The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-04-15
..IIawYer's NToraIs. !"

law NA = "a OK
The Century for November, has an edi-
torial under the head Of Lawyers Nor
ais" from which the following points
are quoted:
/. A lawyer ought to be a gentleman
His function as am attorney gives him
no dispensation to disregard the ordinary
principles ofdecency and honor He has
no right to slaader his neighbor, even if
his neighbor be the defendant in a cause
in which he appears for the plaintiff.
He has no right to bully or browbeat
witness in cross-examination, or 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
gentleman out OF court.
.. \ lawyer ought not to lie. He may
defend a criminal whom lac knows to be
guilty, but he may not say to the jury
that he believes this criminal to be inno-
cent. lie may not in any way inten-
tionally convey to the jury the impress
sion that he believes the man to be in
nocent lie may not in his plea, per-
vert or distort the evidence so as to
weaken the force or conceal the mean
ing of it. He is a sworn officer of the
court. and his oath should bind him to
the strictest veracity. It would he quix-
otto to expect him to assist his adver-
sary. but his obligation to speak the
truth outranks every obligation that
he owes to his clients But it is notori-
GUS that some lawyers who would think
it scandalous to tell falsehood out of
court, in any business transaction, lie
shamelessly in court in behalf OF their
clients, and seem to think It part of their
professional duty. That bar of justice,
before which, by their professional obi
cations. they are bound to the most strin-
gent truthfulness, is the very place where
they seem to consider themselves absolv-
ed from the common law If 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 unrighteous-
ness.
3. \ lawyer ought not to sell his ser
vices for the promotion Of injustice and
knayery. Swindlers of all types are aid
ed by lawyers in their depredatious upon
society. The mock broker who operates
julWaH street. and strips green country
spectators Of their ard-eaPnod gains by
the most nefarions roguery. always has
an able lawyer as an acconlpljce The
gentleman by whose agency nest of
these rascals was broken up says: The
great difficulty in stopping swiadles of
this class is that the rascals make enough
money to be able to employ the best of
legal advice, and are. moreover, careful
TO do nothing which viii render them
liable to arrest This is the testimony
ola lawyer, Mr. Ralph Oakley, of New
York. "Tbe best of legal advice can
ue had, then, in New York city for such
purposes. Ii would be more difficult 10
believe this if its truth were not SO often
illustrated in the stupendous frauds and
piricies Of great corporations, all of
which are carefully engineered by emil
nent lawyers. Our modern ''buccan-
eers'-our brave railroad wreckers-are
in constant consultation with distinguish
ed lawyers. They undeniably have the
best of legal advice" in planning and ex-
ecuting their bold iniquities.