New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-02-03
WAITING FOR THE OTHER SIDE.

AS three-fourths OF all the political pat
ronage in the parish and city of New Or
leans is controlled and enjoyed by Demo
Gratis, the public is anxious to see what
concessions are to be offered from that
side. The House has generously proposed
to reform" away everything in which
Republicans have an interest, while
they have overlooked the gilt-edged
salaries and perquisites of the City Hall,
clerks of courts, and what is perhaps
the greatest evil that ever afflicted us,
the immense sums paid annually to a
few lawyers to quarrel with each other
before the courts about the old bones of
contention which have been picked bare
for years. The City Attorney and the
Attorney General, with their retinue of
assistants, cost the people more every
year, in one way or another, than the pub
lie schools nearly as much, perhaps, as
the police. This is worse than useless
expenditure, as all the legal ora
tory, bullying, badinage and outrageous
fees do not produce one dollar of valae
to the people. But so long as the peoples
representatives are permitted to employ
and pay these land sharks for quarreling
with each other and mutually assisting in
the work of drawing fat fees from the
public treasury, there will be plenty Of
claimants. When we see that Quirk,
Cannon & Snap have been employed
by the city to conduct case against the
State, and that Messrs Dodson & Fogg,
with their eminent counsel, Sergeant
Buzfuz, have charge of the States interest,
We wonder what the City Attorney and
the Attorney General are paid for, any
how, and how much authority the judge
Of the court is expected to exercise. Prac-
tically forty lawyers, with all their quantity
Of legal learning, their ponderous bags
and more ponderous fees can not force a
verdict Of guilty out OF one juror who has
been RETAINED" on the other side at
very small fee. We have seen it tried,
and know Of what we say. We have
witnessed trial where everybody was
satisfied the prisoner was guilty. The ar
nay of legal talent on either side was per: |
fectly overwhelming. The arguments
were Of the usual stereotype char
acter. The headlines in the daily
papers more stunning than ever. The
charge of the judge was so fair and cor
rect that it leaned fearfully against the
prisoner. Eleven jurymen wanted to find
/ verdict Of guilty instanter, but the
welfth persisted in bringing in mot
guilty." until he wore out everybody's
and a mistrial was entered. One
intelligent juryman had more power, and
,xerted it, too, than the whole bar, court,
heriffs and clerks combined. And yet
We suppose he did not receive much more
'ay than deputy sheriff.
Here We find the very fountain of JUS
ice corrupted, and those who ought to
las palalyzed in their efforts
" the law, and the lawyers baftled in
except the business of draw
ng fat fees by an agent of the lava
uror. Is there nothing to reform in such
system? Are we to 60 on from year to
ear paying half million or SO for justice
nd not getting it? Are party and per-
onal squabbles to be made paramount in
Importance to the work of purifying our
adicial system? Are ''the gentlemen of
louisiana merely to be reformed" into
1t places, and the honest juryman
1T free to sell his protection to all
ogues who need it? Are lessons
D be relieved from the obligations to pay
heir debts and given the exclusive right
D sell poor debtors out of house and
ONE? In short, are the landlords, les
ors, "gentlemen of Louisiana" and aris-
ocracy generally about to come to the
tont again, as in the days Of Judge Mar
IN, and shape the laws in their several
lterests? The State can only "look to
1e Senate. The House has capitulated
} the agents Of the ''masters."