Show proprietor JOHN WALTER formerly celebrated as the owner of the london times the leading newspaper of the world now notorious on account of the exposure of his attempt to ruin flarnell and the cause of irish home rule has had a great deal of interest centered in him of late he is the third of the same name who has had a prominent interest in that great newspaper property his grandfather issued the first number of the times in january 1788 and the centennial of that event was the occasion of editorials and letters of congratulation in all english speak ing countries it was left to the second john walters to broaden the scope of the paper and to adopt the mechanical devices for printing which placed the paper in the forefront in england mr walter the second was waa the first to use steam power in printing a newspaper and the employment of the ablest writers of the kingdom as well as a certain candidness in treatment of all subjects gave almost a magazine flavor to its editorial page the london times under the second walter was as near an independent paper as england had seen john walter the third is a man of pleasant countenance cast in a strikingly intellectual mould while its general expression appears to be decidedly benevolent it seems extraordinary tra ordinary that a person of his quality should enter into a conspiracy to ruin a man and a cause by such means as were adopted in the relentless opposition to parnell and irish local rule yet it is almost beyond the possibility of belief that mr walter and his associates could have been deceived by pigott et dl al it is a matter for regret that one is forced to the conclusion that the celebrated advocate of irish local rights was the victim of an unscrupulous plot in which the times people were willing workers yet any other position would be in the light of the late striking development in the ewe case entirely untenable the plea of the times to the effect that it had been deceived is far from being generally ac accepted the following sketch of the present proprietor of the times has appeared in an eastern journal he was born at loudon london in 1818 he was educated at eton and was called to the bar in 1847 which was also the year of his fathers death and his own elec eleccion Gion to parliament he remained in parliament until defeated in 1866 1865 but returned to his seat two years yean later and has there continued to the present time for over 40 years the times under his management has been considered the exponent of the best british thought its attitude towards each successive government has been in the main candid the paper has been popularly called the tuii derer but it would be nearer the facts to call it the judge on account of its judicial tone the paper has for a long time declared dividends amounting to about annually no dividend was declared last year the surplus having been spent in defending the most stupendous n d us libel in the history of journalism jo u dualism mr walter is by nature more conservative than his grandfather and yet he used the influence of the times ames in the and crime articles more recklessly than any respectable paper has ever been used in england mr walter overruled his managing editor in reference to the publication of forged parnell letters he selected the form of indictment under which parnell pamell and his associates should be tried before the commission he had the moral support of the attorney general as his chief counsel his witnesses were given access to government papers and his attorneys were furnished the names of government spies and secret agents and yet the case collapsed before one witness was put under oath by mr parnell pamell mr walter is a man of great culture and until his recent fall he has been considered thoroughly honorable and candid in all his dealings professional fess ional lonal and Ders personal onal 11 |