Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1871-02-17
For the Vindicator.l
Lawyers. Politicians and People.

For the Vindicator.l
Lawyers. Politicians and People.
lizard times and heavy taxes" are not
so oppressive to our people, as the
present code Of ws-specially those in
regard to collections, administering on es-
tates, and punishment Of crime.
LIST. If you sue ssshrewd' man on
plain bond, he is able, by the stricks and
lodges" known to lawyers and "sharpers,
to keep you out Of your money for years,
even when be has abundance of property
subject to levy.
End. There are few men smart enough to
administer upon, and settle an estate with.
out being forced into law, and when once IN,
good bye to the estate.
There are some estates in Augusta Coun-
ty which have been SIN law" over thirty
years, quite number over twenty, and
very many from ten to twenty years, and
show to-day no prospect Of speedy final set
Element, unless it be to settle in the lawyers
pockets.
3rd. If a poor, ignorant, one-horse white
man or darkey steals 500 there is little diff
Guilty in bringing him to punishment if de-
tected.
But let rich scoundrel, 'well connect
ed" insinuate himself into your confidence
and pocket few Of your thousands +; do you
think justice would be measured out to him
Not ohale the thousands last. Or suppose
in passion he knocks your brains out, do
you believe he would be hung? No! the
lawyers would swear and prove that the
murderer and all his ancestors were insane.
Talk about justice will you
Now Mr.. Editor these arc woful evils
They discourage honesty and encourage ras-
cality. They bear hard on all honest men
and lou priced thieves or murderers-they
favor nobody but the lawyers, and mon
eyed sharpers, This discrimination is very
unjust, but is easily accounted for.
The lawyers and politicians of Virginia
have for many years had undisputed CON
troll in making her laws. and they can not
shirk the responsibility of the evils I have
mentioned. The people of Augusta have
opened their eyes at last and are moving
and talking in the matter. Tney see mo,o,
that lawyers are directly interested in hav-
ing the laws so framed that nobody except
themselves understand them, so that there
may be t0o plausible sides to every possible
question, so that villain mag act the yas.
cal according to laao,' SO that impunity may
be bought. SO that, come what wiU, their fees
arc safe, and finally, SO that, when they get a
grip on you, you can have no occasion ''to
write will The people, on the contra
ry, are interested to have laws so plain and
simple that ordinary intelligence may com
prehend them without the e9pense of an an-
terpreter, SO that they may hnow Ao,o to be
law abiding citizens, SO that if compelled to
go to law, they need not have to spend the
rest Of ''their lives, fortunes, and sacred
homer" on one case, and finally SO that
fraud will be promptly punished and Justice
guarded,
Hereafter they propose to be represented
in the legislature. There is just now strong
feeling of indignation against lawyers as a
class
There are in Staunton a dozen or SO.
smooth tongued, Jolly CANNON gentlemen
who constitute themselves ssring.mas of
whatever convention may meet there for the
nomination Of candidates for Office. By
dexterously manipulating ''the ropes" thew
have for years cheated the County out of al.
most every Office worth having.
The people noticed this long ago, and
concluded they would nominate County
man next time, just for the fun of it, but no
matter how our delegates were instructed.
they would come back with the mournful
tale "that they didn't mean to. Init we're
hooked in some how or other" Very nat
urally they determined that if they were out
maneuvored in convention they would make
it up at the polls: This Mr.. Editor is the
secret Of Charley Cochran's defeat last fall,
and not because he was disliked or distrust
ed by the people, for every body who knows
him likes him-but simply because they had,
long before his nomination, determined that
a County man should be elected. And al
though Mr.. G. is first rate and very popu-
lar man, I verify believe that there are
thousand men in the County, any one of
whom could have beaten him. Hostility to
lawyers and politicians and a little suspicion
of their collision in Staunton's r. r. vote
have created the false impression that Coun
ty people are arrayed against staunton.
There is no hostility to the business in
terests of Staunton-far otherwise the peo-
pie Of the County are determined, however.
that if they can prevent it, lawyers shall no
longer make laws, nor dozen mon elect
officers for them.
Enough for this time,
~ DIrrD