The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-06-22
The Marconi Debate

Tho Marconi debate in the house of commons
has not at all taken the course predicted for 1t
by the London correspondent of the New York
Tribune" and thus have another instance
Iof the advantage Of waiting for the thing itself
the thing is going to be
Es Mr.. Asquith is a very keen witted and able
man and presumably he saw that this case
was too hard a one to be dealt with by bluff.
This Is somewhat surprising, too; for his band
ed Scotchmen, and Weshmen. and Irishmen.
with feeble and dwindng contingent of Eng
lishmen thrown in sort of heaven to leaven
the whole lump. have shown capacity for
jumping any obstacle standing in the way of
getting their logroing measures through that
apparently would have justified him in trusting
ito the commanding power OF the ministerial
whistle securely in this case as in others.
AT any rate Mr. AsQuith left his napier at home
on this occasion and appeared in the attitude
of a penitent. He pleaded that a majority of
tho special parliamentary committee had ac-
quilted Str Rufus Isaacs. the attorney general.
and Lloyd George, the chancellor OF the exchee
quer. OF 1.-The charges brought against them
although the fact Is that responsible man in
England has ever gone further in the matter of
accusation than to say that the cause q all
should be looked into. He pleaded to the
discoveries thus made, that these two cabinet
ministers had broken no rule of obligation, but
merely rule OF prudence; and he added in
one of those charming bursts of candor which
usually indicate his consciousness OF being in a
tight place that he had never heard fuller,
franker or more manly explanation than theirs. "
The ministers concerned have suffered for an
error OF Judgment" he said with suppressed
emotion "a penalty quite as heavy ever
visited upon such an error under similar cir
cumstances," But Mr.. Asquith forgot to say
that in order to find such an error OF judg-
ment" on the part Of chancellor Of the exche-
quer Lloyd George has INDUCED in--pung-
ing in excited and inflated stock market. on
Information derived from the men handling
these particular and particularly volatile shares
and for the purpose of adding few pounds
sterling to his private bank account--it would
be necessity to long. long way back in
English history
The Unionist attitude In regard to this mat
fAV iC n q q lie II
Ito public as to party considerations. Mr.. George
Cave. X. c., the member for Kingston. In Sur
rey who moved the resolution OF censure. said
at the outset that he had idea Of charging
personal corruption against any one of the min
listers concerned. But and we here follow the
cable report:
What l suggest is that two cabinet ministers
and one former cabinet minister have combined
breaches of certain rules and traditions Of this
house and, indeed, of all public life, without
which public life would be impossible"
In purchasing shares on inside information
given them by Godfrey 1saacs, the managing
director OF the Marconi company. the cabinet
ministers had broken the rule providing that
no cabinet minister should take favor or an
advantage from man contracting with the
government They had broken another rule
by becoming interested in company the profits
OF which undoubtedly depended upon the con-
cIusion OF a contract between the British Mar
conf company and the British government" II
the cabinet ministers claimed that they did not
understand the exact nature of their action,
IT was sad commentary on their intelligence.
He continued:
Il do not think we ike our chacellor of the
exchequer. the head of the British treasury, who
desires the respect of the city of London. to go
into such transactions to buy for the rise. to
watch prices for the rise and for the moment
when he had better sell, and as in this case
to lose his money"
Mr.. Cave complained that in making no ref
erences to these purchases during the debate
in the house of commons in October last the
cabinet ministers had not dealt fairly with. the
house, ~ In concluding, he said that the ma
jority OF the parliamentary investigation COM
mittee, by adopting report which freely spread
that pigment which covers. but does not clear
colleagues and dffectly responsible for the
motion he moving the purpose OF which
was unmistakable sIt is to place on the
journals of the house OF commons a resolution
Showing that in the opinion Of the house the
conduct of these cabinet ministers Is a breach