The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-06-30

never once have his conscience ruthed
by the thought that he is virtually In
the position of a bribe-taker.
But this is not all. We have only
mentioned the judge. Now take the
lawyers. Not one of them wants JUS
tice done simply because it is justice.
If my client happens to be right 1 want
to win, not so much because he is right,
but because he is my client. 1t is
necessary to my reputation that he
should win.
If the other side indulge in any tricks
against my client it makes me 1ndlg-
nant: not so much because they are
wrong as because they are injurious.
On the contrary ifmy clients wrong
I cannot desert him. l dare not stand
up in court and ask the judge to strike
nv name from the docket and thus re-
tire from the case. The reproach OF
bench and bar and people would fall
on me like an avalanche. [ would
never get another case. Once IN L
must stay in. must prop the fallen
cause. 1 must bull-rag the witnesses;
[ must abuse the other fellow; l must
a~udaceously GfI can,) eatupthelawyer
on the other side; [ must infame the
passion, prejudice or pity of the jury;
Unjust confound and confuse the Judge;
and if there is a particularly truthful
witness on the other side and his testi-
mony is specially in my way, [ must
go for that witness with an appetite
which will take no denial and nc salts
faction. [ must pound him and grind
him. l must throw him up and fling
him down; [ must run over MIN and
then walk up and down him. [ must
give him "cat O. nine tails" externally
and aqua-fortis internally. In other
words [ must deface, disfigare and de-
molish this honest witness to such an
extent that his neighbors on jury will
forget that he is a reputable citizen,
who has sworn the truth. And all this
is done that my miserable scOundrel of
a client may gain where he should lose,
and that I may have the credit of win
ming where I should have lost.
Suppose the witness appeals to the
judge for protection? He will not get
it. He will be told that he must not
interrupt counsel. If he persists in
his objection at the style in which I am
tearing his reputation to tatters, and
becomes unruly and demonstrative, his
honor, the judge, will fine him for con
tempt of court. When the trial is over
the judge and the bar will compliment
On my splendid invective and the
magnificent style in which I destroyed
that truthful witness. The jury itself
will enjoy the gladiatorship, and for
years afterwards will remember the
witness, chiefly because of the coward
ly attack I made on him in a place
where he could not defend himself.
Is not this a faithful picture Of the
court room which you may witness any
day in all the land?
Is it right? In Gods name, are we
not drifting away from the truth
when our lands, liberty and life may
depend upon the speech of the advo-
cate?
For this state of affairs a remedy
must be found. A trial in the court
room must be made more of a judicial
examination by judge and jury and
less of a ~prize-fght between the
lawyers.
The present system no longer serves
it's purposes. The public has lost con-
fdence in it. The great riots at Gin
cinnati and the massacre in New Or
leans + but symptoms of a wide
spread disgust with our courts which
our wise men will do well to consider.
A system which sends a poor negro
to the chain-gang for betting a dime on
the first game of seven up and finds
itself powerless to a stock-gambler, is
weak unto rottenness and there is no
use denying it.
A system which tears a white tenant
from his family and puts him in chains
and stripes because he sells cotton to
get something to eat and left his rent
unpaid, and which, at the same time,
cannot punish It's bankers who shame
lessly violates it's penal statutes, is a
which no honest man can
heartily respect.
Equal and exact justice is what the
aims at. Truth demands it. But
as the courts are now managed every
observer must see that they have
drifted far away from the true chan
mel.