Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-08-08
Too Many Lawyers.

The Albany Fleming Jour al, in the
course of an article upon the overcrowd-
ing of the legal profession, presents some
figures which are fairly startling. 1t af-
firms that there are 10000 lawyers in the
State of New York alone, while in all
Great Britain and Ireland, with popu-
lation of nearly 37,00O,0OO, there are on
ly about $4,000 lawyers. In the United
States, with population in round num-
bers of 50,000,0O0, there are $4,000 law
ycrs, and the number steadily increases
every year. To sum up, there is one
lawyer to every 5000 people in Great
Britain, and one to every 800 in the
United States.
That there is work enough of legiti-
mate kind for all these lawyers il is abb
surd to claim. II is impossible for them
all tn make an honest living. There are
some wealthy lawyers, and these are the
most eminent, but they arc few. The
larger class make II fair living, and there
are numerous others whose only hope of
success is stirring up litigation out of
which they may get stealings. Every
city is flooded with hortlcs of sccdy, shift
lc ) shystcrs, who hang around court
rooms to pick up cases and make small
fees out of poor and foolish clients by
various tricks and devices. They are
VIGOROUSLY dishonest. They may not
have been So ut first, but they arc forced
into il, because there is not honest work
enough for them to do. They are sharp,
shrewd men, and their poverty makes
them still sharper in manufacturing Il
business which docs not legitinatcy cx-
ist. They do it by exciting the cupidity
or revenge of clients, and when once
they have invciglcd them into litigation
they keep them in by every trick and
tcchnicality known to their cunning
invention that will prolong their cases.
The result Is that Il large proportion Of
the law business of the country is facti-
tious and artificial, and would never APP
pear upon the duckcts of courts if il had
not been dragged there neck and heels
by these cunning slysters. If one half
of the lawyers were compelled to take
down their shingles and go into some
other business it would be Il blessing to
the public and would save thousands of
dollars To poor men who are now urged
into litigation by these constituencies
mischicf-makcrs upon promises of large
profit. Every lawyer of prominence
knows that his profession is crowded with
these fellows, aud he knows equally well
that their efforts tend to bring the pro
fcssion into disgrace. lie knows also
that they cannot make Il living honestly.
Tho law is not the only profession that
is ovcrcrow,lcd. Medicine is cquilly dis
graccd. Its ranks are filled with quacks.
For every honest, learned physician,
there are half Il dozen dishonest and g-
norant ones. They do not make somuch
money perhaps as the legal shystcrs, but
they are Il more dangerous class, as they
have the lives of their patients in their
hands, and il is no matter to them
whether they are sacrificed or not, pro-
vidcd they get their fees. The clerical
profession is too full, but it is not over
crowded, for ignorance in the pulpit in
wolves certain poverty and there are no
tricks and technical bubbles by which
poor ignorant Clergyman can ever hope to
enrich himself. 80 far Us the law is con-
ccrncd, the JourUoi admirably explains
the situation. After showing how easy it
is for any one to gain admission to the
bar, ii says:
at is one of the pcciiliartics of our instit,-
tions that the rest of the people practically SUR
render the Shower side of politics to the law
yors. Tho brictlcss limb of the law who dos
pcratcy lights IN the Justice Courts over as
snut nnlbnttcry cases for gaunt living nine
months In the year. wears his thrcudbarC coat
buttuncd high and tight, with nm mir of con-
scioua pride during the remaining three, for
from the cocoon Of the sccdy and undcrfcd
hnngcr-On III the Inv II now evolved the inili-
cntinl statesman, whose name Is printed i'm the
papers rs II speaker NJ rural meetings, who per-
hnps Is allowed to preside mt tho caucus of his
"A 4 hn mil fan lNyffl
fidrncc To n nomination to the Assembly Mt no
remote duto. To the ndmiriug boy who stnn,lS
on the outcr edge of the caucus gathering, or
ventures into the rear Of the Justice Court, the
career of this young lawyer appears uns, cnk-
ably brilliant and promising AMI IT, opportun-
ties literally bo,milcss. Ten years later hc has
lcarnci-considcrnbly too ntc-that he has
made u mistake.
After he has learned his mistake he
drifts on into the career of shystcr and
by cunning and trickcry manages to pick
up living Of some sort or other. The
trouble ut the very outset is the growing
Discrimination to do work with the hands.
The oldfashioncd gospel of work has lost
its vitality. Young men think it beneath
them. They flock from the country in
to the city and seek any situation which
docs not require hard work. Counter
jumping is the favoritc pursuit, but large
, numbers rush into the schools and in
few years arc ground out of the clerical,
medical, or legal hoppcrs with credentials
to prey upon the souls, bodies, or pockets
of their fellows, regardless whether there
is work enough to do or whether they
are qualified to do it. If one-half tho
lawyers could bo compelled to go out
West and work upon farms, it would be
a public blessing. If law could he en-
acted restricting the manufacture of law
yers within n reasonable limit, it would
lift a great burden off the community;
it would elevate tho profession in the
eyes of the public; and it might prevent
n great many men from becoming rascals.
-Chicogo Tribune.