At the Central Criminal Court on Tuesday a true bill
was found against Mr. Whitaker Wright. In his address to the Grand Jury on the previous day the Recorder, after sum- marising the proceedings at the preliminary inquiry, ex- pressed an earnest hope that the facts disclosed in the papers which lay before him would serve as a solemn warning to persons in high positions. It was no wonder that the public were misled as to the solvency and respectability of joint- stock enterprises when the prospectuses contained the names of persons of high position or of distinguished public servants who were, unhappily, not mindful enough of the obligations of the motto noblesse oblige. The Recorder's outspoken warn- ing deserves the widest possible currency. We are taught to distrust an enemy even when he brings gifts. Peers should distrust company promoters most of all when they offer them an easy profit.
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