Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1860-03-06
For the Spectator.

may De considered the rash anu liDpruueHG COLI
fession that am a lawyer. L now 60 turthei
and avow myself proud of my professionals
proud as ga Oountryman," in the indicator
ought to be of his. Not prouder, for claim nc
precedence over other honest men, such as be-
lieve him to be, and from the bottom of my sou
/ abhor and detest those wars ON classes and sec
tions, which are never waged for an honest pur
pose, are hostile to liberty, equality and truth
and which belong properly, only to denagogues
and aboltionists. Whenever man comes aoh5
ming to me about the undue influence of lawyers
or doctors, or merchants, or farmers, or mechan-
les, or of town people, or country people, or any
other class, take tor granted that IN the classic
language of our friend, "a CountrVman," be has
some ''rascalty" on hand, or that he has allow
ed himself to be imposed on by some one aoh0
has. When man proclaims that he goes for
the country against town dictation, or for a
farmers candidate, against the dictation OF law
yers, | conclude that he is pressing claims which
cannot succeed, except by the ruin OF social
feeling and the destruction of the equality which
belongs to all classes of society.
| claim for the bar equality OF talent, learning
and virtue, with the farmers or any other class
nothing more. If farmer, merchant, me-
chanic or day-laborer will meet me as his equal
I will embrace him IS a brother-a fellow citi'
zen. in this land where the blood of a noble an
cestry was freely shed for equal rights and tree
brotherhood. But if the proudest among them
claims to be my superior, he will find L can re
pay sc0rn qoith sc0r7a, and say to him, "Slr, you
are after something unworthy-you are the en-
envy of the equality our fathers gave us-you
want something that you are afraid or ashamed
TO ask openly. and so the back of my hand to
vou.'" Yes I would rebuke him soundly, be-
cause have been taught to adore liberty and
love the charities Of social intercourse, which
such course would desolate.
| was not born with silver spoon in my
mouth, and being poor, had to choose profes
sion by which to live honestly. | chose the law
because it had been adorned by the earnest an(
devoted friends of liberty and equal rights, in the
old and new world-because the Marshalls, the
Pendletons, the Masons, the Henrys, and hos
of other Revolutionary heroes, inbbed their
patriotism in that noble profession. knew bad
men were to be found in it, as in all callings.-
But it afforded wide field for usefulness, and
uDless perverted, all its aims are virtuous and
philanthropic.-- may abuse it as a
trap for their fellowmen-good men can WELD
it in defence of human right and the raising up
of the down-trodden OF earth. THIS community,
without distinction of classes, cherish with rev
erence and affection the memory of Chapman
johnson, Daniel Shelley, John Fl. Peyton, Bris-
coe G. Baldwin and Samuel Clarke. Which OF
them does "a Oountryman" believe ever pan
dered to a scheme of ''rascality?" There are
now probably seventy-five lawyers in the five
counties of this circuit. Let him look on them
Are they not as trust worthy as other classes
As far as he knows them, which does he think
are worthy of belief? How many of then
would voluntarily betray their fellow citizens
We fear "a Countryman" has been unfoI tunatt
in selecting his legal associates. 1t would bt
strange if there were not few unworthy mem
bers of so numerous profession, and from tht
way he talks about their rascality he must hav,
found them But even at this disad vantage w
would trust him TO pick ont the lawyers one b,
one and say whether on an average they are no
as fair men as other people. Then We come t.
the point. A case is to be tried here, and
question of the weight of evidence arises in it,
The case is Notwithstanding the deares
rights of our people for the next eight years a
least A Judge is to be selected, and if the law
yers can be believed in matters of fact, their ev
idence on the question, "who is most fit for tn
office" is very important since they have bette
knowledge than most other men of the Judge
and of their fellow-members of the bar, witt
whom they are in daily intercourse, on the bus
mess of the profession. Nearly every business
man in this country is at some time a client O
some of them; whom it is their duty to advis
faithfully. Thus situated, they come forward
not as dictators, but as witnesses, to tell the
clients and fellow citizens what they know. All
save one, testify that the ability, industry ant
integrity of Judge Thompson such as qualif,
him above all others to fill the office, and the,
produce the record to show that bis labors hav
exceeded those of any other Judge. One onl
of the whole number says this evidence is no
true-that Judge Thompson is so idle that thu
1oH
cease to roll on Here is conflict of evidence
How can the case be decided? All the witness
es are lawyers, with equal knowledge of the fact
they depose about. Let US weigh them. FRS
then, there are seventy-four against one. Thi
is large odds. Second, the seventy -four have tn,
record on their side, while the evidence of th'
one is opposed 10 the record. Thirdly, these sew
enty-four are interested against the Judge, tor b,
electing lawyer in full practice, and putting
him away from the bar, they may reasonabl,
expect to divide his clients and cases among
them. Yet being interested against Jndg,
Thompson they testify in his favor. The one il
also deeply interested against the Judge, for h
qoants his office and this one alone witnesses a
gainst him. By those eternal rules of common
sense, by which human evidence must be weigh
ed, who is to be believed? | want it distinctl,
understood that claim nothing for lawyers tina
| would not act upon in reference to other class
es of society.
Let Us try another case or two for the sake o
illustration, and TO show that the interest of al
requires that confidence, in another, which Coz
has given us for self protection, and which none
but bad men will seek to destroy or impair.
A lawyer proposes to purchase tract of land
two men, each offer to sell him one. The
owner of one of the tracts says nothing in com
mendation of it, modestly leaving the buyer t.
judge for himself. The owner of the other puff
his wonderfully. Being ignorant of such mat
tiers, the lawyer enquiries OF all the farmers in the
neighborhood. All except the second vendor
concur in opinion that the aforementioned farm
is of the best quality greatly superior to the 9th
err, and great bargain. The owner of the other
stands by himself and says-'my dear sir, don'1
believe these fellows, they are enemies of law
yers, and have conspired 10 impose upon you.-
The farm they would have you buy is too poor
to sprout peas. | am the lawyers friend-my
farm is the Missouri bottom and offer it to you
dog cheap" Farmers, how should the lawyer
act? If he allowed himself to reject all the dis
interested testimony and yield to the persuasions
of this paffer of his own wares, would he not
richly deserve to suffer the just penalty of his
own folly? Yet this is not nearly SO strong q
case as the one on trial.
Again-A farmer wants mill. He knows
little of machinery-but all the machinsts and
millers concur in advising a certain plan, save
one, who differs from all the rest, and urges the
farmer to buy has mill of wholly different pat.
tern from that recommended by the others, as
the only good one. Would the farmer hesitate