New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-02-23
NEW PUBLICATIONS.


& Vernon continues his Campaigning Stories,
which present a lively picture Of military life in
Mexico and add to the reputation both of the Maya
zine and the writer An essay on Law and Law.
yers,n by John Neal, shows the well-known hand Of
tina. bold, original writer, and presents number o.
home truths equally edifyng to the profession and
the public. An extract or two will prove that John
Meals ancient strain has by no means died out:
LAWYERS A NECESSARY EVIL.
In the open field, lawyers not easily van
quished-out- maneuvered or overoorne walled
about as with triple wall OF hre-or brass !-hlgh
I'D and afaT off, their intTenchments are only to be
carried by storm. They must be grappled with,
face to face. No quarter must be eranted-for no
quarter do they glveno mercy do they sho W, after
their banners are aheld. up, guards and at EN- -
SAID WeiliI gton, at the battle Of Waterloo and so
say whenever see my brethren OF the bar rally
ing for a charge.
They will bear with me, l hope-as have borne
with Them for twenty-five years for, while com.
plain of their unreasonable ascendency throughout
our land, of their impeil0us, 0vefbearng, unqnes-
toned domination, acknowledge that, constituted
as we are-WE, the People-we cannot do without
them-and the mores the pity. Law we must have,
and with it, as If by spontaneous generatloa-law
yers, till Man himself undergoes transformation,
and his very nature is changed Both are necessary
eylls-much like war, pestlience, and famine, or u
natc asy lums poOr-houses, and penltentlaries. or
apoihecari shops with their aduiterous abomina
tions and every other substitute for, and abrldg.
ment Of, human liberty, human happiness, the laws
of health or the instinct of seli-rellance. II men
will not do as they would be done by; if they will
not be temperate In all thiDgs"-then they deserve
10 be drueged. and bsiered, and blea here by the
doctors, and there by the lawyers, till they have
come TO their senses AN no longer be dealt with
proftaoy by either for, although every man, &C
cordng TO the worthy Joe Miller may be his ovn
washeTwoman-at least In Ireland-lt is very clear
that in this country, he might as well undertake to
be his own jailer as his own lawyer
HONEST BY NATURE.
But observe; though ready to acknowledge their
honesty, By nature, as men or rather, while &c
knowledge that they are, to the full, as honest as
other men are by nafure-but no honester and as
trustworthy in eli other relations, apart from law
as good but no better, MAINTAIN that they are con-
stantly exposed 10 such disqualifylng temptations,
and to such disastrous influences peculiar TO their
profession that they have established code OF
morals for themselves, as lawyers, which would mo-.
be allowed to them as citizens and which, II openly
avoved aud persisted H. by brethren on. of the pro
foSsioD would be sure to send them to the peniten
tiary that they have altogether too much power in
this county-a power out OF all proportion 10 their
numbers, their talents their intellgence, their viz
tues, and then usefulness and hat instead OF being
chOsen for lawgivers thToug hout land, in pro-
portion varying from three films to nearly seven
tighthf, III all our legislative bodies, they the
very last persons among us to be ntrusted with the
business Of legslstion-having direct personal in
terest in multiplying our laws-in altering them
ard in making them unintegible to all the rest of
the world.
TRAINING FOR CONGRESS.
Let us take one of our young attorneys and folio
him up, year by year. and step by step to the Halls
OF Congress, AID how he gets there and what he
is bound to dofor he can do nothing else-after he
gets there.
In the first place, it should be borne in mind that
the lawyers send to our legislative bodies are
not often the able even the abest OF their class
i speak OF them as lawyers only and not as ora:
tors, or Statesmen, or Scholars They cannot afford
to the people for the day wages that your STRIP
ling, or blockhtad of an attorney, who lives only
from hand to mouth, would snap at. He who can
have hundred dollars for a speech, will never
make speeches at two or three dollars day, in our
State Legislature nor be satisfied with eight dollars
a day in Congress.
