New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-10-28
LEON ALBEIT AND THE BAR.
HE FAILED TO GAIN ADMISSION TO THE
ASSOCIATION OF THIS CITY.
THE CHARGES THAT WERE MADE AGAINST HIM
AND HIS PARTNER-THE woULDBE Cow
ERNoR's NAME WITHDRAWN JUST IN
TIME To PREVENT REJECTION.

| wan erected once before, is a lawyer who failed
to secure admission to the New-Yorl1 City Bar
| Association.
| This association is composed of the honorable
members of the legal profession whose aim is to
| elevate to high standard their calling and to
maintain that standard above rproach. To this
end the association welcomes every member Of the
| par whose character would have a tendency to
conform to this purpose, and excludes those who
nave committed acts calculated to degrade the
profession. 1t Is non- partisan body, composed
| OF men divided in affiliaton between the great
political parties, but united in the common
OF purifying and ennobling calling devoted to
| the preservation of the rights of the people No
question Of political faith receives consdera
ton on the application of a candidate for mem
DerShlp. 1t matters nothing whether appli-
cant is Democrat or Republican. The alb
soiute requisites that to be received into mem
| oershlp the candidate must have had a cleIn
| record in the profession of the law.
Exclusion from membership implies that the
rejected candidate has either done thoSe things in
the practice Of his profession which make him
| unworthy Of the confidence and esteem of his
fellows or lacks those attributes which form part
| of the character of an honorable man. 1t is a
declaration by the leading men of the New
York bar that the rejected applicant is not such
man as honorable men could associate with or
with whom they could hold close and confidential
! relations. 1t is mark Of contempt and makes
| the rejected in a certain sense an outcast in
the profession, to the honorable practice of which
all Of its followers are sworn.
Such is the position of Leon Albeit. Declared
to be unworthy of membership in the non-partisan
New-Yorll Bar Association, he hos been chosen
by the Democratic party of New~Jersey to be its
1 lnafn IN tl,a
for the highest office that can be bestowed upon
any citizen by the people of the State.
THE PARTNERS APPLY TOGETHER.
| In November, 1887, Mr.. Albeit and his law
partner, Henry Schmitt applied for admission to
the association. Albeit had been practising law
in this city for several years, and still has Offices
at No. 900 Broadway, while having his residence
in New-Jersey Objection was made to the adj
| mission of Albeit and Schmtt on various grounds,
and formal charges were preferred against them.
The Bar Association guards its secrets well. 1t
may deny admission to an unworthy applicant, but
| IL never makes its public. The members
consider that exclusion alone constitutes disgrace
| enough without the addition of scandalous de-
| tails. Yet it is known that the charges in the
case OF Albeit were made by a member of his own
political party itself justification of the
ton that political considerations lost sight of
in the stronger lis ght of the noble aims of the as
ISOLATION The organization gives every accused
candidate fair and impartial hearing, so that If
| exclusion results il is only after every oppor-
tunity for justification has been given In the
case Of Albeit q Schmitt committee composed
OF five prominent lawyers was appointed 10 in
vestigate the charges the chief one Of which was
in substance as follows: That in 1870, while
counsel for the Stock Yards Company, one of the
Erie Railway corporations, they defended that
| company in case involving the val
idity of certain contracts which were
alleged to be fraudulent, and therefore
void; that in $50, in another suit in which they
were employed as counsel against their old clients,
they disclosed secrets which had been intrusted to
them by their former employers. This case was
heard by George II. Forster as referee, who died
suddenly shortly after his election to the preSi-
dency of the Board of Aldermen. The counsel
opposed to Abbett & Schmitt in this case were
Messrs Burnett * Whitney, of No. 81 Wall-st,
and it is understood that the charges against Abb
bett and his partner were brought before the Bir
Association by i. b. Whitney, the junior partner
in the firm, who has the reputation of oeing
rigid stickler' for professional etique;te.
EVERY OPPORTUNITY FOR DEFENCE.
Albeit X Schmtt were informed OF the OH
were sent to them. Albeit appeared before the
investigating committee and asked permission to
present written answer to the charges. This
request was granted, and the commit
tee waited for his defence for over four
months informing him frequently that II would be
necessary for him TO make il defence, either per
sOnally or in writing, if he hoped for laVoraDle
action on his application. In the meantime tne
committee continued its investigation. taking
large amount OF testimony bearing on the case.
In April, 1888, the committee again Sent WOrd
to Albeit that n report on his application WAS
pending, and requested him TO send In at once inc
written answer which he had asked the privilege
Of presenting. About this time it was decided lilaC
the committee should make separate reports on on
the two applications although the conclusions III
each We're identical. This was secured 6X AD-
belts friends, who wished TO give HIM sun l1t-
thcr time in which to defend himself from I'M
charge of professional treachery me report C u'
Schmtts application was presented by lhe Coih-
mittee on Admissions early In April, o6o' anu nv
was promptly blaCkballed. At this ADD'tl oecnn. ocn
seriously alarmed and his friends, fearing similar
action on his application knowing thht tnc cia io
and reports in both cases were preclseIy s.'m'c o
in reference TO this particular charge 1ii HCnIO C
means secured the withdrawal of ms appHc",loac
There other charges against ADDeI'' oIt W
which alleged dishOnorable conduct in certain
bond transaction. and the result ol Ile II'csI-
cation into this charge was, as IN me !IIlnoI i
the preparation of report agalSi S., .Is cScs9ed
bcing blackballed only by having ms name nam VIII
drawn at the last moment Is an esaolISheu lac''
A Prominent LAWYERS oPINIoN.
Members Of the Bar Association are never in
clned to reveal the proceedings of that body
in any case, and the facts were established with
great difficulty. Not one member was found VINO
would furnish for publication the details OF the
cases in which Abbett's professional treachery
was alleged to have occurred. but that the outline
presented here is true admitted by some o'
them and denied by none. H.
Bar Association said to Tribune reporter yeS'r,c
day that he would regret TO see the story .,
Abbett'S disgrace published, but ne thongniI u a
still greater pity that such man shontm t.o' we
chosen as the Chief Magistrate of New-JeilsoE,
We have no politics in the Bar Associa''blni bnin
he continued, "but outside Of II we canno, nrtb nb
approaching men at their true po!lcI WIZ I4
as ascertaincd by the searching invcstgnllo t,st
results from the pre-entation of charges hHSiHo'
them when they apply for admission TO tnh tgnittcI