, 1876-06-03


money mny thereby DO savod within tho next
| two or tllree years. No effort should be
/ spared, therefore, to put tho recommend
ation Of tho GRIND Jury into immediate
operation.
ENGLISH LAWYERS FEES AND MORAL
| SENSE.
Tho lawyer, according to tho average pub
lie notion in this country, isa fellow Of 1uips
and q'lid''ities, sharp enough to get any ras-
cal out Of tho meBles Of tho law, defent ono's
creditors, and, through tho courts, enforce
! tho most uncomfortable contrncts. III short,
| lie il regarded by some people ns tho person
| who will do whnteyor you want done that Is 80
especially sharp md untlcrl1and tlat you hayc
neither ulo cunning nor the daring to Try it
yourself, md 4s tho person to whom TINT
application may bo ma,lo with tho ilru, nssnr-
anco that, If yon pay him enough, ho will do
it. Our Eric lawyers and Tasnmany thief
| lawyers, md distinguished counsel in cnscs
for claims against tho Government, havo by
Their sharp practice naturally led tho public
to that opinion Of the profession generally.
| In England 1t is otherwise, rs we gather
from tho Into dabato in Parliament on tho
"Barriatcrs' Fees bill" There thcy boast TINT
under tho English system Of jurisprudence
tho barTistor III lisintercstol officer Of the
court, who, without fec or reward, chn1npi-
ons tho cauBo of his client from pure love Of
Justice. So it is by their common law, dat
ing back from timo whereof the memory Of
man runnoth not to tho contrary. OF course
this is rs proposterous n lognl fiction ns is
JOHN Doe or RtCuAnp Roe or any Of tue
Other anti1latcd tlctions of tho common Inv.
| But 1t is the Inv ; aud by Inv Of nil Her
3lajesly'a subjects tho bnrristcrs alone Mt nil
times aro ready to servo their follov-mcn
without price, and stand around waiting
their opportunity to play tho good Samari-
TIM in and about Westminster. Such, ac-
cortling to Inv, is the fact. In fact, howov-
er, tho wayfaror who hns fallen among
thieves, and everybody olso who needs tho
services OF these good Sama:itans, las to pny
roundly for tho sa.no. But in English Inv
tho fec is simply gift,-a tritling tostimoni-
al OF cstoem, "Aonorarium," tho acceptance
OF which does not place the barristor undcr
any logal obligation to attend to his clients
cause, nor rendor him liablo for mis,nnn-
ASVaAE&4e W AVk1INk 0A 4t% LII IIullt lllHu4 LuD
barristor IL lawyer who can pocket ali tho
fees he cnn got without boing bound by law
10 render tho servicoH for Which he is feed.
As tho .lebate disclosed, the London harris.
terH habitunlly tako advantage OF thia stato
| Of tho law to accept fees in number Of cases
| that may como On to be heard on tho snluo
day before different Judges, SO that tho bur-
| ristcr hns 10 neglect all but ono Of them, rs
l.u must have known ho would havo to do
when 10 accepted the foes.
Tho "l3arristors' Fees bill met this cyl
By providing for legelizing the fco-charge,
and making tho bnrrister liable for faithful
performance Of lis tlutios when feud When
tho bill was brought forward, tho Bar, Oh rc1,-
resented in Parliament, uproso and protested
agninRt this innovation. In bohalf Of tho
barristcr 1t wns solonnly urged that to mako
him legally liable for attending To tho cases
hc WIS feed to attend to "wou!d put such
a strain upon his moral senae " a. would
quito incaraetato him for tho discharge OF
his duty aforesaid. Parliament, with
q nico regard for tho moral scu.e
Of tho Bar, profoundly ponderod the
conunlrum: Would that lofty moral
xonso which sustninea bnrristcrs In pockot-
lug their clients fees with delicious senso
Of irresponsibility for neglect or misconduct
OF tho clients cases, brcnk down utterly If
bnrristcrs wore made legn!ly responsible, like
| other lnortals, for performance Ut their con-
tractsS Besides, pathetic appeal was mallo
to save tho Independence Of the lar, without
which It would be hopelessly degraded, that
independence consisting In freedom from nll
responsibility for neglect of tho busincsa for
which their cliouts paid thom. It would be
oil well enough, argued tho President Of tho
Incorporated Law Society, TO give counsel
right to suo for their foes, but never would
1t do to degrade them by making them liable
to refund their fees and pay damages besides
for neglect of their clients business. The
result Of 1t all was that Parliament discov-
erel that tho moral senso Of tho profession
WINS so delicate tllat il would give way under
the strain that would bo imposed by all oct
making them Liable for btoach of their con-
tracts; that, to save tho barzisters from
degradation, they must be lett FREQ to break
theiz contracts with impunity after having
pocketed their fcca; and thu bill was de-
feated by an overwhelming majority. The
whole goes TO show how superior, with this
singular moral sense Of his, is tho English
barristef to our Eric lawyera; and how to
preserve that high moral senso Parliament
will OIL no consideration interiors with the
LICENSE the English law extends to tho tar-
ristor to cheat and plunder hia clionts. aiuca
such interference would deprive tho barrister
Of his proud Independence. Aud yet the
English pross will doubtless continue 10 Ice