And these youngsters of the bar, these third and
Ourthr rate lawy ers who held to be good enough
FOR legislators because they rot support them
selves by their profession how are they trained for
that business
You first hear OF them in bar-rooms and bowling.
alleys then at ward caucuses and then at all sorts
OF gatherings where they may be allowed TO try
themsely es and Their hearers and then at conven-
tons OF town meetngs and them after being de-
eaied hall dozen times, perhaps till II is acknO vi
edged that II they are not elected they are ruined
Tor ever, they get pushed head foremost, into the
State Legislature.
Ard once there, what shall they dor how shall
they manage to become notorious, or distinguished
Ihey must contrlye 10 be talked about In the nc
papers 10 be heartily abused by somebody, that
they may heartily be praised by somebody else be.
be mentioned, and grow more and more familiar
every Gay 10 the public ear, until they become
of household words or II may be rallying cry b.
IRE simple foice OF repetition, Ike PROVERBS, or
sang phrases. why do you take every opportl-
nuy OF callu g yourself an honest mani" saii
neiehbor TO another OF doubtful reputation. "Wnv.
bless Jour simple heart" the reply. don'E yol
see that am laying foundation for what il alles
peohc opinion ans that after a few years, when NY
character is iary established, the oreln OF the se.
htf VIII be forgonOn" 50 with your newspaper
Characters Idols OF the day-at The end of fex
II Chtls, al most they are dust and ashes. and tne
people Degn TO wonoer at themselves that they
should ever have been made such fools Of
but no" sDall they manage 10 be talked a5 lus IN
Inc e"spapers and most 81 lriously abusedl There
is only ole way They must make speeches-lf
they Csnnot make speeches they NAV as well give
up the ghost and be gathered to their fathers for
Ine ST assureoly, whatever may be their worth o.
susAeih, or Talents, n every other wayl if shes
c0lfOt ma &c speeches no. man of them will ever
De leHemoeTed-long enough TO be forgotten And
hey must make long speech.s-the longer the bet
ter and frequent spetcaes-the more frequent the
better, and be then Own correspondents and reoofr
tht mseNts Tor the newspapers win tart replies aad
eloquent outbreaks, ard happy illustrations nsv.r
urefec, nor dTeamt Ct TIL the UMPIRE baitis
was over, Ike some that we're made by Demosthsngs
himself years after the occasion had passed by and
here was nobody alive TO contradict him n, l,-e
the celebrated orhtion Of Cicero against Cstaine
But they cannot make speeches about nothing A.
sl-al least suoh Is nay present opinion /, NAV De
"
mon experience would appear % BE- agains, me- and
that much may be said upon both sizes. as vel as
upon Ieliher side, IL such question. They mist
have something 10 work wiSh-and 10 talk sbon,
something, too, which Is likely 20 make noiss out
OF eooTs 10 set people together BY the ears 10 IS
tolish tnem, and TO give them a good excure far
irelnns' and scoldiDg, ard worrying In other words
thsy must introduce new law--tbe more aosurt tse
oeueI-oI attack an old law, tbs older the better
and seek 10 modify il, or TO change or repeal ~
AND What is the result Just this; thstey Lee.
lsAiVe hal ID the land frO@ the least 70 the gres
ss' rom the low est to iae highest, becomes de1at
iug scht oil and the business Of me Ssois coe.,
Is posttoneS month after month and year aferycxf
70 NE very as GAYS OF The session. and then anrred
thIous hlusi little too late wherever ms nat;o.aI
honor Is osepy concerned, As In the case OF Frreh
sposiions. and o.her honest debts Ecd By the Cav
en- mthl 70 'he fsople-Nlln precipitation 80 haz
aroous and shameful, that much OF the ht,Ie tn.
efi IN future sessions must be employed IN correct,ns
ire oiuncers OF the pass and all for wha. l-meraiv
IhaI The Lawyers may be heard month after moo,S
sA0 have long speeches that we're never deiivera5
n When delivered. not heard, reported piecemeaI