Evening star., 1936-06-04
Britain's Budget Leak.


Even-handed and swift-moving British
justice has seldom given a more striking
account of itself than in the painful case
involving the Labor politician and late
colonial secretary, ]. H. Thomas. In one
OF the most fortnight judgments ever
handed down by judicial body in the
United Kingdom, the man who rose from
the humbleSt ranks of railroad workers
to ministerShip of the crown has been
formally branded as the betrayer of bud
get secrets, resulting in losses of nearly
100000 by London underwriters through
payments to persons who gambled on
inside tips about coming taxes. The
question of criminal prosecutions is now
being weighed by government law
officers.
Honest jim" persisted to the last that
he had not divulged the information, but
the tribunal of inquiry disregarded his
denials and found him guilty of disclos-
that Thomas had accepted the gift of a
$4,000 seaside home from one of the
men who profited handsomely from the
advance budget news was the damaging
circumstance that mainly led to the
former minister's condemnation. The
alibi that the transaction represented a
prepayment on an unwritten volume
of political memoirs carried no weight.
Because Thomas benefactor is a rich old
friend, futile efforts we're made to depict
the deal as an innocent proposition.
Some of its earmarkS will probably re-
mind Americans of the famous Doheny-
Fall little black satchel episode in the
oil scandal.
1t is not only the stern impartiality
with which the Thomas case was probed
to the bottom, irrespective of the
accuseds high position and personal
popularity, which reveals British admin
istration of justice in favorable light. No
less impressive is the promptitude with
which a verdict was reached, barely six
weeks after the miSdeamor was detected.
Britons derive special satisfaction from
the fact that Mr. Thomas alone was i'm
pliCated, although numerous persons in
subordinate positions had access to the
material which was the source of leak
age Thus the honored escutcheon of the
British civil service emergeS without
stain from the only case on record in
volving revelation of highly confidential
government secrets.
The London Daily Herald, organ of the
Labor party, in which Mr.. Thomas has
long been an honored leader, voices the
general British view in saying that 1T is
impossible to read the cold and fearless
words of the Thomas report without
feeling pride, surely not objectionable,
in our public and parliamentary tradi-
tionS.' There is universal sympathy for
the discredited minister and generous
recognition of his public service. But the
note struck with greatest emphasis is one
of qualification over the dynamic quality
of the investigation and its fresh vindi-
cation of the Anglo-Saxon principle
that public Office is public trust which
no man, no matter how exalted his sta
ton, can violate without paying the
penalty of his tranSgreSSion.
This conception Of probity in places of
official responsibility rests on standards
which the American people like to believe
are also the pillars OF official life in this
country. For that reason, opinion here
is certain to applaud the Thomas verdict
and share British pride in it.