalists support. |
ing the government. although a few
Liberals and Laborites refrained from
voting. Afterwards, the house adopted
as substitute for the resolution intro |
hx-
half Of the opposition, without division. |
The committee majority report, which |
was generally called a "whltewasb. -
had not friend from the beginning.
except its authors
The premier submitted that the two
cabinet ministers had broken no rule of
obligations, but had failed 10 observe
rule OF prudence. He had never heard |
fuller franker or more manly exnIa.
nation than theirs, he said.
The ministers concerned have suf |
fered for an error Of judgment, pen.
atty quite as heavy as ever visited such
an error under similar circumstances. -
continued the premier
Is 1t wise or just for the house to
persist IN this motion9 The ministers
have admitted their error, but their
no public trust, they retain the com
p!lete confidence of their political asso-
cIates and / ask the house to say that
1t repudiates the infamous calumnies
which have been disproved and to put
On record that the house of commons
accepts their statements
Assails Report.
Henry Edward Duke, guionist for
Exeter assailed the majority report, he
SAID, sought to give the go-by to q
m (,f az
the intelligence Of the members.
Andrew Bonar Law, the opposition
leader, said that his party had no de
sire to drive the ministers out of public
life. The opposition had not pushed the
charges. vindictively; the ministers were
up against situation which was ex.
tremely hard.
The country was astonished and an
cry,
''The charge the opposition makes,
said Mr. Law, Fis that two ministers
have done things which in their position
they ought not to have done and have
shown a lack Of moral courage in at
tempting to conceal from the house
what they have done.'
Sir Edward Grey concluded the de-
bate. He said:
OF the motion of the opposition were
passed 1T would mean that the political
career OF these two ministers is ended
forever IF there was corrupt or disbon-
orable conduct, they ought to go: but.
there has been only careleasness. This
house ought not TO pass any motion that
could be regarded as a vote of censure,
Every one admits that an earlier com.
pIete acknowledgment should have been
made Of these transactions
The secretary. continuing, said that
Inc house should do everything in it's
power to relieve the ministers Of tbe
injury to them by the charges of cor
ruption banded about the country.
nothing that it did could right ali the
wrongs they had suffered,
That the opposition in the