, 1879-02-02

tear once in while, get drunk, gamble, all
lie; but, tl,cn-they are laSyers!"
As legislators, they are partisans On all occs
| sions aud gravitate at once into rings. The
| will necessarily and always oppose simpifyin
and cheapening the means OF obtaining Justice
and they will sneer with as much ease at thos
who feel it their first and highest duty to serv
the people as does the author OF the ',Jackass a4
| quotation. at the lawyers who would be bette
than himself They sueer at true nonor every
I where with the brazen etTrontery that an 1umat
OF bagnio would decry female chastity.
But the picture is a loathsome one, ana 10 yes
Is not without its scompanion-plece; Tor the 1aui
is not alone that Of Lawyers, as we shall see
Though these men have brought disgrace upo1
the profession and should be Weeded ont' nay
no hope Of such consummatlon. 1he2 arg re- 70
firmly intreuched il. the needs Of he ptope. 1Ae
are, IL fact, as good as the people ''ant Or 1'ote
havs then. to be. The sclf-righteous creature whit
occupies front pew in a costly church mus
have the knavish lawyer; the honoraole puslnes
man ana the very pious Cashier Of 3 SAYING
bank must have him; .4 inc hana r.esluTn hiIn
! railroad companies cannot 10 without MN
| County Boards and City Councils seek his ad
I vice aud his services; the 'fil1cns, ana 9anaer'
bilts, and Fisks find him Indispensable; mem
bers of Boards Of Trade seek his assistance; anc
even Brooklyn finds his stefeotyped - op]ect
aud his lachrymose exhibitions Of vital conse'
! quencc. And the Barnards, Cardozos, and Mc-
Gums are OF immeasurable value to CONNER
| cia1 CITY.
| The fact is, men who pride themselves upon
their great rcspectablity, when they want some
Very rascally act committed prefer to pay some
one who can, If paid for it, do that act
for them, without at all impairing their
etpens paid sucsnt fee, ane can *aH; DO
without himself being considered kn.ve. Be
| sides the condolences between the two knaves are
| privileged communications. The lawyer st
! least must not tell OF them.
11.y[ = 3QR
! axiom OF the law relating to contracts. What
one does through another, his agent, ne does
himself. But this principle seems not to be
treated By most men as applicable to client
In moral aspect. For here it IS proper for
very nice men to lie aud cheat through an at
torney, und the attorney may rightfutfy Tic and
cheat for his client. The high moral char
asser aud social Standing Sa Of the ,ro:d tTst
or shaken by the foulest wrong
through which be profits; and the latter pleads
his license to practice law and his retainer to
show his own immaculate purity OF character
and professional honor. and the public look on
unfortunate victim OF the two rogues-" The
client pays money to professional rogue and
escapes the odium Of a swind1e by which he
proposes to profit; and the lawyer stands up
with hand on his honest breast and says: "Here
Turks no sin; my pure heart is entrenehed be-
hind this parchment and these fees" It hire
another to burn my neighbours barn or to
knock j man down, no matter whether he u
professional j" "tre-bug" OF professional prize
law botn say T am as guilty as he. Yet the
fortr-ninth side of q hair is broader than the
true distinction in principle between the conduct
Of the swindling client who hires lawyer to
accomplish his purposes, and the alder and
abertor OF crime; or between the lawyer who
hires out his services to accomplish Vlllalny
aud the sfre-bug" p" who burns for pay. But
the great respectable public apply different
rule to the two cases.
rogucs-stand acquitted even before they are
charged with viliainy. Public sentiment has
already declared this to be the moral Law OF
the case. The ethics God save the mark!-of
tue Bar approve; the pulpit is silent; the
medical fraternity have enough Of kindred
vice to look after-and if only committed
BY ssregulars Ito tolerate, and palliate, and
excuse; the lecturer is under bonds to say only
pleasant things, and the stage NEEDLES with the
Bar neither to praise or denounce, but only to
follies: commerce Is SO under obligation to, and
has SO many interests in common with, the de-
based members OF the profession that it cannot
afford to hare family quarrel; agriculture
growts feebiy when hurt, but is happy and silent
when not i victim; vice openly defends the pro-
fcssion's worst characters and most dangerous
practices; aud theft anxously inquiries alter the
health Of some idolized 'higt-minded and hon.
And when the law-brcaker is put upon
trial the community attend and applaud |
the meanest trick and most brazen-faced vii I
lainy OF the great criminal lawyer who defended
him, and then go to the polls and shout for !
and vote for that lawyer tor Judge, and eI- |
pect him to be an impartial, uncorruptible, aud |
wise magistrate; or, elect him to Congress, and |
expect that he will not be a malicious partisan,
a 1ngster, and bulldozer, uni lust to his enemies
and treacherous to his friends.
= oE-n dad mi ant IN
cuse the dishonest client and the dishonest Inv
yer, and 1t takes hundreds OF dishonest clients
10 feed and fatten one dishonest member Of the
profession. The Bar will be reformed just as
soon as public sentiment demands it, aud it tciH
1.cays be Just as good a. pubic sentiment
oN tolerate it in being. The Bar may de- |
nand more learning, but it will never
'eform itseli. There is no use Of Gniyeling |
OF lawyers will pass the office of an
lonest one and place their business in the hands |
# another whose dishonesty is denounced. And
hus they teach both that honesty is at dis
5 jackass,'' Aild that even moderate success is
lot TO be attained BY a lawyer until be has hrsk |
ONE to be esteemed a knave; that knavery is !
o necessary that honest men cannot I've with
ut its assistance. aud no lawyer can succeed
argelY in his profession or in politics unless he |
knave. How much better then is that pub !
c sentiment which demands and approves Of
payery than the knayrs themselvess
This is savage indictment OF public senti-
1eut, but it is unfortunately "foupded on !
acrs.n Let The TRIBUNE, therefore, continue
0 prick these prctcntious bubbles as it has al
'ays condemned the defective administration Of
1sticc i'll Chicago.
While Judge jameson very justly claims that
improvements in the laws OF most English
peakinE countries have been made at the IN
lance Of lawyers, The TRIBUNE claims with
ruth that the Granger 1awsn were enacted
! defiance Of the almost general protest OF the
,Crr1 YHFo inn Vat .4osA