The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-02-06

RESP OF Id WYERS.
Ir is perhaps not always an easy matter to
decide exactly what are the duties and re-
sponsibilities of lawyer to his client and
the public, but it is very certain that the
theory upon which some lawyers practice, that
they owe nothing to the public, and that it is
their business to win every case they may be
engaged in, by any possible means, is dis
graceful to the legal profession. Lawyers are
officers of the courts, and as such are endowed
with privileges which laymen do not possess.
These privileges are conferred upon them
with the idea that they will aid in the admin
istration of justice, the supposition being
that in presenting the case of client every
care will be taken to secure him his legal
rights and to prevent him from being
oppressed by the prosecution. When
a legal adviser, however, sets out
to win the reputation of procuring acquittals,
no matter how desperate may be the cases he
defends, he will speedily degenerate into
a nuisance of the most decided character,
and it is not creditable that the legal profess
sion should contain so many men of this
character. There are, of course, plenty of
lawyers of unimpeachable integrity who
would, under no circumstances, resort to
unworthy means to benefit their clients; but
it is undeniable that, among the Quarter Ses-
sions practitioners especially, there are indi-
viduals who make it o regular business to
prevent criminals from being brought to
punishment. There is abundant evidence of
this furnished almost daily, but it is seldom
that so plain a case is made out against
member of the bar as there was on Saturday,
during the trial of John Fitzgerald on the
charge of murder. The father of the
prisoner testified that Mr.. John
E. B. Campbell, who oficated
as counsel for the defense, endeavored to in
duce him to swear that his son was insane,
and also that he had been threatened by Mr..
Campbell with twelve years imprisonment if
he remained to testify. This most outrageous
attempt to defeat the ends of justice very
properly received emphatic notice from
Judges Allison and Paxson, who advised Mr..
Campbell of the important fact that he is
bound by his oath as member of the bar
''to act with true fidelity to the court as we'll
as the client" and Mr.. Campbell was accord
ingly held to answer the charge against him
tomorrow, when the whole affair will be in
yestigated.
The defendant in the trial above mentioned
and the principal witnesses against him are
poor, ignorant colored people, and the lawyer
evidently considered that he had an excellent
opportunity to fix up the case to suit himself,
and thus add to his reputation as a successful
criminal practitioner by securing the acquittal
of his client, and he, in all probability, imagined
that he was doing fine stroke of legitimate
business, especially as he is probably aware
of the same game having been played by other
Quarter Sessions practitioners, with immense
benefit TO their business interests. That evil
dence has been manipulated over and
over again by lawyers acting for
the defense, especially in the Court
of Quarter Sessions, there is
plenty of superficial evidence to prove; but
there has certainly not lately been an instance
of lawyer being accused in open court of a
deliberate attempt to persuade witnesses to
perjure themselves as Mr.. Campbell was on
Saturday. We sincerely hope that the inves-
tigation into this case will be as thorough as
it's importance demands, and that if Mr.,
Campbell is guilty he will be punished as ne
deserves. All the respectable members OF the