Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1883-01-12
LAWYER.

Their Responsibility Expounded to the
Lime-Kiln Club.
"Each day as look ober my paper"
turned up, II see case of fembezzlement,
wholesale robbery, breach Of trust or
misuse of odder peoples money. One
day it am de cashier of bank; de
mex it am some confidential clerk or
bank president, or de treasurer of some
corporation! 1t is an era of stealin' en-
bezzlin' an fraud. No man who has
money in de hans of q friend or employe
feels safe. No man who depends upon
another man knows what day NAV
bring forth.
"What brnng bout dis state of affairs {?
Who profits by it2 Who aids de often
ders to escare?"
There was silence throughout the
hall as the president paused and looked
up and down. Samuel Shin was about
to rise up and explain that he hadn't
made dollar out of it yet and didn't ex-
pect to, when Pickles Smith hit him with
the big end of potato and Brother
Gardner continued:
II arraign de bar OBJ de kentry an
charge de lawyers, big an little, wild be.
ing de direct cause of dis reign of knav-
cry. Three men outer five am honest
only until dere am chance to make a
haul by bein' dishonest. One man outer
three will be dishonest on all occashuns
whar dar am q chance to escape conse.
quences. If dar was no law to punish
dishonesty we wouldn't find one man in
twenty doin' de honest thing for princi-
pies sake. It am de fear of consequences
which keeps thousands of clerks an
cashiers an treasurers honest.
IAN what do de lawyers say to ebery
man whose fingers itch to make haul.
Dey might as well advertise at regular
rates dat dey will guarantee to clear 'em
of de law fur sartin sum. Let me steal
$4,000 in cash and nine-tenths of de
lawyers will he eager to defend me-to
effect compromise-to hush it up-to
clear me of punishment. About de best
legal talent in America makes special.
ty of defendin criminals. Any lawyer
am looked upon as good 'nuff for prose
cutin attorney, while de very keenest
talent am reserved fur defense of thieves
burglars and odder law breakers.
'Time after time men have stolen OF
embezzled, an de lawyers have taken q
sheer of de plunder to clear 'em. We've
had half dozen cases right yere widin
two years, an we am sartin to have mo-
Let me steal ton of coal, an up L go
Let me get my claws on $4,000, en- ]
doan' go up WORT shucks. I may be
rested an toted off to Jail, but inside q
week de case am settled up, an I walks
de streets hero. De lawyers return
$4,000 OF the money, pocket $9,95O, an
han me- fifty as reward fur bringin
'em q fat case.
Suppose it war known dat ebery
burglar fairly convicted would receive
twenty years IN prison, wild no possiblli.
ty of pardon, would we have one bur.
glary whar' We now have two? Who
makes burglary payin' purfeshun? De
lawyer.
i "If clerk. who embezzled was sartin tc
receive five or ten var sentence, how
many cases of embezzlemeut would you
h'ar of in var? An who makes EN-
bezzlement payin' bizness7 DE lawyer
III dat Rochester bank president am
sent to state prison for twenty years
what will be de effeck on odder Roches
ter bank presidents? But he won't be
De lawyers have gathered to his aid an
will defeat justice.
II am spokin' what believe to be dc
solemn truf, when say to you dat Law
, has become farce an lawyers de mid
dlemen between robbers and de robbed
! De question am how to break de law
not how to enforce it. 1t am not how t.
put thief into prison, but how to keel
him out. If am not how to punish til,
honest officials, but how to gentI,
squeeze out as much as dey can restore
! an forgive de remainder. Let us pro
ceed to business, feelin' dat whateve
CRIME we commit we stand two chances
of goin' clear to one of punishment.