Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-07-08
WHOLE NO. s,als.


: ~
! commit to no other profession the du
ties they should perform themselves
, The great curse OF the country is th
entire delegation Of public duties 4
lawyers. There are forty thouian,
lawyers in the country, one hunire,
aud ninety-eighs Of whom are Ia Ton.
gress. There are two million fv,
hundred thousand farmers, and onll
eighteen Of them in Congress"
Every now aud then some thick
skulled ignoramus sits down 10 hi.
little table aud evolves from his innol
consciousness the profound and bril-
liant thought that all the ills that af.
tiict the body polite are TO be attribu.
ted to the prepOnderance in the leeis.
lative councils Of the State or nation
OF members of the legal profession
The attempt is then made to create
and foster in the minds Of the farm.
| ing portion Of the population a preiu-
dice against lawyers as class, and q
strenuous effort is made to convince
the readers of the paper addressed by
these scrlbblers, that the whole legis-
latlon Of late years, national and State,
Is hostile to and aimed at the agricul-
tural interests Of the country. It
needs no argument to show 10 the
thinking mind the utter falsity OF these
premises, aud the fallacy OF the con-
clusl0ns attempted to be drawn from
them by the anonymous writers Just
mentioned. They seem 10 ignore the
historical fact that the founders Of
this government and the trainers of
the constitution were nearly all law
yers, and so were fourteen of the sew
enteen elected Presidents Of the Re-
public. They may or may not be ig-
norant that the government in almost
all of its departments has, since its
organization, been administered mainly
by members OF that profession, and
that up to late years since political
systems have taken possession, Il has
been well and faithfully administered.
The country has grown and prospered,
and 1t is now celebrating its hundredth
year of a most wonderful progress ia
all the arts that make country great.
The nations Of the earth look on in
admiration at the development Of our
resources, and the rapid advancement
and high position we bave attained IN
one century Of existence as a nation.
How great shall we say is the portion
of praise for these things that should
be given TO the lawyers. That they
have acquitted themselves nobly aud
with great credit in the legislative
halls of the State and Of Congress no
one can dispute.
We deprecate then all insidious at
tempts to create distrust of their le-
gal advisers on the part Of the agri-
cultural portion of the community,
and the people should irown down all
such. We do not assert that all Of the
intelligence, all the administrative
ability, all the high moral purpose, Of
the country is centered in the profess
sion of the law, but il cannot be gain
said that considering all the respOnsi-
bilities, official and private. that have
been born By them, aud all the oppor-
tunities they have enjoyed Of making
the most of their position, they have
demeaned themselves we'll, honOrably,
aud to their lasting credit.
Then, that to them more than 70 the
farmers, or any other class, should be
intrusted the law making power, il
natural and for the further and bet.
ter reason that their special training
and study best fit them for this duty,
and they are the counsellors and ad-
vis0rs of the citizen as 10 his rights,
his property, his liberty aud even his
life. The lawyers interests are al
ways fully identified with that of the
people he lives among, aud ia a more
especial manner with the interests Of
the farmer. The prosperity Of the
producing classes, those that till the
ground, is, Of course, at the foudation
of all prosperity, State or individual
and what motive could lawyers have,
as a class, for abusing the trust conf
ded in them by their constituency and
legislating in opposition 10 their inter
ests2 The very idea was born Of
shallow brain and a superficial view Of
society.
Were it here, as it has always been
in England, considered an indispensa-
bic part of every mans education, no
matter what his calling that he should
possess a liberal knowledge of the laws
of his country, before being eligible To
seat in legislative body, we should
not see so many blunders in legislation
arising from the sin Of Ignorance as We
see in these latter days. Witness, for
example, the famous Wisconsin rail
road laws, which, when the test Of the
constitution was applied 90 them, were
adjudged null aud void. Witness the
jury law, passed by our last Granger
Legislature over the Governors veto,
which could not stand the application
of the level plumb line of judicial con-
struction, but was found to be uncOu-
stitutional. Other instances could
easily be cited to show that ''knowl-
edge is power" and that legislation by
minds unframed and unaccpstomed 10
logical deductions and reaching con-
clusions by regular process Of reason
ing, is almost sure TO end in farce,
and TO require more imperatiyely than
ever the aid Of the lawyer to unravel
and straighten out the difficulties thus
wisely brought about.
The farmers have for a hundred
years sent the lawyers to represent
them in the General Assemblies and
in Congress, aud not until Of recent
days has the cry been heard that the
plan was not working we'll. Then the
Grange movement sprung up aud
spread itself from Maine TO California,
and the gTangers undertook the task
of legislating without the wisdom aud
assistance Of the lawyers, aud we have
everywhere seen the ludicrous and
sometimes disastrous results thereof.
II can easily be seen by any thinking
person that such attempts TO dispense
with the service Of trained legal minds
in the public business of the country,
is only productive of more litigation,
the very evil designed to be avoided.
Then il follows that IL that profession
is an evil, 10 is a necessary evil. Law
is at the foundation of all government,
and minds thoroughly trained and
educated for the purpose are neces-
sary for the due administration Of the
law.
This subject might be elaborated 10
an indefinite extent, but we will only
repeat that we lament the attempt, ia
newspapers or in ump-demagogues
to excite prejudices or unkindly feel
ings between these two necessary
classes Of citizens. Each occupation
has its appropriate sphere Of action,
and both are essential to the health
of the body polite. There is no hos
tility, but a complete identity Of in
terest, and none but the short. sighted
aud shallow minded assert the con
trary.-NashUilLe Commercial md Le-
gal Reporter.
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