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THE GREEN BAG

LORD BEACONSFIELD AND THE BAR THE centenary of Disraeli recently cel ebrated recalls an incident of his early career not unworthy of the attention of the bar. In his first years in Parliament, a contested election was held in 1838 to fill a vacancy in another seat from the con stituency he also represented. Corruption was .charged and the successful candidate was retired on petition. Disraeli was not

In a letter to the Morning Post, Dis raeli answered him and said: — "Sir, I am informed that it is quite useless, and even unreasonable, in me to expect from Mr. Austin any .satisfaction for those im pertinent calumnies, because Mr. Austin is a member of an honorable profession, the first principle of whose practice appears to be that they may say anything, provided

BENJ. DISRAELI

concerned in this election, but the prose cuting counsel, Mr. Austin, dragged his name into the proceedings on the petition by stating that "Mr. Disraeli at the gen eral election had entered into engagements with the electors of Maidstone and made pecuniary promises to them which he had left unfulfilled."

they be paid for it. The privilege of cir culating falsehood with impunity is deli cately described as doing your duty towards your client, which appears to be a very different process to doing your duty towards your neighbor. This may be the usage of Mr. Austin's profession, and it may be the custom of society to submit to its practice,