Chapter 357 Red Face and White Face

In the office of the Chancery Hall, Viscount Melbourne and Lord Brougham were sitting on both sides of the sofa.

There were several documents placed in front of them, with names densely written on them.

Behind these names are various felony charges that make people's liver tremble at a glance.

Robbery of large livestock, burglary, breaking and destroying machinery, robbery, murder, treason...

Even if these crimes were taken alone, they would be enough to warrant hanging, not to mention that many of them had multiple charges, so they could only be sentenced to death and executed repeatedly.

Lord Brougham held the list and looked at it for a long time: "There are more than a thousand serious criminals. If all of them are sentenced to hanging, it will be more than the number of hangings in the past ten years combined."

Viscount Melbourne smoothed his hair and said: "Of course I know this, and I have promised these rioters before that as long as they are willing to surrender, the government will definitely consider lenient sentences. Therefore, all of these more than a thousand people cannot be executed. Hangings, even most executions, are no longer the case more than ten years ago, when the spirit of freedom has taken root in Britain, and every hanging will be carefully observed with a magnifying glass by the British people, not to mention that Fleet Street still maintains one. A group of news media that is blind to the wind."

Lord Brougham held a wine glass and leaned on the sofa with his legs crossed: "This is indeed a social progress, but at the same time it also brings a lot of trouble to our executive agencies. Although the British courts have always been based on It is known for its impartiality and independent trials, but now even if the court finally imposes a hanging sentence, only one tenth of it can be executed. "

After hearing this, Viscount Melbourne said: "Your Excellency, regarding this Swain riot, I think even an execution rate of one-tenth is still too high. The execution of more than a hundred people at once has already caught up with England's The number of executions last year was up.

Regarding this riot trial, I have been angry with Peelton before. Both he, the former Home Secretary, and I, the current Home Secretary, believe that only those leaders and prisoners who have committed unforgivable crimes such as murder should be executed this time. That's it. As for the remaining ones, if the circumstances are not serious, acquittal can be considered as appropriate, and if the circumstances are more serious, the sentence can be commuted to exile or hard labor. "

When Brougham heard this, he frowned slightly and said: "Your Excellency, please forgive me, no one can interfere with the independence of British judges. Although I have the power to appoint judges for vacancies, once they sit in that position , I don’t have the power to remove them from their posts. If there are just a few criminals, I can indeed help you find a few judges with more flexible methods.

However, it is impossible for a few judges to complete a trial involving more than a thousand people in a short time. Perhaps the Home Office could afford to wait, but Fleet Street journalists were not very impatient. If they blow the wind, things will only get worse. "

"No, you misunderstood me."

Viscount Melbourne said: "Of course I know that the independence of British judges is sacred and unshakable. Even His Majesty the King has failed at their hands once or twice. When you were a lawyer in your early years, didn't you serve for Caroline? Did the Queen win her divorce battle with the late King George IV?

Therefore, I will not and cannot desecrate the impartiality of the court. On the contrary, I hope that all courts can hear cases impartially and decide whatever they want. My original intention of proposing the establishment of a special trial committee for the Swain Riots to supervise the trial is also to demonstrate the fairness, openness and transparency of the trial. "

Lord Brougham was not a fool. As soon as he heard that Viscount Melbourne was not trying to manipulate the trial, he immediately understood his subtext.

"You want to ask His Majesty the King to issue a special pardon to those criminals after the trial is over, right?"

Viscount Melbourne smiled and nodded: "I have explained to the Prime Minister in advance that I will also visit other members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council one by one later. As long as you, the chairman of the committee, nod in the same way, then I believe that His Majesty the King will respect it." The collective opinion of the committee.”

Viscount Melbourne thought he might have to argue in the Chancery Chamber. After all, Lord Brougham, the senior Queen's Counsel, was notoriously difficult to deal with.

In addition to his slightly cold personality, Brougham's habitually vicious writing style and rhetoric are also intimidating.

As one of the founders of the Whig Party organ "Edinburgh Review", in addition to doing his job as a lawyer very well when he was young, Lord Brougham also had another great hobby: Byron, Shelley, and John Einstein. Ci and other romantic poets who were so bohemian that he was displeased with them attacked him.

Among these attacks, the criticism of Keats was particularly harsh and fierce.

It is said that when Keats was seriously ill, he vomited blood and died after reading a critical article written by Lord Brougham.

Although this kind of gossip cannot be fully believed, London citizens still called him 'Cold Brougham' for a long time.

However, it is actually inaccurate to use 'cold' to summarize Brougham. Because in the eyes of the Whig Party, he sometimes seemed too 'enthusiastic' in his political stance.

In the long-term rivalry between the Whig Party and the Tory Party, the Tory Party prided itself on its emphasis on tradition, while the Whig Party took freedom and progress as its slogan.

