The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1881-03-24

rights as clear as q sunbeam hus.
tied out OF court on a bubble. he
has seen suitors with NO riehta AZ
all recover upon Quibble a. thin
as air. He has seen murderera
walk free out of che court houaa
when every man, woman and child
In the country knew they ouRhk
70 have hanged. And the whola
country is impressed with the truth
of Shakspeare's lines
"PiAte sin with gold,
And hnrtless breaks the lance Of instioe.
00'nS 1t IN rags Pigmys straw
doth pierce IT."
"fou can't hang q rich man.
cry out q thousand; "but let q moor
devil steal a horse or q hog and M
he goes to the penitentiary for five
OF ten years. A horse or hog IA
worth much more in Tennessee
than a human life. These be bit.
ter views, but, unfortunately, there
is a oegree OF truth in them, and
the fact is patent that the law is
not executed. Far be it from ma
to say that all judges are corrupt.
or inefficient or Incompetent, for
we know many who strive to up
hold the majesty of the law; or
that all lawyers are to be censured,
Tor as a class they have our high
est respect. But we do complain
that the bench of Tennessee has
failed to do its full part in main
tanning the law in its integrity;
that 1T is too often swayed by un-
worthy motives, and betrayed weak
ness and irresolution in its admin
lstration of the law. 1t cannot be
disguised, too, that the psrsonslls
OF the judiciary has deteriorated.
We have pigmies on the bench
where we once had giants. (And
one of these days we intend to
show that this declenslon dates
from the period that the elective
judiciary system was adopted in
Tennessee
And we have serious fault to
find also with the ethics of the le.
gal profession that teaches the du-
ty OF the attorney to so unreselv-
edly devote himself TO the client
as TO be party himself to viola
tion of the law, Our conception
OF the duty of a lawyer TO his eli
ent Is to see that he has his lust
rights, no more, no less, and not
to deprive the state of Its right to
punish crime, or the right OF an.
other citizen to have his Just rights.
And vet the counsel of the muir.
derer, or other person charged with
crime, strives with all his power TO
shield the criminal from having
justice, and make use OF every ar
tifice, every quibblc, to cheat tho
state Of it's rights to punishment,
and turn him loose upon society,
perhaps again to repeat his crime,
aud the lawyer is proud of his vic.
tory over the law, and the world
applauds his success. Our idea Of
the duty of the lawyer Is only TO
defend the person charged with
crime, and to see that no wrong 10
done his rights. The ethics OF the
lawyer needs reform in this respect
and public opinion needs TO correce
il.
And then in the civil practice,
like criticism may be made, as the
same ideas of devotion to client
prevail. The attorney does not
hesitate to press the unjust claims
of client and to strive to recover
them over an opponent who may
| have al the right on his side. Now
these facts are notorious, and tend
powerfully to weaken and destroy
the faith of the citizen IL the pu-
rity and integrity of the law. He
learns to regard the Temple OF
Justice as a o-bank, where hiB
rights are tossed up and played
for, the result depending wholly
upo the cunning skill Of ths play
ers."