Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-03-09
UNPRECEDENTED RECORD
MADE BY EDWIN SMITH
bccame Chancellor OF England al
the Age OF FOrty-SiX
Years.
POST is DEMONSTRATING Jon
Gives Him Custody of Great Seal OF
England-Known as Master "
Rcpartcc, Whose BrilliaEcy Over
comes Handicap OF Youth.
by HAYDEN CHURCH..

BY HAYDEN CHURCH.
LONDON. March S.--i.ord Chancellor
o. England and T. peer Of the realm at
lortyIsix. 1t is. so. FIR AS known. Il
record Unprecedented ii British history
ona, has been made by the Right Hon
whom we shall know hereafter by his
new title OF Lord Rirkenhead In at
tanning At so comparatively early an
sion In this country. AS this country's
new Lord Chancellor. this. perhaps.
britain now occupies post that Is the
highest paid in the British government,
"a post that gives him the custody
OF the great seal of England aud pre-
c"dents Of every temporal lord and
every bishop except the Archbishop Of
canterbury. and that puts his name for
Al time on the historic roster OF chan
c.liors that includes those OF Cardinal
Wolsey. Sir Thomas More. the Earls
Lord Jeffreys. Lord Brougham and Lord
Erskine. not forgetting sir Francis
, hacon. whom so many people fancy TO
attributed to Shakespeare
MOUNTS TO PINNACLE
OF HIS PROFESSION
In only nineteen years from his call
10 the bar, the new peer Of the realm
p!ace one OF the suburbs OF Liverpool
mas mounted to the pinnacle Of his
profession ln The course OF his ,rium
rhan' career he has attained one dig
tnEuished post after another. WITH
never backward step, positions as
diverse as those Of extension lecturer
in modern history at oxford. member
OF Parliament and Kings COUNCILLOR
lieutenant colonel In the army Solicitor
Nttorncy-General the office which he
has held since 1915 and now relIn-
nnishes AZ four years short OF fifty.
IN FAVOR Of the position which has been
described the most crave and rev
r ,ir,i !, H. Eng'.md and that has sstab-
speaker OF the House o
son OF BARRISTE:R
MAKES RAPID RISE
And the marvel o. 1t all Is that he
has done II "or his own they say
without Influence. but with next to no
money. He Is the son II is true. Of u
we'll known harrister OF The middle
temple. the late Frederick smith whose
home was at iiirkenhead. and who was
well known on what ia called the
northern circuit. but his father died
when he was seventeen and lef, hebind
h!.n scarcely an" assets.
he had sent his boy TO-. preparatory
school with the encouraging words
that IL he worked hard enough. there
WIS no reason why he might not be
Lord Chancellor. After his sire's death.
h9wsTer, the.c seerner scant prospect
O. the youthful r. E.'s" attaining the
tie wooisack. for he had 10 turn to
and Keep himself
Rad 4 FORTUNE
IN CLEVER BRAIN
Luckily for hs future he had a for
shi? won at p. ienhead school carried
him 10 Oxford, and at the university
ms career was one of exceptional
brilliance. lie won classical scholar
months work, and. after only a years
speak Ing. was made president Of the
oxford Union a famous debating So
ciety which is really miniature
House OF Commons. and in which many
OF Britains most famruse orators got
their first training. He also obtained
Ia. %. 4
OF Jurisprudence. and WAS Einerian law
scholar and fellow and iecteurer OF
Merton College.
university was Sir John Simon. now
one OF his country's most famous law
yers and former Attorney-Gener.,l.
The story goes that Sir John and r. f.
smith tossed up a coin 20 decide which
po's swe pa5rEg eafh should Join seeing
belong to one and the same party.
Whether this tale be veracious or not.
the fact remains that Simon is Il Lib
cral and the new Lord Brkenhcad u
Conservative.
TAKES NAME FROM
RIVER NEAR PLACE
Frederick l.. Smith left Oxford well
equipped indeed for a legal career, but
with no influence whatever and very
little hard cash. In, his early days at
connection with his rapid progress on
the northern circuit. good story is
told. When the former Justice Bigham
the British inquiry into the loss of the
Titanic. was raised 10 the peeraSe. he
took the title of Lord Mersey. this be-
Ing, OF course the name OF the river
10 which his native city owes its com
mercial supremacy. When asked jocu-
be assumed BY i. L. smith when the
latter. In turn. got a peerage. Lord
Mersey replied: Il have left the Atlantic
for Smith"
Even in the early stages of his legal
career. no one doubted the ultimate des-
tination Of This rising counsel. In the
north r. E. soon acquired Il rcputa-
ton as a sound lawyer. and his SER
vices were eagerly sought by the legal
Gated commercial disputes arising out
of charter parties and bills OF ladin.
or points in admiralty law. In 1905,
was elected to Parliament as Conserv-
ative member for the Walton division
OF liverpool lie then removed 10
d Kings counsel This is The highest
rank In the ,, nrtiSh legal profession
proved himself Il powerful ,,H advocate ~" "a
successful verdict winner and sIlilful
and persuasive in his arguments in the
appellate courts.
QUICKNnSS IN REPARTEE
NOTABLE CHARACTERISTIC
Quickness in repartee is one OF the
most notable chara act; OF the
legion, and his biting humor has made
many an opponent writhc He once
commented upon Gladstone's passion
for elaborate exposition. MIR Glad
stone" he said, Carries lucidity almost
TO the point OF badness" And he thus
referred to the death duties: One sec
ton of the community lives TO enjoy
oid-age pensions; the other has To die
to pay them"
On another occasion he was address
ing a meeting, in connection with a
by-election. and was holding forth o,
tariff reform What about our food?"
the back. At length NJ e. could
stand it no longer. Calmely he turned
10 his fnterrupter and said sweetly,
You need not have any concern. sir:
your food will he quite safe. No one
has ever proposed to put tax on
thistles."
ESTABLISHES REPUTATION
In MAIDEN SPEECH
The new Lord Chancellor's maiden
speech in the House OF Commons in
1906 was In itself sufficient TO estab-
lish a political reputation by it's bold
Iess and brilliante. One member had
been returned as Unionist. and. he.
when the House of Commons rcassem-
blcd had Immediately crossed the floor.