The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1883-03-08
A Highly Privileged Class.

OlltZCuS Vi lCDuOi1Od llhC W tstlh
about the foolish, maudlin senti-
ment of equality. and they talk until |
they are hoarse in praise of the fact |
that there are no privileged classes
in this country. The d-l there
isn'tl There isn't in any country !
class so privileged as the lawyers are
here. The imperial family OF Rus
STA, the royalty of Germany, the
nobility of England, are not more
privileged as a class than the law
yers of the United States. Put
yourself on the witness stand, for
example. You are an average citi
zen. You try to pay your obliga-
tions. You attend to business
You try to sudceed. You are as
honest as your fellows. You take
a drink now and then, and you know
pretty woman when you see her,
and you wouldn't be decent fellow
if you didn't. But the.minute you
get on the witness stand, with a
modern lawyer in front Of you, you
begin to think that you are the big
gest scoundrel in the world. The
lawyer will make you a thief, liar,
drunkard, hhertine, an atheist
and everything else that's bad. He
may ask you if you ever served
term in the penitentiary. OF course
at this the opposing counsel objects;
and then the examiner says, ''Well,
/ won't press that question; and so
you, the poor witness, are left, half
the audience thinking that You have
been in the penitentiary. If you
are new conner to the place, with
only a year or two of residence, you
are sure to be disgraced. If you
appeal to the judge he tells you that
you are not obliged to criminate
yourself, DC.
A cowardly lawyer may abuse and
browbeat brave man on the wit
ness stand, and there is no redress
for the witness. If he splits in his
face AID knocks him down outside
the court room, the brave man is
sent to Jail; for the members of the
bar stand together like band of
bandits.
1t is not alone in the court that
lawyers have license that makes
them privileged class. There is
scarcely anything that lawyer
can't do under the cover of his
diploma. He can arrange con-
spiracy, perjury, bribery, and a
dozen other crimes, for which he
cannot be punished because he is a
lawyer-''counsel." He can take a
fee for anything. If il is crooked,
he is all right, because he is ''coun-
SELL" If a journalist should do the
same things he would be sent to the
penitentiary, although the matter
might not have any more of law in
it than Frank Mclaughlin has in
him.
Let US for a moment take the two
professions, law and journalism
The journalist spends years of hard
work, with untold hours of watch
fulness and care, to establish him
self in the confidence of great men
we will say in Washington. He
does this by never betraylng con
fidence, and by treating questions
intelligently. In even my obscure
life in Washington | have had Sc
crets that the Prees or the New York
Herald would have given 81 coo tor.
But to betray those secrets would
have lost the confidence and friend
ship of some great man, and { l do
not pretend to DE honester than by
fellows) it was not worth it, let
alone the point Of honesty. A law
yer could have done it, and put it
all on the ground that he was "coun-
SELL
If journalist, with all his knowl-
edge, his acquaintancship and his
smartness, should take fee to ar
que and help any scheme, he would
be disgraced before an investigating
committee, while a lawyer might
bride congressman and is not neces-
sary there should be any law ques-
tion involved. The Journalist goes
and presents arguments to a con
gresham. He understands the sub
ject. The congressman believes in
him because he knows him, and he
listens and is influenced. For this
the journalist gets paid; and yet if |
it comes out in an investigation, the
journalist is disgraced, and prob
ably discharged from his paper
If a lawyer makes an argument, or
even uses disreputable means, it is
all right, because he is lawyer.
1 take journalist merely for ex-
ample, and not because there is any
quarrel between the bar and the
No reputable news
paper man can be brought to make
or try TO influence mem
bers of congress, for public senti-
ment is against it; but journalist
might do it as honorably as law
yer might do it. How many times
do we see every year members and
senators appearing before the SUI
preme court, or other courts, or in
as paid attorneys, on !
matters that must come before them |
in congress! There is no use argu-
ing the question. 1t is all wrong. |
H. J. R., in Philadelphia Press.