The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1875-12-24
Tweed ard the Lawyers.
From the New York Graphic.

II vas a capital hit that one of the pa
pers m%,ie in saying that Tweed did not
Il away to escape Justice, but to get
out OF the clutches of his lawyers. There
isnO question that they were bleeding
the old man to death. He saw his vast
fortune melting under their manage
ment Ikea snow bank in June. 1t is
said thai he has already paid them near
ly 4 million dollars Tor defending him
III these Ring suits. 1t had almost
reached the point that it cost him 800
for every minute his case occupied the
court, and any motion to adjourn or
postpone the proceeding cost him $40
900 more. The continuance Of proceed
in@s had become simply Il question Of
mathematics with him, and it WAS easy
to calculate Just how long before the
defense would collapse and he would be
he decided to take leg bail while he had
money enough left to buy u change of
linen and pay for 4 clean shave.
But this keen satire cuts more deeply
than it WAS intended The relation of
lawyers 20 the administration of Justice
deserves special attention. 1t is brought
conSpicuou>ly before the public ia Il
great ease like this. The legal rrofes-
sion is on trial as well as Tweed. His
counsel are among the ahlest LAWYERS
practicimg at our Bar. They have full
knowledge OF all the secrets of his case.
lie cannot discharge them now, and
they abuse their power by taking adj
vantage of his necessities to the Utmost.
Their fees, if they are a quarter so large
"a has been represented, are simply
enormous. and the payment Of such
III looks like III attempt to bride and
oVcrpOWer justice in the courts. But il
the ground assumed md thus far s,iS-
tanned by the prosecution is correct,
TwccdS property was stolen from the
city. 1t does not belong to him. He
has no right to dispose OF it. And his
lawyers, knowing how he rot the mon
ev, are guilty of receiving stolen prop
erty if they take it. \ poor dealer in
second hand leWelry is sent to the peni-
Tertiary for buying Il watch he knows
was p~urloined. What sort of Justice, to
say nothing about morality, is that
which sends q poor woman to jail for
taking stolen money from a bOarder to
keep the wolf from her door, and eXtols
the able and learned counsel ola motor
iouS cnlprit who exact 800, 00G for
keeping him out Of prison. when they
know that every dollar of it was stolen
from the city treasury? The case is Il
thousand times palmer than any of the
points they have made in court. If
Tweed is a thief, they are guilty of tax
ing stolen money. This is the long and
short of the whole matter. And the Bar
Association of this city would do well to
clear its skirts of completely in a matter
so damaging to the legal profession. 1t
Is generally assumed that lawyers. rs a
class, are the best lawmakers. They
understand the technicalitieS of law.
They know how TO draw up bills so
there can be no difficulty as to their
meaning. and 1.-The waytaring man,
though a tool, need not err therein"
But all experience shows that they are
the poorest lawmakers the State has.
They frame bills like snares and nets to
catch the unsuspectiug and promote liti-
CATION. They sacrifice equity TO techni-
c~alities. and build up a profitable bust
ness for themselves at the public eX-
pense. 1t almost seems sometimes that
the legal profession has become an in
separable obstacle in the way of Justice,
and that we shall never get simple,
straight forward Justice between man
and man, and individuals and the COM
munity, till our courts are reorganized
and run in the interest of the people
instead of the lawyers.