Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-04-08
A CAUSTIC REVIEW.
: Wallace for Coin vs.. Wallace for
Office"

TSan Francisco Post. April 5th.
The advocacy of principles where such
| advocacy is unaccompanied by honesty OF
conyiction-whichc can only be the result of
| impartial inquiry and candid acceptance
| of the truths such inquiry reyeals-is neces-
sarily yenal All forced and involuntary
| ratiocination of the intellect at variance
| with the interior convictions of the mind
| tends TO moral and intellectual degradation.
! The power to perceive truth grows with the
candid and honest acceptance of it. The
most powerful and lucid intelligenceS of
any age are such only as have been loyal TO
| the conclusions of their own reason and
true to the dictates of their own conscienceS.
The venal advocacy which may be en-
| plOyed to make the worse appear the better
reason finds at length the personal motive
to cloud and obscure the mental vision I'M
| til the distinction between the conclusions
enforced by reason and conscience. and
| those which self-interest would make de
sirable, is lost. The question as to whether
the mind should bear crops
OF TRUTH OR OF FALsEHooD
| Depends upon the seed sown and the
method of cultivation, and hence it is that
| whoever hires his abilities for any of the
rewards of venality sows the seed of false
| hood and the intellectual processes which
| phistry cultivate the faculty only of per-
| ceiyiug that species of falsehood which the
dictates of selfinterest make it prudent to
profess A long life of indulgence in this
species of intellectual dishonesty cannot
fail to diSintegrate the very fiber of moral
| character and degrade.and impair the intel
lectual force 1t by no means leaves the
mind devoid Of fertility of resources in the
way of plausible Sophistries Indeed, it
may very greatly enhance the power of
those faculties necessary to be employed in
| the peryersion of truth, but power in this
direction is acquired only at the expense of
conscience and the ultimate loss Of all con
| lidcnce i'll the very existence of abstract
truth 1t was saying of Aaron Burr that
! law is whatever Is boldly asserted and per
| sistcutly maintained But the sentiment is
one lit only to he entertained in a mind and
! heart out of which flowed the libertinism
| the murder and the treason for which that
| brilliant man is now chiefly remembered
| 1t is claimed by the great authorities in the
| science of physiology that the stimulation
Of feeling, sentiment and passion demanded
by dramatic art destroys in the actor the
capacity for realizing in his own experience
any of these emotions. So the cmplovment
of mind, heart and intellect il the service
of error eventually falls into the pit of
talseh9od, from the bottom of which it
proclaims with Aaron Burr, the truth to
have no existence, except i'll bold assertion
| and persistent maintenance. Thoughtful
minds have seriously, but we think cr-
roncuusly questioned the honorablcness of
the legal profession 70 the popular and
uniformed comprehension it is
THE DUTY OF A LAWYER
To assert and maintain that a lie is the
truth-that bad cause is a Just cause-that
injustice and wrong are just and right; and
unfortunately for the cure Of this miSappre-
hensOn, there are lawyers who furnish in
their own lives and conduct its full con-
irm&tion On the other hand. there are
those who honor the profession and confer
upon il nobility. Every age may boast of
its iUrlsts who have contributed to the es-
Enlistment OF the science of government
and Of Justice and have made inestimable
contribution to the resultant happiness and
civilization among men. In this State. and
in fact all other States il is unlawful for
any attorney to counsel or maintain any
action or proceeding or engage in any de
lenses other than such as appear to him
legal and just. To be legally qualified 10
practice law in California ii is necessary for
the candidate for admission into the pro
fession to show to the supreme Court of
the State satisfactory testimonials of good
character and the possession OF the neces-
sary qualifications of learning and ability.
This being satisfactory, the candidate must
take an oath to support the Constitution of
the United States the Constitution OF the
State and to discharge faithfully the duties
Of an attorney and counselor to the best Of
his ability. The duties are not left to the
Interpretation of individual cDnscienceS,
but are fixed and determined by statutory
enactment. They are enumerated III the
Code OF Civil Procedure, ut Section 2S2 and
are declared to be: o. To support the
Constitution and laws of the United States
and Of this State. t2) 70 maintain the re
spect due to the Courts of justice and Off
Cial officers. (3l To counsel and maintain
such actions, proceedings and detenscs only
as appear to him legal and Just a. To
employ for the purpose Of maintaining the
causes Contided to him such means only
as are consistent with truth, and never seek
to mislead the Judge or any Judicial officer
by an artiiice or any false statement Of fact
or law.
JUDGE WILLIAM r. WALLACE Is \ LAWYER.
He has reached that goal to which all
honorable professional ambition aspircs
He has occupied the Supreme Judicial
Bench, the chair Of the Chief Justice of
this State, has been the judicial head of the
'
destiny of this people. From that position
of emnence he resumed his place in an
honorable profession, familiar with the
laws by which that profession IS controlled
and with the ethic, by which it should he
guided. He is now a member OF the State
Assembly, the leading promoter of certain
judicial doctrines. and 4 candidate for the
United States Senate. Aspiring To serve
the people, lac dedicatcs himself to a public
use, and thereby not only justiiieS. but in
vitcS, just and impartial criticism. Indug-
ing i'll such criticism. we purpose TO be en-
tircly just, and, in pursuance of that pur-
pose, we viii institute a comparison be
tween Wallace the attorney and Wallace
the candidate We emphasize by repcti-
ton our determination to be entirely Just,
and we Will execute this intention with
such fidelity that Judge Wallace himself
shall be forced to admit the full Justice of
our dispas~ioned criticism.
Judge Wallace Is an attorney At law in
his professional calling. and, as a member
of the firm Of Wallace Greathouse & Bland
ing, he Is the attorney of a railroad corpo-
ration. He has upon his conscience the
oath of an attorney to support the Consti-
tuition and laws of this State. and among
the laws which Judge Wallace has sworn TO
respect and maintain we find It declared to
he the duty of Judge Wallace 70 maintain
the respect due the Courts of Justice and
judicial officers to counsel or maintain
such actions proceedings or defenSes only !
that appear TO him legal or Just TO employ
for the purpose of maintaining The causes
confidcd to him such means only rs are
consistent with truth and never seek to /
mislcad the Judge or any judicial officer by
an arthec OF any false statement Of fact or
law The South Pacific Coast Railroad |
Company is
one OF THE CLIENTS OF JUDGE WALLACE. /
That company failed and refused to pay
the taxes assessed against it for State and /
county purposes 1t was one Of the cor /
porations which contributed to the produc- |
ton of an extraordinary occasion which |
justified General Stoncman in converting I
the Legislature i'll extra session In the I
language of Judge Wallace, it was one of /
the parties which set at defiance the laws /
of the people; had refused TO pay its taxes, /
and had set up within our borders an igperi,fp /
an ilBpcriO. had declared itself free from the laws
Of the State under which it held its organiza- /
ton To rebukc these insOlent prctcusions the /
county of Santa Clara through which its lines /
run, brought suit To recover the state and county
taxes which had been assessed and levied upon !
its property. NhereupoH. through its attorneys !
Wallace, Grcath0uSe q Handing, ii appeared in !
its own defense. In its petition to the Superior |
Court of the county of Santa Clara. Judge wal 4
lace with an oath on his conscience not to conn
sci or maintain any action or proceeding that !