The Washington critic., 1890-02-09


law.making nowadays, because liberty
for the ignorant means the prevalence
Of passion, while the wealth intelligence
gathers, extinguishes philosophy, char
ity, tolerance and the love Of truth aud
sentiment upon which human happiness
depends Want of enlightenment by
the governed many, and the base use Of
what Is possessed by the governing few,
are urging the republic downward.
Men are everywhere heaping up laws
and gaining concessions for particular
places or small purposes. The statute
books Of the States are filed with en-
actmonts, the tulling nature Of which
render them imperative and thus Sc. to
decay the very ediice of government.
The plan of legislating everywhere
through committees gives the fullest
play TO this tendency. Even an honest,
healthy project of law, conceived for
something like universal benefit, only
passes through State Legislatures or
Congress after having compromised its
supporters with any number of petty
side issues or jobs. subsequently the
veto power rarely considers the measure
in its relation to universal justice or
public amcioration, but decides its
merits on the ground of political posi-
bilities in the party sense, and these are
always hedged in by meaner motives,
In posing the lawyer on this subject
distinction should be drawn. Though
the law profession is the widest avenue
TO political life, it is mainly trod now by
lawyer politicians-men who make the
power they connlve at serve the ends of
their practice. Thus it is the Govern
ment-city State and Federal-is largely
occupied by the secret agents of cor
porate concerns or private schemes,
What Mr.. Vanderbilt said OF the public
they all think. The old loyalty of the
legislating lawyer to common interests
is dying out with the patriotism Of
which he was the oracle. Not because
the patriotic, high-minded lawyer is
moribund, too, but because he prefers
noiseless yet honorable practice to strug-
Cling along the same path with the law
yer politician. A crisis in affairs would
bring him to the front at once in whole
columns, as 1t has never failed to do in the
past. To avert this crisis he should be
none the less willing to make sacrifices,
and hence it is THE CRITIC believes it
to be within the power of that unob-
trusive yet brilliant, silent yet mighty,
majority of the legal profession to
check the vain pace at which we are
going. A rapprochement between the
passions of the powerless many and the
cynicism of the powerful few is above
all thi" gs necessary TO the preservation
f our Democracy. The interference
of science, guided by the common sense
of leg Station, should conciliate and ad
vance these elements.
When the word scientist" is used in
Il is connection it comprehends all men
studio in either the science of matter
or the science of mind 1t embraces
the shrinking country schoolmaster
with the self satisfied heads of the col.
leges, the searcher for new Insects with
the searcher for new planets, the healer
of wounds with the physicians of the
mind, the champion of religious forms
with the moral philosopher, the pro
fessor of arts and languages and his
tory, with the economist, the chemist
the geologist, the botanist, the hypno
tist, and every kind of ardent OF specu
lative man, who tries to separate him
self from the business of life, and who
rarely goes beyond the political expert
ence of his own little set or society
These sets or societies would be certain
10 choose for representatives the very
best men, but they could not cleo
them, if their chances came into coils
ion with the present methods o
politics. Here the necessity Of suifrag
on the side of the people and the con
tempt of it on the side of the scientist
seem to block the way, but the obstacle
could be overcome by the liberality o
the parties upon which an organized
movement of the legal fraternity nigh
Lave the desired effect. Beginning
with the village and municipality, til,
delegates of scientific societies could
by common consent, be accepted by tn,
caucus committees on one or boil
tickets, and so on the system might b.
conducted to the height of its posi-
bilities. What would make the move
ment seem impracticable is the very in
difference and selishness it would ain
TO attack, coupled with the ignoranc,
which could not long survive it