The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1886-02-12


amusing controversy in Massachusetts over
the grave question whether lawyers were a
benefit or an injury to the community. 1t
was not simple debate. which was to lead
to nothing. Many people wc.c, in fact
greatly excited over the question, and some
Of the Massachusetts towns voted to instruct
their representatives. in the Legislature to
cndeavor to pass IN act abolshng tho
order Of hwycrs.'
One proposition was to limit the number
OF lawv. rs in the State to twenty five, and
to have them elected by the people. 1t
was also SuGg 'Stcl that no member OF the
profession should b. elected to t." Leyisla.
turc: for it was charged they swarmcd in tho
House "f Representatives, and cx crcised a
sort osau;ocrat!c power in framing the laws
upon execution of which they were to fattcn.
.\S Il matter o! fac:. there were then less
than ninety lawyers in the whole State and
there were only fifteen members of the pro-
fcsson in the House of Representatives, Of
which ,hry formed only ne-sixtccnth part
1t was therefore Il high compliment to their
talents To say that they ruled the Legisla-
turc.
There has always been, and there is now, o
popular feeling that our national aud State
Legislatures contain too large proportion
Of lawyers. If it BE- an evil, it is greater to-
day than it ever was before There are
delegations in Congress from some even of
the larger States, which are almost sxclu-
sivcly composed of lawyers. Massachusetts,,
for example, s,nls almost rs many
members OF hcrrofassion TO represent her in
Washington a, she put a century ago, into
her own Legislatures
The proportion in Congress, Of which
more than ;wo-thirds are lawyers, is much
larger than it is in the British Parliament.
The House Of Commons lately elected cons
tains enc hundred and ten barristers and
twcntythrcc solicitors The two branches
of the legal profession thus furnish almost
exactly onc-fiIth of n! the members. Yet
even this is lar" proportion than is cons
tributcd ty any other Procession or calling.
1t appears, then, that whatever objection
there may DC to lawyers as lawmakers, the
people generally attach bu, little Importance
to them We must conclude that exper
: ience shows the mcmbcrs of this profession
to be peculiarly fitted by their nenta
training for legislative duties.
,, No doubt familiarity with practlca
business is useful to a member of Congress
but even in this respect the merchants knowl
edge is apt to be more narrow in its scope
it may be more thorough, SO far as it OK
tends than the lawyers. 1t will be foun,
on looking through our political history
that almost every statesman Of the frs
rank, whether President, Senator, Repr,.
scntativcs, or Cabinet Minister was ;
lawyer or an editor. Even Andrew Jackson
was Judge before ho was general
beginning with the year 1860, the Re
publican and Democratic parties have ha,
= in all twcnty-scvcn candidates for Prc.iden
: and Nicc.Prcsidcnt. Nineteen of then
were lawyers, three were editors, and fou
were generals General Grant is the onl,
person not a lawyer who has occupied tn
chair Of the President since General Taylo
died, in 1850.
1t is a mistake to think that any consid
r,ll Ia ,r he 10
Legislature belongs to the class o
laws which make cases for tn
courts, an! bring fees to members o.
the legal profession. 1t is SANDER upon
the lawyers who sit in our Legislatures t
say that they favor bills which will increas
> the number Of SUITS or the cost of litiga
tiOn.
The truth is, that great legal reform
have been effected, and are constant
making and these reforms are not onl
suggested by lawyers, but find in the pro
fcssion their most intelligent and eficeu
- advocates. \ Legislature wholly compose
:, Of lawyers no State should have, Of course
But it is well that this calling furnish
usually the largest contingent to our Law
q making bodies.
@ \ SHREwD BoY.-A gentleman VIII
WAS visiting one of the public schools in
,o Texas town asked ght-looking boy:
What pr oft is there in the study of an