Parliament's Week: The Commons:

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Under the Magna Charta it is the right of every Briton to be tried by his peers— i.e. a commoner by a jury of twelve commoners, a lord by the House of Lords. In 1901 occurred the last trial of a peer by his peers, that of Earl Russell who was convicted of bigamy and received the light sentence on which a peer can traditionally count, three months in jail.

Last week the Royal Gallery of the Houses of Parliament was being "renovated" for the coming trial. A woolsack was installed for Viscount Hailsham to sit upon in his capacity as Lord High Chancellor and a gilt chair from the King's robing room for use in his other capacity as Lord High Steward. For this occasion the House of Lords official known as Black Rod will carry not his usual black rod but a white rod, for the reason that after sentence is delivered the Lord High Steward must break Black Rod's white rod across his knee in token that the trial of a peer is over.

Since the gold coronets usually worn by peers at the opening of Parliament will not do for a trial, Noble Lords were bustling anxiously about London last week trying to rent the requisite cocked hats. When all these had been rented, extortionate London hatters charged luckless lords who had to buy cocked hats $60 each. Since popular temper was rising sharply against forcing the taxpayers of Surrey to spend $50,000 in order that a peer charged with felony may receive, at most, a wrist-slapping sentence, attorneys for unpopular Lord de Clifford announced that he "cannot" waive his mandatory right to be tried by the House of Lords. As strongly as possible they hinted that this handsome young man, an ardent British Fascist, would much rather be tried in democratic Old Bailey where a subject convicted of manslaughter is sometimes sentenced to 15 years penal servitude.

Mother of Lord de Clifford was the "Gibson Girl," Evelyn Chandler, a statuesque stage beauty some six feet tall. His wife is the daughter of London's frequently arrested night club queen, Mrs. Kate Meyrick. Lord de Clifford's chief previous legal difficulty was for "giving false information" in order to obtain his marriage license. This peccadillo carried a possible penalty of seven years in jail. London's Lord Mayor took a romantic view of the case in his capacity of magistrate, not only let Lord de Clifford off with a fine of $250 but gave him a fortnight's grace to find the fifty quid. His profession: Lieutenant, Royal Gloucester Hussars.