New-York tribune., 1913-07-20
Two Ministers.
liz TWO CONCERNED IN THE MARcoNI BUSINESS, AND FIRST
1nS RUFUS IsAACS
London. June ~.
copyright, 1913. by C. W. smalley)

..,d they have for some time past
A',.oa all their colleagues. They are
s.',r 'Deteted together for all time by their
oounity of interest in Marconl
'O''.', ond Alarconi scandals. The i'm
S'', ,..e excitement will pass, as all eX-
n'.,t ''..,onts pass. but never can the his
''''', the House of Commons be writ
"' .,,bout recording the admitted fact
W.. W. these two Ministers disregarded
NC of the traditions of the House
,..b make political life possible ana
". House Of Commons what it l. ana
.,u.,vs has been; the first Parliament
.to world They were not corrupt.
obarges of corruption never had
otber foundation than conjecture
~ ora now believed by nobody. 1t
o;rs true that here are two of its
.,,.st and most experienced members
.,o have quite involuntarily, brought
,,.cradjt on the House. on the Minis
-, on the Liberal party. There has
ever been anythi 5 like it before l
NOT going to review I'll, Marconl
..se nor 10 discuss, except incidentally
.,e facts. assume that they are
,.uo,.r in America almost as we'll as
.ssv are known here. All ! shall at
,.,,nt is TO explain what manner OIL
men these two really are.
Sir Rufus Isaacs as Attorney GEN
80, which he has been since 1910. -
,be leader Of the Englis Bar Ih''
y. ne official POSITION as Attorney Gent
-, There is a sense in which re
-. leader Of the Bar before he became
Attorney General He had for some
,.oors the largest practice at the Bar
or5 his income during these years Is
hO,;eved TO have been greater than that
-, any other barrister who ever prac-
Used At the Common Law or Chancery
Rar He is ffty-three years old. Law
v,as not his FIRST profession. The son
% Jewish merchant Of the City OF
ondon. he naturally enough went into
hrsinAss in the City. Unnaturally, be-
i,r lev. and the man he was, he
failed. and was hammered on the
Stock Exchange here, nevertheless'
he acquired a knowledge Of commercial
ord financial affairs Of the highest use
n him afterward. But the Bar was his
true vocation. As junior his pracuce
was so large that he is reported to have
said he took sick in order 10 get rest.
II happens often enough that junior
with q great business fails TO secure an
souallv good position at the senior Bar
where a different order Of talent is re-
ouired. But Mr.. Isaacs stepped TO the
front at once.
He had become Queens Counsel III
1895: being then thirty-eight years ot
age. Between that date and 1910 he
held the position which the late LORD
Chief Justice. Lord Russell of Kill
loven. had held before him. In all
round practice he had no rival II Sir
Edward Carson's health had been equal
IN the strain he. / suppose, would have
been the rival: but TO the burden Of the
Bar Sir Edward added the burden OF
high D litics and great political respon-
sjbllitjes. and these further diminished
his capacity for business of purely
legal kind. It is said Of Sir Rufus
lsaacs that he was never known to re-
fuse q brief marked with an adequate
fee. Sir Edward has refused many:
for reasons Of health as well as Of poll
itlcs.
There are perhaps men at the Bar. or
lately at the Bar. who. strictly as law
yers. stand higher than either. Mr.
Danckwerts I have heard described as
knowing more law than any man in
England: which would include the
Judges and Law Lords. Sir Robert
Finlay is a lawyer whose opinion has
almost, or perhaps quite, the authority
ot the Bench. Lord Halsbury, as Sir
Hardinge Clifford and three times Lord
High Chancellor. was and is anyoodys
equal, whether at the Bar or on the
Wcolsack, or wherever you like. He is
ejghty-seven years old, his mind still
fresh. with its usual supple vigOr. lie
is still leader Of the Conservative Stall
warts, and I heard OF him last week
playing golf Lorl : Haldane before he
became Lord Chancellor held a place
Of his own: practising only in great
causes before courts Of final jurisdic-
ton; the Privy Council and the House
Of Lords itself For upon the ark OF
the House Of Lords, as the highest
judicial tribunal Of the kingdom, the
Prime Minister has not yet laid pro-
fame hand.
To these courts Of appeal Mr. Isaacs
never confined himself He went
where he was asked to go; appearing
perhaps as often at nisi prius as any
where He was alike famous as advo-
cate. as cross examiner. and in the
general conduct of a difficult case. No
body except Sir Edward Carson was
equally persu. r.ve with a jury. His
ross-examinations were works of art.
He had a velvet manner With a stub
born witness he found means TO get on
friendly terms. That is, I suppose, one
O. the secrets Of the profession known
only to those at the top; or qualified
for the top. No bullying. OF course;
which English dges would not toll
crate. No hostility, or suggestion OF
hostility He approaches a witness
With a conhding, intimate air; as If de-
sirous only Of the truth. and not doubt