The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-29

GAS TO the criminal code, it has proba-
bly, worked reasonably we'll As punish
ments are arbitrarily fixed and should be
certain. it is reasonable enough that an
attempt should be made TO formulate into
I code form the criminal law of the state
AS the judges Of our criminal tribunals
seem to be satisfied, / presume. that with
! occasional notifications that system will
endure.
'As to the proposition of enacting our
common law into civil code, l think
that the good sense of our people is OPP
posed to it. If it has taken hundreds Of
volumes Of judicial decisions to construe
rules Of practice, what would it be if all
the relations and interests Of the citizen
were determined or sought to be fixed in
a single code2 Where would be the GER
tainty Of such a code, with an annual
legislature tampering with every section
upon the slightest provocation} How
would the system be improved when the
judges undertook in lengthy opinions to
cOnstrue the sectionsi And how long
would il be before the language of the
code itself would he lost sight of. and Jus
tice, discouraged and baftied, would go
back to the old system to search for
truth in the decisions of the courts2 1t
seems TO me that until the evils of our
system are proved to be very much greater
than they are, we should bear with the
ills we have rather than fly TO others we
know not of.
Empirical attempts upon the health
of our body polite are too risky and ex-
pensive TO be conducted without great
circumspection. 1t is usual to cry that
lawyers are opposed to a code, because it
would bring the law within the reach of
the layman. but no person of average in
telligence and ordinary fairness will be-
lieye this. If he does, our experiment
that have alluded TO above in the way of
code procedure ought to send him of
with silence and shame into solitude and
penitential meditation.
PLACE AUX DANES.
~. I see no objection to the admission
of woman to the bar, but do see great
injustice in excluding her if she is fit to
assume its duties. II may be that she
may help to 'Overcrowd the profession, ,
but that is no answer to her claim. Why
should she not, if she has the ability,
seek Tor an honorable livelihood in the
same ranks with her male brethren?
Portals may not be common, but why
should not every refined and intelligent
woman nave u chance TO become one ifs
she likes 1t is indeed weak and pitt
able plea on the part of man to say that
there Is no reason for him to expand and
grow fat, and that. therefore, the weaker
bodied sisters must be left out. This is a
mans argument, but not a manly one.
. PROFESSIONAL GAINS UNEQUAL.
40. What amount a practitioner of
ordinary ability, education and good for
tune may expect Is question that does
not admit of any answer What do you
call ordinary good fortune, for instance1
Does it imply good luck, wealthy rela-
tiOus. an honorable name and other ele-
ments which happily used may lead to
success? The scale is a wide one; the
gamut runs from nothing to an annual
fortune. There are lawyers in the large
cities-I speak especially of New York
whose annual income would be a respec-
table estate of itself There are
others fairly intelligent and well
educated who would be infinitely better
of as first-clasS artisans. Men are born
free and equal, says our Declaration of
Independence and truly, but after they
are born the rule stops running. The
blind goddess and the chances of life
create different opportunities, even for
men whose claims would seem to be equal.
When you consider, however, the enor-
nous diversity in the gifts of men and
the lottery of favorable chances, it is
wise to stop guessing.
SOME LAWYERS ARE KILLING THE GOOSE,
ETC.
al. Arbitration has shown itself a
simple and easy process of reaching a
settlement of disputes without delay and
expense. 1t has found favor with the
various associations of men who are
united for business purposes. The I'M
considerable charges which it has of late
years been fashionable to make, the
desperate attempt of young men to
squeeze out Of the chance client all that
can be had short of absolute destruction,
have created a reluctance on the part of
merchants, brokers and others to engage
in the game of litigation. Perhaps they are
wises and yet all really important ques-
tions, where principle is involved are
best settled by the courts of Justice. The
process is expensive and tedious, but as
Moliere has said of medicine, it is better
for patient to die according to the
rules of art than to get we'll by not fol-
lowing them. f, r. CoUDERT."
He who reads, marks, learns and in
wardly digests the above may arrive at
the golden secret of ombining a great
business with high and honorable call
ing, A. E. WATHoUs.