The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-29
LAWYERS, MORALS.
LogS2 Gentlemen Should Not Lie Nor Sell
Tfleir Brains to Defend Injustice.

Legal Gentlemen Should Not Lie Nor Sell
Tfleir Brains to Defend Injustice.
NoySuA1N7 Century.
l. s lawyer ought to be gentleman. His
function as attorney gives him no dispense
ton 20 disregard the ordinary rules of good
manners and The ordinary principles of decency
and honor He has no right to SANDER his
neighbor, even if his neighbor be the defendant
in cause in which he appears for plaintiff. He
has no right to bully or browbeat witness 10 a
cross examination, OF artfully to entrap that
witness into giving false testimony. Whatever
the privilege Of the court may be. the LAWYER who
is guilty of such practices in court is no gentle
man out of court
g A lawyer ought not TO lie He may de-
fend a criminal whom he knows TO be guilty,
but he may not say to the jury that he believes
this criminal to be innocent He may not. in
any way, Intentionally convey to the Jury the
impression that he believes the man to be in
nocent. He may not, in his plea, pervert or dis
tort the evidence so as to weaken the force or
conceal the meaning of it. He is a sworn officer
of the court, and his oath should bind him to the
strictest veracity. 1t would be Quixotic to ex-
pect him to assist his adversary but his obliga-
ton to speak the truth outranks overy obligation
that he owes to his client 1t is notorious that
some lawyers, who think it scandalous to tell
falsehood out of court in any business transac-
ton, lie shamelessly in court in behalf of their
clients, and seem to think it part of their pro-
fessional duty. That bar of justice before
which, by their professional obligations,
truthfulness is the very place where they seem
to consider themselves absolved from the COM
mon law of veracity So long as the legal mind
is infected with this deadly heresy we need not
wonder that our courts of justice often become
the instruments of unrighteousness.
B. A lawyer ought not to sell his service
for the promotion of injustice and knavery.
Swindlers of all types are aided by lawyers in
their depredatons upon society. The mock
broker who operates in Wall street, and strips
green country spectators of their hard earned
gains by the most nefarious roguery always
has an able lawyer as an accomplish. The gen
tleman By whose agency a nest Of these
rascals was broken up says: The great diff
Guilty in stopping swindles of this class is that
the rascals make enough money to be able to
employ the best of legal advice. and are more
over careful to do nothing which will render
them liable to arrest" This is the testimony of
a lawyer Mr.. Ralph Oakley, of New York.
THE best of legal advice can be had then, in
New York city for such purposes. 1t would be
more difficult to believe this if is truth were
not so often illustrated in the stupendous frauds
and praces of great corporations. all of which
are carefully engineered by eminent lawyers.
Our modern 'buccaneers"-our brave railroad
wreckers-are in constant consultation with
distinguished lawyers. They undeniably have
the best legal advice" in planning and execut-
ing their bold iniquites