Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-07-02
A GLIMPSE OF ,7gs
A Critical Period for the Legal Prof,
of Massachusetts.


Much light is thrown upon the sn3,
condition and the political temnor
the people by the proceedings Of W.
county conventions and the ]ists ny
grievances enumerated by those Assay
blages. But perhaps there is no r.S
of the story of the cventful year r, %s
view more remarkable than that wh;sa
has to do with the raid against the lens,
profession. 1t was all the work of ~
man, sending anonymous commune.
tons to a Boston newspaper. Early,
the year an article signed "Honcstu,r
appeared in the Independent Gtrong,
ascr;bing to the lawyers some Of H.
evils under which the community s W.
suffering. The article seems to hsrs
attracted some attention and the auth,
soon followed it with another, in wb;sI
the "ordcr Of lawyers was no.I
pointedly assaulted. Presently the a
tack drew forth from amerchant a wos]
in defense of the lawyers. ''Honestu,
thereupon replied. and the prosecat;o1
of his original plan and his contra
vcrsies with defenders of the legal pr'
fcssion occupied a large share of N
public notice and a great many eolumn1
in the Chronicle.
"Honcstus'' was Mr.. BENJAMIN Ans
tin, a very ardent politician and a yer
persistent writer from the time Of N
revolution until, in Jcfierson's admins
tration, his writings caused indirectjy
most lamentable tragedy and the deaf
of his own son. More dreary, moons
quential and altogether absurd rcadn
was never printed than were those arr
c!es against the lawyers. 1t is a,mo
incredible that they could have had
effect upon the community, but tle
did. '.Honestus'' charged the lawye
with thrust;ng themselves in large pur
bers into the legislature, and there e
erting an undue influence in the makfD
of laws by the administration of whd
they were afterwards to profit. Yet
whole .'order of lawyers" in Massacb1
sets, in 1856, comprised but eighty.u1
members; and in a House of Rcm]
sentativcs numbering two hundred an
fifteen, only nine were lawyers, VIII
but one member of the profession "
u representative for Boston.
The accusations against the lawve
were for the most part vague, gener
and unsupported by facts. At first
one thought it worth while to reply
them, but when it began to appeart III
the writer was making an imprcssv
upon the public mind, one and anotl
took up the cudgels in behalf of the M
ligncd profession. ''Honestus' met
antagonists in a manner which ford
IL to think that a very good lawyer
a certain sort was spoiled when
chose commerce for a vocation. I
first reply to his assertions was a col
else, pointed and effective answer, cd
tanning facts which ovcrthrI
"Honestus' completely; and
writer, in order to prevI
it's being said that he was contend
for his own profession, assured
readers that he was not q lawyer, bu
merchant. "Honestus" perverwo1
disclaimer. and, with a sheer, treated
as evidence Of anxiety to avoid
odium of belonging to the protest.
Again, when he had printed what
declared to be an actual bill of cd
allowed by a court of the comm
wealth, in order to show the ruind
expense Of legal process, one v
avowed himself Il lawyer replied, vi
an explicit denial that any such bill
ever allowed in Massachusetts,.
first specific accusation made by IN
ostus," capable Of being tested as to
truth, was thus met with a flat cont
hction, and the accuser was challen]
to name the suit, the court or the cou1
in which the bill was presented. lns|
of responding frankly to this challen
the agitator INDUCED in a shout Of
umph at having provoked the law
to defend themselves, ''notwithstanl
the pretended contcmptof my remark
Later in the controversy 'HoneN1
was '.done" into poetry. An ironl
versified travesty Of his accusations
statements was printed, covering
whole page OF the Chronicle.
But if this assault upon the law!
by "a young incendiary," Us he was
patiently designated by q correspond
styling himself Seneca was mel
some quarters with jeers, in other q
ters it had Il great effect. 1t was
u common custom for towns to ado
in town meeting, addresses of insI7
ton to their representatives in the
eral Court. Not q few of the town;
serted in their instructions to re-
scntatives q paragraph requiring u
to do all III their power to mitigas
evil of lawyers. For example
town of Dedham solemnly voted,
corning the lawyers, that
think their practice pern'9
and their mode unconstitn1
al" The representative was
all he could to promote a reform,
that should prove to be impracti9
you are to cndeavor that the org
lamyeys be totally abolished"
ham, by the way, voted the same
with reference to the repIesei
instructed as above that his com
ton should be five shillings aday;
the sum granted by the General
for then, as now. the State p'
members-shoald exceed that So
was to pay the overplus into the
treasury. A resolution to instr.
Boston representative to vote
abolition Of lawyers was hrongl
ward at a town meeting in MI;
was supported by only seven
Boston, indeed, was the chief re
ing force which prevented Massacl