Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 17.pdf/104

 LORD BEACONSFIELU AND THE BAR but, for my part, it appears to me to be that this misconception arose from a report nothing better than a disgusting and in in a public newspaper — in a report of a tolerable tyranny, and I, for one, shall not speech alleged to have been delivered before a Parliamentary tribunal. That report had bow to it in silence." For this slur on the profession, the contained allegations against my character author was indicted for contempt of court. and conduct of no common severity. I was He made no defence, but the following accused of having bribed the constituency extracts from his appeal for clemency, at whom it was my honour to represent, and tacking Lord Brougham's famous definition afterwards having left unfulfilled the prom of the duty of counsel to client, point a ise by which I had induced them to give me their suffrages. This accusation was of moral no thoughtful lawyer can ignore: — a most grievous character,— an accusation "I will for a short time avail myself of of public corruption and private dishonesty, the permission of the Bench to offer some observations which may induce it to visit — and I hope your lordships will for a mo this misdemeanor in a spirit of leniency. ment consider the feelings of a man not 1 stand before the Court confessedly guilty, very old and experienced in public life, not from any dislike to enter into an in when he found an accusation of this kind vestigation of the circumstances which have made by a learned member of the Bar be induced me to commit this trespass, but fore a public tribunal of the country; and because I have been advised that, whatever although I had not immediately adopted the moral effect might be, the legal effect the authenticity of that report, yet I sub could be but one, namely, conviction. I mit that though it was possible the insult thought that, under all these circumstances, might not have been intended, the injury it would not be decorous by a prolonged had already been experienced, for the re litigation to resist the unquestionable re port appeared in the evening papers, ap sult, nor was I anxious to deprive my peared the next morning in the morning honourable, my learned antagonist, of an papers, and had been copied into perhaps earlier termination of the impending issue. every provincial paper throughout the It would be affectation in me to pretend kingdom. I confess my feelings were at that the (I will say, unfortunate) letter that moment considerably excited. I had which has originated these proceedings was lived to learn by experience that calumny written for the atmosphere of Westminster once circulated is more or less forever cur Hall, but I believe if the data of the sup rent. You might explain the misapprehen posed facts upon which this letter has been sion and you might convict the falsehood, published had been correct, my offence by but there is indeed an immortal spirit in the law would have been the same. Yet, mendacity which at times is most difficult under these circumstances, I should have to cope with, and most dangerous to meet; applied with some confidence to your lord and I confess, when I adverted to the serious ships — not as administrators of the law, injury I had already experienced, and ob but as members of the great social body — serving also that there were no character to look upon that transgression not only istics which might induce me to doubt the with mercy, but with special indulgence; authenticity of the report, I felt myself and it is my wish to place the feelings and writhing under feelings which I regret to circumstances that induced me to write the remember. letter before the Court, that I may prevail on "But I did not commit an act of such your lordships even now to look at my rash precipitancy as to write a libel upon a offence in the same spirit. newspaper report. I took steps to ascer "The learned Attorney-General has stated tain its accuracy or. inaccuracy; I applied to