Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1885-03-14
THAT ARTICLE on THE JURY QUESTION.

! To the Chronicle:
. A friend said to me, Il read that a
ticlc Of yn.,rs eu the jury question
and was glad TO see you getting afte
lawyers, &C." II that friend think
that the article alluded To, was write
for the purpose OF getting alter Law
yers, judges, clerks, sheriffs, or an
other persons connected with th
courts OF the State, he is simply mis-
taken.
| So far rs my knowledge goes as re
CARDS courts, which does not preten,
to extend beyond the limits of David
son and Montgomery county, there !
nothing unusually wrong with an,
official, or attorney connected there
with. claim however the right OF ,
citizen to criticise the public practice.
of any trade, or profession seriousl,
effecting the public welfare, but try t
do so in an open manner, and without
ill-ieeling, or the slightest intention o
wrongly efiecting the interest of any
person or class. l can certainly attach
no blame to attorneys for using all
legal and honorable means under their
control for the protection of the client
who may have entrusted his case to
their care, as would regard it strictly
their duty to do so, and would readily
condemn them if they did not. Nor
to any official connected with the
courts legally using their position in
any honorable manner that may be
best for their interest, for as general
rule many of them are but poorly
paid for the trouble and risk imposed
upon them.
The idea with some, that am pref
udiced against lawyers, or the profess
ion of law, is mistaken one, and
should not be entertained. AS to the
profession OF law, l regard it as one of
most honored of the nation, embrac-
ing as it does among its numbers
many OF the purest and best men of
the State, some of whom l take pleas
ure in acknowledging as my most
reliable and trusted friends. 1t is true
/ sometimes grub" lawyers little
in a friendly way under the presump-
ton that they have enough intelligence
and good nature to take it In the spirit
that it is given while knowing as they
do, that they often need good deal
more rubbing" than they get.
1t was not the intention of the arti-
Gle in question to condemn lawyers, or
the executors of the law, but the lao
ITSELF And it is not so much the law
either that is to blame, as it is those
trusted representatives of the people
who go to Nashville for the avowed
purpose of serving their interest, but
usually serve their own instead. 1t
these trusted agents were as faithful to
the interest of the people whom they
claim to represent as they are to them
selves while seeking the trust, there
would be no~necessity for complaint
of the jury system. Or if they would
give less time to changing county
lines, debating to Congress, managing
railroads, and seeking new avenues
through which to spend the peoples
money, and little more to such mat
tiers us need their attention, it might
not ever be the case that the law is left
in a worse condition than they found
it, while the State is made poorer by
sixty or seventy thousand dollars on
their account, with nothing of value
to show for the loss.
A proper correction of the Criminal
court and jury laws. would alone be
worth to the people of the State the
cost of one legislative session and would
be of more value to them than all that
has been done by the present, and
several past Legislative bodies.
Being exempt as am from jury
duty my attendance upon court as a
juror is not required, and therefore,
in that way, have no personal interest
in the matter, but others have, and for
their consideration, and for the con-
sideration of Legislators will ask a
question. THAT since the people are
acknowledged to be the ruling power
of this State, and government, why is
1t that they cannot have such laws, or
changes of law, as they desire ?" When
nine tenths of the intelligent voters OF
the State say plainly and positively
that certain corrections should be
made in the Criminal court and jury
system of laws, why are they not
made These questions may be to
some a mystery, but to others, they
are as plain as A. B. c. G. II. s.
st. Bethlehem, Tenn, March 9, 1885,