DEATH OF LORD ALVERSTONE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2646, 17 December 1915, Page 7

DEATH OF LORD ALVERSTONE

r PASSING OF A FAMOUS i LAWYER r i • Br Tdceraph—Press Assoolallon—Oocrrlsit r (Rec. December 16. 3 p.m.) r London, December 15. j Lord Alverstone, formorly Lord Chief Justice of England, is dead, aged 73. b BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH '' _ Lord Alverstone, better known as 5 Sir Richard Webster, was born in 1842, • and; "took silk" at the early age of " 36, and seven years later (1885) actub ally entered Parliament for tile first 6 time in tlje important position of AtC torney-General. He filled this office 1 during three periods, and in 1900 was " appointed Master of the Rolls. A few 5 months later again, providing a Temark- ' able instance of the swiftness of, legal I promotion, he was made Lor 3 Chief Justice on the death, of Lord Russell I of Killowen. N Webster from his earliest days a? > tho Bar found briefs, and built up as | a junior an enormous general practice, ' and liis work in commercial and rail- \ way cases was immense and varied. He appeared in most (if not all) of tho j important actions which took place during this period of rapid expansion in railway and trade development, and his ' knowledge of business life was profound. As an advocate he was noted ' for the thoroughness with which he | prepared his work and the insistence ' with which he carried his arguments to victory. Ho was never an eloquent man either in the Courts or on the platform or in Parliament. He had no--1 thing of the compelling eloquence of ' his predecessor, Russell of Killowen, and ; ho did not exhibit that dominance of ' character which made Russell a fear- ■ ful opponent to encounter. On the ' contrary,' Webster always showed a quietforcefulness which in its way was quite as effective as Russell's sledge- ■ hammer methods, and he reaped the 1 defects of his qualities in a fashion : which has rarely been equalled ill Erig--1 lish legal annals. His solid learning in the law and varied experience of ■ life made him a redoubtable advocate, 1 and he acquired an immense general j practice at the Bar. •As Attorney-Gen- ' oral he conducted several important in--1 ternational missions for the Government, and Sir John Simon is said to have obtained his first chance by assisting Sir Richard Webster (as he then was) on one of these occasions. On the Bench. 1 _ Webster's promotion to the Bench in 1900 as Master of the Rolls was acclaimed unanimously by popular and i legal opinion,: and his speedy elevation • to the Lord Chief Justiceship in the following October was easily the best , possible appointment. His work as , head of the-King's Bench Division was j carried out with conspicuous success , and efficiency. Althougn his judgments j were never marked by the scholarship and conciseness which, for instance, I Lord '-'Macnaghteu's exhibit, Lord . Alverstone's, judicial utterances were i entirely worthy of his great position. His knowledge of case law was amaz- ■ ing, and his wonderful memory enabled him to recall on the spur of the moment past decisions and obiter dicta which , were always to the point. It is not , unusual for judges with this remark- . able power to be annoyed' with and sharp-tongued to those appearing before them who are not so ready and well equipped. Throughout his career as a Judge Lord Alverstone adopted a graciousness of. manner and a kindness of aotion which none of' his contemporaries surpassed. To young men he was particularly indulgent, and many a newly-fledged barrister has thanked providence for the circumstanco that his first High.Court or circuit e brief brought him before the late Lord Chief Justice. An international Jurist. As the third of the Anglo-Canadian members of the Alaska Adjudication Tribunal, Lord . Alverstone's position was a peculiarly interesting and critical one. - The other two members on tho British side were Canadians, and were known to- be prejudiced in favour of their own case. As ah ardent Imperialist, Lord Alverstone'B own prepossessions would naturallj lean toward the' Canadian view, The aim of the adjudication was'to win a member of the opposing_ side to the favourable consideration either of the .American or of the Canadian. claims. Lord * Alverstone quickly saw that the Canadian interpretation of the Russo-Brit'ish Treaty of 1825 (defining the present boundary of Alaska) was untenable, and the conse- : quent merits of the American claims. Before the case was adjourned he took : occasion publicly to compliment the American counsel Although some observers felt that this indicated a lean- 1 ing toward the American side rather than toward the Canadian side, there * was a general surprise when finally it : was officiall announced that tho Ameri- i cans had won the case with the excep- < tion of a very miuor point which could be J regarded as a negligible quantity Of course the case could only be won by i the admission of one of the British Com- 1 J missioners that the Americans had the \ stronger arguments, and the particular ( British Commissioner was Lord Alver- i stone. ' j