The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1894-04-19
Lawyers Make the Laws.

VINO maze the laws: why, law
yers, of course! What sort OF men are
lawyers? How are they rated morally,
politically. and religiouslv? They are
not rated very high in either one of
these scales. Lawyers are good sort
of fellows enough, but the quality of
being good fellow is not the only
requisite to safe lawmaker Out of
$50 odd members and territorial dele
gates in the House, 229 are lawyers.
That leaves 112 to represent ell other
professions, and not a cOrEOrars guard
to represent farmers.
Lawyers are, as general thing, in
telligent. and their business leads them
into the habit of public speaking. and
of making good case out of a bad one
and saint out of devil, if we'll pail
for it. The legal profession is q school
where very MANY things are taught
that a lawmaker ought not to know. 1t
is a school where money is a recog-
nized power. The contests in the
courts are mostly wealth against medi-
ocrity, and gold comes off victorious
every time. The injustice. and the
crimes in the name of justice, are SO
common that lawyers become hard
ened. They almost daily see plutoc-
racy prevail over right, and injustice
trample justice in the dust. Such
cases may cause a light remark from
the gentry OF the bar, but they are SO
hardened that it makes no imprint on
their sense of justice. They have no
sense of right in a law case. They
serve their clients for pay and do their
level best to place wrong in the upper
most if their clients are in the wrong.
Does a lawyer ever examine case
| before he accepts it, and if he finds
his prospective client has no case in
the light of justice, tell him that he
cannot serve him because he is in the
wrong, and, after advising him to 60
| to the other party and compromise it,
tell his client that he cannot represent
him? Does he tell him that lawyer
is not such at the sacrifice of honor
and sanction of money? that he would
be required to labor to establish q
wrong if he was retained in the case,
therefore he refuse to take the case
for any consideration?
No, lawyers do not do this. There
is probably not a case on record of the
kind. Not III modern times at least
Way back in the days of honesty and
fair dealing there may be found case
of this sort of conscience among the
musty records of the past, but modern
lawyers will agree to help client a.
complish his ends if the right is all or
the other side. and their client has no
an atom of justice in the matter. Thi,
is the business of the lawyer, q con
tinued waring against morality, and
laboring to. apologize for crime ant
sanction of error.
Is such a class as this to be entrust
ed to legislate for the people? Shoul.
man whose business Is at least ques
tionablv moral, and of whom it ha
been said, from high authority. he i
unfit to enter heaven, be entrusted
with the destinies of nation, and tn
sacred personal rights of the people
This is the predominating class O
lawmakers now. They have q ma
Jointly in Congress of nearly three t
one of all other professions. Law
yers may be necessary. Evils ar
said to be necessary some times, bu
; experience has shown that they ar
: not safe class for the people to en-
trust with the care of such q priceless
) boon as liberty.