Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-05
LAWYERS LEFT OUT.
Why the Profession Is Growing Less
Profitable Than of Old.
CUT DOWN BY THE CORPORATIONS.
Capitalization of Trade Makes Paying
Clients Very Scarce.
NOT MUCH CHANCE OF IMPROVEMENT

An apparent anomaly that has puzzled
many people of late is plausibly explained
by Lawyer Joseph Breil. For several year:
past lawyers and court officials were puzzled
to explain why legal business did not grow
with population. Prothonotary Bradley
could offer no explanation except that the
German custom of making people who are
in debt give judgment, or shirt-tail notes,
had grown largely, and this seemed
to wash, though even the giving of such a
note does not always utterly preclude law
suit; but it was only partial explanation,
and some people still thought it strange that
notwithstanding the growth of population
the aggregate of legal business was not
greater than it was quite number of wears
ago.
When attention is called to the growth
OF the divorce business, optimists come to
the rescue by citing you to the records to
show that marriages have increased at the
same or even greater rate. But lawyers
in general find it very dull, and it has been
so for many months, there being no more
business now, with 900 lawyers to do it,
than there was when there were but 400.
Following is the result of Mr.. Breil's
diagnosis:
Lawyers Knocked Out by Corporations.
The tendency ofthe age is toward centrali-
zation, which not only knocks out shoe
makers, but lawyers as well. Within
few years the Standard Oil Company has
absorbed at least 80 firms in this county,
refneries and other businesses. These so
firms once employed 80 lawyers, that is,
they gave each of these 80 some employ
ment in course of a year, for it is not possible
for business of any kind to run without
legal help in some respect Now one
lawyer gets that business exclusively, and
of course, there is less of it. He is paid
salary and does well on it, but the other 40
lose some business in consequence
The Carnegie concern is a consolidation
of about dozen iron firms of various kinds.
The first to disappear was Andrew KIoman,
who was o prominent iron manufacturer
some 20 years ago. This consolidation gets
its business done by one lawyer or legal
firm at a salary, and II other lawyers lose
what business II extinct firms would have
to do.
It is estimated that 10000 titles are ex-
amined each year. Formerly all this work
was distributed among the lawyers. Now
the Fidelity Title and Trust Company does
one-fourth of the business. Averaging the
price of examining title at S25 this shows
that company shuts out lawyers fees to the
tune of S125,0OO a year, or SAL 66 is the
average that each lawyer would lose sup
posing the work were to be divided among
them.
Shoemaking, like wool carding, was once
an important industry, but both are about
extinct SO far as small proprietorships are
concerned, and now all the shoenakers in
the eity-shoemakers who make custom
work-can be enumerated Oil the fingers
and thumbs of your hands. Some OF the
guild make living by cobbling, but even
this branch is now largely controlled by ,
1t is true that pair OF
shoes are half soled and heeled for hall
what such work cost 20 years ago, but the
small shoe contractor has almost disap-
peared. Hatters have met the same fate.
Big Houses Crowd Out Smaller Cn $. .
A large drygoods concern, like that of
Joseph Horne, for instance, means the ex-
of probably 300 or 400 small