But even to the liberal and progressive Whigs, Brougham seemed too liberal and progressive.

Even within the already left-leaning Whig Party, Brougham was on the radical left.

In terms of law, Brougham was already one of the enthusiastic supporters of legal reformer Samuel Romilly in his youth.

In terms of human rights, he was an active supporter of William Wilberforce, the initiator of the abolition movement.

In terms of education, he was one of the first people in Britain to call for public education. And he was not just shouting slogans with amazing action. Although he could not change the concept of parliament, Brougham raised funds with several like-minded friends to establish the University of London.

As for the political level, Brougham was a staunch supporter of parliamentary reform, and he was the kind of person who could not turn back even if ten donkeys were tied around his neck.

Perhaps it was because Brougham was radical and action-oriented that even though he joined the Whig Party very early and had a good social reputation, it was not until 1810 that he was officially identified as a candidate for parliament by the Whig Party, which had no one to use.

Neither the scolding of Keats's supporters nor the vicious attacks of political opponents had ever changed the face of the Royal Justice.

This kind of self-willed character is almost the opposite of Viscount Melbourne, who is gentle and lazy and not willing to argue with others.

Therefore, when Viscount Melbourne came to the Court of Justice today, he had already prepared for the possibility of hitting a wall.

After all, what he said to Brougham was, to a certain extent, a complete contempt for the authority of the court.

However, what he didn't expect was that Brougham actually agreed to it.

"In fact, even if you didn't come to me, I would have asked His Majesty to grant a pardon."

"Huh?" Viscount Melbourne raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise: "What's the reason?"

Lord Brougham said: "Originally, this matter was still in the preparation stage, but since it happened, I will make it clear directly. Everyone knows that I have been supporting Lord Romilly's call for reform of the criminal law over the years.

Although Sir Peel has greatly promoted the abolition of the Bloody Act during his tenure. Today, the death penalty items in Britain have been reduced from 222 to 56, but in my opinion, some death penalty items still need to be carefully considered.

For example, hanging for 42 types of forgery is inappropriate. Although in 1830, Parliament passed a bill to reaffirm the The necessity of imposing the death penalty on these forgery crimes, but in fact, after discussing with Sir Radznowitz, I found that in the past year or so, no criminal has been executed for forgery.

Sir Radznowitz said bluntly: "The contrast between legal provisions and legal practice may be more shocking. '

The jury disagreed with the destruction of a living life because of forgery, and many judges also believed that the sentence was too heavy. In order to avoid killing a person, the jury often makes a not guilty verdict. If this situation continues, such laws will be equivalent to a piece of paper.

So I have been thinking about replacing those punishments that are disproportionate to their crimes with lighter but more certain punishments. Only laws that can be recognized by the public can truly Only when it can be implemented and can be implemented can it be called law. Otherwise, it is no different from Keats's poem. "

"Keats' poem?"

"Yeah." Lord Brougham took a sip of wine: "It looks gorgeous, but in fact it is just whining without any effect. "

Viscount Melbourne heard this and finally put his heart back into his stomach. He smiled and raised his glass and said: "It is indeed a correct decision to appoint you as the chief justice. If the Lord Chancellor's Office decides to continue to promote judicial reform, the Ministry of the Interior will definitely support it. "

Brougham heard this and suddenly said: "But as you said, although His Majesty the King will grant amnesty to some people, or change the sentence to a lighter level of punishment, the court's verdict will still be carried out according to the original provisions.

In court The sentence of hanging is still to be hanged. If the court gives a lighter sentence, it is tantamount to encouraging riots, and the majesty and sanctity of the law are out of the question. This time, His Majesty the King has shown mercy, but it will not be repeated next time. "

"I think so too."

Viscount Melbourne smiled and said, "I think His Majesty will be very happy to be the good man. After all, His Majesty the King now seems to be different from his brother. He is born with a compassionate heart and pursues humanitarianism. I heard that every time the Old Bailey Court sent the death sentence to His Majesty for approval, he always read it over and over again, and then ordered the judge to present the case to him in person before he was willing to sign his name. Last year, His Majesty the King personally changed the death penalty. It seems that 90% of the cases were changed by him. "

Lord Brougham joked, "With the help of His Majesty, your daily work is much easier, isn't it? If he is as lazy as the previous king, according to convention, the Home Secretary should approve the death penalty. "

Viscount Melbourne also smiled and said, "You are right. Your Majesty probably knows my lazy personality and knows that not everyone can be as energetic as Sir Peel. He is always considerate of his subjects, whether they are the Home Secretary or his old brothers in the Royal Navy."

