Referring to Mr. Churchill's disclaimer as to certain rumours in
regard to an oil company in Mexico, Lord Robert declared that he had never witnessed a more degrading exhibition :—
"Either it was a very serious matter, which ought to have been treated with profound seriousness and solemnity, or it ought not to have been mentioned at all. It was treated by Mr. Churchill and his supporters as a kind of humorous interlude. Not a word had ever been said so fax as he knew to indicate that the Sea Lords or the Lords of the Admiralty had had anything to do with oil transactions or anything of the kind, and such a proceeding as that showed the depth to which the public life of this country had already been depressed by the conduct of Ministers in the Marconi matter. In a few years it was likely that the Govern- ment would interfere more and more with private interests, and there would be more and more temptation for those who had money to use it for their own protection by corrupting public officials. He therefore regretted deeply that the House of Commons did not see right to condemn the matter temperately but firmly."
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