New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-02-07
TSING LIZ TO DO U'RONG.


There is a sheriff at Connellsville, Penn, who
is likely to have a life tenure of the Office if he
wishes. or to rise higher, provided in other re-
spects his conduct meets pubic approval as
much as his refusal 70 evict the families OF
striking coke workers in this terrible weather.
The heartless companies apparently reasoned
that the more terrible the suffering caused by
turning women and children out into the storm,
the more likely they would be to break down
the strike, to force the worlimen to their own
terms, and to retain the whole profits for which
they are fighting the men. For the sake OF filthy
lucre they were willing to have innocent fami-
lies starved or frozen to death. But the sheriff,
with the writs in his hands, refused to execute
them in such weather. Virtually he says to
the companies, "The law shall not through me
be made an engine of oppression and wrong"
Was he not right
It has come to be a crying evil of orr time
that men in many walks OF life are willing to
use the technicaltics of law to commit a crime
against humanity or justice. We see it when
ever LAWYERS use the tricks of their trade to
clear rich criminals. Legally they have the
right, but ought not public opinion TO have
something to say about such lawyers, as we'll as
incaculabe distlust and disaster in the financial
world, and in the conduct of great corporations,
is found in the use of the machinery OF law TO
rob men of their rights If a case for which
there is no honest defence can be kept in the
courts for years by money enough, until any
claimant who is not rich can be worn out
and compelled to settle or abandon just
claim, there are lawyers to be found who do not
hesitate to rob the poor by this process for the
benefit of clients VINO pay well, and many even
call it unprofessiOnal to refuse. II a cor
poration can be so managed by cunning devices
of law as TO plumber all who have invested their
money honestly, and TO plumber them Tor the
benefit of few rich sharks or wreckers, there
are not wanting the rich and grasping men to
set on foot fraud. nor the INSCRIPTIONS lawyers
to suggest the methods and to fight the caseS
In the courts. But is robbery by process OF
law really less criminal or less disgraccful than
any ether form of robbery
Reforms that are sOrely needed in almost
every department of social. business or poliu-
cal life are prevented by this same false idea
that it is permissible to use the forms of law to
the utmost in order to perpetuatc wrong. 1t
is The same spirit which makes men called hon
orable in private life support an infamous
usurpation, based only on an obvious forgery,
in Ohio. II is the same spirit which fills the
courts with revolving scandals over contested
wills and divorce cases. There ought to be
everywhere recognized the principle that the
use of forms of law to do n wrong is more
deadly offence against society than the doing of
the same wrong IN disregard of law. Robbery
by lawIess violence hurts only the persons con-
cerned robbery by chicanery OF law hurts
them and the entire social fabric beside, the
public and the Government. The creature who
"takesthe law into his own hands, to do a wrong
is a criminal. But the creature who sells his
knowledge of the law to defeat its sacred ends
and to do a wrong, is not less but more de-
serving of public condemnation.