The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-11-30

Field, and the ttev. Ut. Hehry VI rieiu VI
The Evangelist Mr.. Field was born at Had
dam, Conn, Feb. 10, 1895; graduated at VIII
liams college in 1923; was admitted TO the bar
in 1928, and practiced continuously upto 1888.
As far back as 1889 he wrote Letter on the
Reform Of the Judiciary System, which at
tracted wide attention, and from that
time on mas been foremost in the cause
of reforming and codifying the laws. His
. completed codes of civil and criminal pro
redure were submitted to the legislature in
1850. His code Of civil procedure was adopt
ed after a hard fight, and his system is now
in operation in twenty states and terri
tories In 1873 Mr.. Field presented bis Out
lines of an international Code" to the Social
Science congress 1t was translated into
various foreign languages and resulted in the
formation of an international association de-
signed to further the adoption Of his project.
Though 81 years Of age, Mr.. Field is hale and
vigorous as ever, and no less ardent in the
cause of codfication.
Mr.. Field said: 1t is said Of Daniel Wed
ster that, when he was thinking of be
coming lawyer, some one asked him wheth-
er the legal profession was not overcrowded.
His answer was that there was always room
in the front rank.
The same answer can be given now by any
one who knows anything of the profession
There is, and will always be, room enough In
the front rank The other ranks are greatly
overcrowded There is great jostling and
crowding
There are more lawyers in the United
States in proportion to the population than
in any other country in the world. The mum
Der is IA little less than 10000, and this for IA
population of, say, G6,00nOOO
How does this proportion compare with
that of other countriesi II is vastly greater.
| took occasion two or three years ago to in
uuire about the number of lawyers in France
and Germany. France has a population of
4O,OOO, 600 and has 5000 lawyers and 2,40O
officials who do tho work of attorneys with
us In other words, il has one lawyer to
every 4,G72 persons Germany has 1000 law
yers and a., 600 population, or one lawyer
to every 6,423 persons
Last year the commissioners on the revis-
ION Of the code Of evidence. being required to
send copies of their work to the lawyers of
this state generally, did ascertain the names
and addresses of about / 1000 lawyers in New
York state. The population of the state is
himself that the ratio Of lawyers to the popu-
lation is to 30. Three-fourths of the popu-
ation are women and males under age, and
hence, IN New York state. there is one law
yer TO every 1876 males OF adult age This is
simply matter OF calculation, and any one
can make 1t for himself a. well as |, and can
Judge whether that is overcrowding or not
What IS the ratio Of lawyers To the popua-
A. a.. a q. UT. I
should think, than in the state OF New York
but according 10 the best calculations can
make there are 5000 lawyers IN the United
States for a population Of, say, $4,000, 600.
This calculation, of course, includes New
York state.) That means that there is one
lawyer for every 900 of population, or one
to every 80 males Of full age.
| attribute this overcrowding to the con.
fusion in the laws and the ignorance of tht
people concerning them. 1t has gotten -
now that hardly any man Of business dare,
make contract without consulting his law
yer You ask the remedy In my opinion
it is to collect, condense and arrange the law,
by which the people are governed in theii
daily transaction. in other words, TO max,
code for the people This, though have
been working for it during the last fort,
years, has met at every step with the stroni
and determined opposition of great body o
lawyers, whether IA majority of them or no
cannot tell. The longer the confusion goe
on, the greater must be the number Of tn
lawyers 1t will soon get TO be so that n citi
zen in business must have a lawyer at b
elbow all the time.
How Is it in other countriesi Well, al
informed that, If question arises in
shop in Paris, it is no uncommon thing 10
the shop girl TO take down the French cod