National Republican., 1885-06-06

the sale Of your one, only. priceless crown
yonr profeS,ionai honor il quality delicate
rs the honor OF woman, and Hs prlceless'
Violate It deliberately. even once, by oWeuPL
ing what you know to be fraud against the
law, aud instantly, and reniorsclessly' euu iQr-
ever you are consigned, in the judgment on the
good of your grand brotherhood, anu IN inc
forum Of your own conscience, TO the plllory
Of public scorn, and 20 be Of the lepers oi your
Or when, hereafter It shall come TO pass
that you deem that the cxigenCies Of your case
require at your hands some attempted imposi'
tiun upon the Court-such, for example, rs
citation OF Il statute you know to be repealed,
or reliance upon decision you know 70 pc
Oyerrlcd, or a deceptive statement 70 Tue
court when you believe the court Is giving 20
your statement trust, or when you may deem
thnt you can secure advantage by some other
form Oi deception cunning or low artihce,
hen remember what you owe to yourself nhd
escape, with your rescued and priceless good
name, TO your only safe refuge place IN tue
sanctuary Of integrity, truth, honor.
You can never, saicly, for one moment tor-
get what 1 have said you owe to yourself Is no
sublimatcd or impracticable or utopian STAN
dard Of professional ethics, good enough to be
put into lectures nnd into books, but too good
to be prHctiCed In this rough and surging ana
battling age / admonish you that, on the
contrary, there never was, since the dawn OF
modern civilization, a time when the com.
bined intelligence, virtue, and conscience OF
enlightened men, and which make UP that
fierce light which beats upon all thrones,
was so incHorabo In It's imperial demand,
made upon all rulers, all courts, all othcers,
and all ministers ofthe law, that not their ends
aud aims only, but their methods also, shall
bo right. Aud even one deliberate rosort to
an act OF oppression or fraud, or even 10
those little arts and moannosses which carry
base men a certain way, and no iurther ana
which the scorn of mankind has named pet.
tilogging" will oonsign It's sad and deluded
; victim perpetually g the dregs of his proi9s
sion, II Ii do not wholly Danish him from the
profession he has dishonored.
FIDELITY TO THE CLIENT.
But this loyalty to yourself requires OF you
in no degree or sense dsloynlty to the highest
obligations of your profession to country, c.li
zen or client Lord Brougham, in that menl'
orablo speech OF his before the house OF lords
when Caroline OF Brunswick. tho wife OF
George nv aud rightfii queen Of England, was
his client, and the royal brute" her husband
was her accuser, gave to that high court his
conception of the obligations of the attorney
10 his client.
Aftor saying that 'tho evidence against her
majesty did not now call upon him to utter
one whisper against the conduct OF her Mus
trlous Consort, and solemnly assuring thciI
lOrdships that but for that conviction MS lips
would not be closed" he proceeded to define
the lawyers duty to his client in these words
'An advocate, in the discharge OF his duty
knows but one person in nll the world; and
that person is his cliont. 10 save that client
by all means and eNpedicnts. and all hazards
cost to other persons, and. juong them, TO him
self, is his first and only a".y. and in perform
ing this duty he must not regard the alarm
the torments, the destruction which he may
bring upon others. Separating the duty Of
patriot from nm advocate he must 60 on, reok
less OF consequences though 1t should be hii
unhappy fate to involve his country in con
fusion"
So one OF Englands most eminent and
learned lord chnncellors, philosophers, and
lawyers estimated and defined the tic which
kinds tho lQwypT his llipnt. DIR Johnson
made fidelity to n client TO include ana re-
quiTe, first OF all accurate presentation of The
facts and OF the text of the law; but that be-
ing done fairly, the client was entitled to de.
mand that all the resources Of logic and
rhetoric-of oloqucnce and persunson-all the
arts of befogmCnt, of torture, and Of mystiH
cation, should be taxed to their u!tcrmost ioi
he purposes OF triumph, he holding that !
iuStiCc and its court We're lost in the fog
that was their fault, and not the fault Of the
iog or of Him who made IT,
We are apt to be charmed by the gallantry-
tho Chivalry--involved In these definitions by
Brougham and johnson, of "iidelity' to the
client; and Brougham's will never cease to bC
praised, owing TO the magnificent setting with
which this gem Is furnished by the speech in
which 1t Is found. But like better the def
milton of "fidelity" TO client as II is found In
the uttcranoes Of that best thinker and mos
brilliant wit produced, in England, in tho lag
Contury-Sidney Smith. Reduced to IL
essence, his definition of loyalty-iidelity-tC
the client is that the lawyer shall bring forth
in his clients cause, all Of both law and fac
which makes for his clients side, and which
is true, or is considered by him TO be true
leaving to his adversary and the court 10 de
tect and defeat the errors and weaknesses o
his side Of the cause; and that In doing this he
shall, 30 far as he deems they stand in the wa!
of the truth making for his clients side. know
no other being, cause, or force In the whole
universe OF God save his client only.
| give you this definition of "fdelity" Il
client as the best in our language; and, having
given 1t, / say to you put this word-"TlDEL
lTY," so detined-amongst your jewels. Put /
upon your signet-ring. Wear II upon your IN
deX finger Wear IL so that you shall writ
down no word in your clients cause when tina
word shall not be light under your vision
Wear 1t so that you shall never lii your hani
TO the court when that word shall not be
flame in the presence OF the court and hall
around your head. Wear II at night when yol
hleep, so that it--hdolity-shall be the angel o
your dreams. Wear 1t always, and ever unit
you shall die; and then, when you are dead, OF
your self-the monument of q good liie-mcl
will read, tranterred from your signet'ring, you
epitaph-
FIDELITY.
When, hereafter, the poor shall come to yoI
for help, bringing TO you no fee, and no re
ward or hope thereof, save the reward. whcl
ever comes TO n noble soul from having de
Tended, in a just cause, the helpless, then tax
their casa, and forgot everything else IN tn
universe except fidelity to truth, mud duty (
those whom you, as minister oil the law, ar
set to suCcOrl
When hereafter some one shall come 10 yo
who Is being wronged by the great or th
powerful, or by that most monstrous and In
satidble OF ali tyrants, the mob, or by that 81
preme cruelty OF our age, oonscienceless Gn'
licentious press, then-his case being just
take his case-take II though you must thereb
encounter the irowns and sacrifice the patron
age Of your clients pursuer--take the cas-
though the mob and multitude bay and bite q
your heels even up to the very doors Of tn
sanctuarles of the law; and when you hav
taken the cause summonto your clients resCu
all OF the laws mlghtiest englnery, all of tn
stores OF your learning, all the resources Z
YOUR intellect and Of your genius-spare n
instrument Of attack-soften no argumen
and when your triumph has come, as 1t ger
orally Will come-and when you have 'prC
tected the innocent from the grasp Of power
then wilfcome TO you the supreme hOnors
your life work, "and you will be followed fror
the hall OF Judgment by the prayers aud blesi
ings OF grateful people, aud even they VIII
were your pursuers will give you their unsl
licitod and involuntary homage as they rea
inscribed on your life its sweet and sacre
Ef1ality