Lord Brougham blinked and smiled: "Unfortunately, other people in the House of Lords may not think so. When the House of Lords was meeting a while ago, I heard those old-fashioned people complaining that His Majesty is not as tasteful and stylish as his brother. He doesn't care about the timing of his speech. When he's drunk, he likes to tell everyone a long story about the ship's pre-war mobilization. Even when his elegant French words come into his mouth, he can still smell the smell of Caribbean tobacco. "

Out of politeness, Viscount Melbourne only raised the corners of his mouth slightly and did not laugh out loud.

He said: "The guys you mentioned didn't think much of him before His Majesty ascended the throne. His Majesty himself probably didn't expect to inherit the throne. For a long time, he was a transparent person in the royal family. No matter what Whether he chose to follow General Nelson when he was young or later threatened his father to join the House of Lords, this all shows that His Majesty is a person who craves attention. Although in some places, what he does is not appropriate, he really wants to be. An excellent king."

Brougham picked up a handkerchief and wiped his mouth: "So, you gave him this opportunity to show his mercy in front of the British public and pardon those mobs?"

Viscount Melbourne chuckled: "It's just a coincidence."

Viscount Melbourne did not want to say anything clearly, and Lord Brougham did not intend to continue questioning.

As a professional lawyer, he doesn't like worldly matters very much, and his independent personality makes him more concerned about specific implementation.

He just asked: "Now that the candidate to show mercy has been determined, who are you going to give the task of putting the shit basin on yourself? It is only theoretically possible to influence the judge's decision, and this kind of initiative makes people take the initiative. Rolling into a mud pit can only be done by a guy with a brain problem. "

Brougham's words hit home another purpose of Viscount Melbourne's trip.

Viscount Melbourne reorganized his language and analyzed it slowly: "We all know the sensitivity of this trial, so we can't find a guy with a bad reputation to do it. That will only make the reporters on Fleet Street cheer and the citizens of Britain. They were furious..."

"That makes sense."

Lord Brougham said seemingly casually: "It would be great if you could persuade the Archbishop of Canterbury to take charge of the prosecution."

"Then it's unnecessary. The prosecutor doesn't have to be that innocent."

Viscount Melbourne hurriedly interrupted the other party's whimsical thoughts, knowing that Lord Brougham might have guessed his thoughts.

In this case, he did not intend to beat around the bush, but asked directly: "I intend to hand over this matter to the London District Attorney's Office, or to be more precise, to your most protégé Arthur Hastings. "

"Oh..." Lord Brougham put a hand on the back of the sofa and looked up out of the window: "I have to say, your mind is very jumping. From a religious leader in Britain, you suddenly went to the University of London. The stronghold of atheism.”

A simple sentence brought Viscount Melbourne back to the cold reality from the relaxed and carefree mood just now.

Brougham's difficulty was immediately apparent.

The reason why he was so talkative just now was not at all because he had a good temper, but because Viscount Melbourne's thoughts were on the same line as his.

Once the two have conflicting ideas, there will be hail in the face and violent wind and rain in an instant.

However, it is not that Viscount Melbourne cannot understand the other party's thoughts.

As a newly established school, and it had just received its teaching charter not long ago, the University of London does not have many well-known alumni.

A few days ago, a recruitment advertisement featuring Arthur Hastings was published in The Times.

In the blink of an eye, Brougham's most proud disciple was asked to carry the explosive pack. There was absolutely no reason in the world for him to do so.

What's even worse is that Arthur has just been shot in Liverpool. According to Brougham's temper, it would be considered polite not to explode directly.

To smear the student at this time is simply not taking him seriously.

However, Viscount Melbourne had thought of this early on, and he used the words he had prepared to persuade him.

"Actually, if there is another suitable candidate, I don't want to bother him anymore. Even in terms of my personal feelings, Mr. Hastings is quite helpful to me. A while ago, Mr. Faraday and I had a bit of a misunderstanding. , it was him who came forward to help solve the problem. Therefore, when the Liverpool incident occurred, I immediately transferred people from Scotland Yard to strengthen his protection.

However, in my personal opinion, letting Mr. Hastings take charge of this job will definitely be of great benefit to his future growth. To be honest, the Ministry of Home Affairs has also recently been considering amending the Metropolitan Police Act of 1829. Everyone sees Arthur's abilities and achievements.

Although exceptional promotions are not allowed to a certain extent, I have always promoted capable young people. If Arthur can do a good job in this prosecution, he should be promoted to Assistant Superintendent after the reorganization of Scotland Yard, and those who doubt his concurrent position as Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions of the London District Attorney's Office can be suppressed.

In addition, at the last Privy Council meeting, didn't we discuss the list of knighthoods for the next year? The specific candidates have not yet been officially determined. If Arthur can close the case before the list is submitted, I think he definitely deserves this honor for his merits. "

When Lord Brougham heard this, the displeasure on his face was still there.

He was about to argue with Viscount Melbourne, but before he could open his mouth, he heard a knock on the door.

"Sir, Mr. Hastings has returned from Liverpool. Are you free to meet him now?"