The Denver Jewish news., 1924-07-31


have Increased by nt least 20 per cent,
II they have not actually been doubled.
II is extremely difficult TO annlyse, or
quite fully to explain, the causes of
his extraordinary success.
Rufus Isaacs though a very adroit,
acceptable, and persuasive counsel, was
not n great advocate In the sense that
Erskine, Russell, and Carson were. But
he never made mistake. He never
hullle-l witnesses. He was always In
crcdibly tnctful. lie never asked ques
tlon which, viewed from any conceiv-
able angle, could produce an answer in
furious to the interest Of his client.
And he always preserved relations OF
the utmost courtesy and friendlinesS
with those before whom he practiced.
He contrived, indeed, ms much by re-
ticcnce aS by anything that he actually
said, to convey the impression to the
jury. He never rose TO great heights
Of eloquence. He had indeed, an agree
able natural fluency an da very attrac-
tive and self-poSsessed manner; but
his vocabulary was poor and limited.
Few men, indeed, have risen SO high
whose spoken words possessed 50 little
literary distinction.
He owed much to very distinguish
ed appearance and TO an undciinnble
charm of style. This charm was innate,
not acquired. He was genuinely cx-
prcssive of delightful temper and
disposition. No great leader at the
Bar has every been more popular with
his juniors. For he threw around their
errors the protection Of his own great
reputation; and he was always the
| first to recognize and dwell upon their
merits In the presence of their common
client.
He acquired an immense practice,
disputed only by Lord Carson-but
very effectively disputed-in causes
celebres." But on the whole ii may
be claimed that his success was even
greater in the argument of elaborate
points of law. In such matters, he de
veloped n subtlety, an ingenuity and Il
capacity for intellectual 'leger de
main" which has NOT often been sur
passed at the Ear He was indeed, in
initcly dcxtcrous in any matter which
required the nice discussion of point
of construction; or the subtle discrim-
ination between Il long catcna of au-
thoritics.
But Of any case which required the
examination Of ledgcrs or accounts, he
was the supreme master of the Eng
lish Bar. He seemed, indeed, almost to
think in terms of double entry. His
extraordinary gifts in this kind Of case
were wildly illustrated in the Whitaker
Wright prosecution; though hundred
other instances could he given by any
one who studied, however specifically,
his forensic career.
He was at the head of the English
Bar-for Finlay and Carson were Law
He was at the head Of the English
Bar-for Fmlay,and Carson were Law
! OilicerS-whcn he entered the House Of
Commons. He sat for the Borough Of
Reading from 1904 TO 1913. 1t was
expected that he would repeat in the
House of Commons the brilliant rhetor-
zeal successes of his forensic career.
But his was to be the fate of Erskine
and of Charles Russell. The master
of so many jurics was denied the gift
of acceptable speech in the Mother of
Parliament. No one can confidently say
of great lawyer before he enters Par
Lament whether he will succeed there
or not Some fail because they are too
flnmbOyant; others because they are
too arid; few, like Erskinc. and per
haps Isaacs, because too much WAS eN-
pected of them.
But although he was thereby denied
the laurels Of great Parliamentary
success, his performance was sufficient,
when considered side by side with his
immense forensic position, to make him,
in the year 1910. Solicitor-Gencral. In
the same year he was promoted to the
position of attorney which he held I'M
til 1913.
To this period belongs the poignant
MarcOni story. say nothing of it
here, except that everyone who knew
Rufus Isaacs-pcrsonally or politically
knew that he was one of those men
who are absolutely incapable Of doing
any act which they believe to be wrong
He never sought to deny or to palliate
nn admitted indiscretion. He was, In
fact, the case of It lawyer who brings
the brains Of Solon to everyonc's bust
ness but his own; and thinks That the
odd moments of a scanty leisure are
sufficient for the stewardship Of his
- fui nf