As the Duke of Northumberland was at the head of
one of the sections of the Directorate at the time, his letter constitutes a very serious accusation which, we feel sure, the Prime Minister cannot ignore.- The Lord Chancellor was hotly indignant the other day because a Member of the House of Commons pleaded privilege for his criticisms of two new Peers, and so the Courts of Justice were barred from deciding whether the statements made were false or well-founded. That means that it is the duty of Members of either House:of Parliament to defend their honour in the courts and, if they can, to refute their accusers. In this case a_ Peer, discarding privilege, has openly accused the Prime Minister, a. Member of the other House, of deceiving Parliament and the country by an " utterly false statement." There can be no question that an action would lie against the Duke. It is diffieult to think of any accusation more calculated to bring a Prime Minister into " hatred, ridicule and contempt " than this of knowingly deceiving the House of Commons and the nation. We have the greatest respect for the Duke of North- umberland and feel a deep sense of gratitude to him for his fear- lessness and plain speaking. If, however, he cannot make good his most serious accusation, he deserves exemplary- punishment. It is no light thing to charge the Prime Minister of England with falsehood. We trust, then, that Mr. Lloyd George will take the necessary steps to deal with his accuser, for the publio statements of a British Prime Minister must be above suspicion.
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