San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-12-24
A Sketch of It's Development
Young Men at the Front.
The Changes in the Mode of Prac
tice Since the Early Days.
Some of Those Who
Compose 1t.

itself, for San Antonio today is
largely the product of the brains
and enterprise gifts lawyers. They
have been first and foremost in
the work that has tended to build
the town into a progressive and
rapidly charging city.
In the early history of the town,
and before it was known or possibly
even conjectured that San Antonio
would become populous city, its
lawyers We're men of wide and var
led experience-broad minded, lib
eral and progressive to a degree,
and in those days, say commence
ing about the year 1870, the prac-
tice of law was largely different
from what it is today. Then the
chief and ruling industry was rep
resented by the cattlemen, who
paid large fees for comparatively
little legal work.
Land titles were unsettled and
the complex system of surveyes in
and around San Antonio created
world of litigation as these lands
became valuable; the consequence
was that nearly all of the lawyers
who located early in San Antonio
in the 70s amassed a competency
from the practice of their profess
sion. Then, too, the opportunities
for investment in property rapidly
increasing in value helped to swell
the wealth of the members of the
profession.
There were comparatively few
lawyers in San Antonio until the
advent of the International rail-
road, and all of them had large and
lucrative practices. The general
state of prosperity in the then rap
idly developing town was well rep
resented by them.
Then business was unsettled the
scenes were daily shifting and the
clientage of lawyer was as varied
and exciting as it always is in a
new and growing country. Now
the profession has settled down into
well worn groves, with a steady
and increasing business and client
age. The advent of the railroads
and the incorporation of large cap
ital interests solidified the practice
and enabled large number of the
lawyers to devote themselves to
special branches of practice.
The progress and advancement
of state is guaged by the charac-
ter gifts bar. From its ranks more
frequently than from any other
class of profession are selected the
men who fill the highest public
stations in the service of the coun-
try. The legal profession has ex-
listed in some shape since govern
ment was first established, and it
will endure as long as laws are
obeyed and justice administered.
Its members spring from no
privileged class, but from the peo-
pie whose aims, sentiments and as
pirations they share. They have
led in almost every struggle for
freedom and the advancement of
mankind, and to the American
lawyer we are indebted for the
blessings of liberty we now enjoy.
1t is a mistake to suppose that
the life of lawyer is one of ease.
1t is true the profession exacts no
great physical labor, but the law
is jealous master, and brooks no
rivals. He who would win its
honors and emoluments, must
spend his days and nights in UNI
ceasing toll. The law is pro-
gressive science, and with the in
crease of our population and the
advancement in the industrial,
commercial and mechanical arts
and the amazing growth of corpor-
ations multiplicity of new and
important questions are suggested,
the termination of which requires
the highest order of legal talent
and constant investigation. A
vast mass of adjudged cases con-
stantly being poured from the
press in the form of reports and
treatises on the increasing variety
of important subjects created by
the growth OF modern civilization
must be examined if the lawyer
would keep abreast with the times
and be equipped for the legal bat
ties constantly being fought.
He must know not merely the
law which the legislature makes,
not constitutional and statute law
alone, but that ampler and bound
less Jurisprudence, the common
law, brought by our ancestors from
the mother country, and enriched,
enlarged and ameliorated by sue
cesSive generations and adapted to
meet the wants of a progressive
civilization.
Where can this law be found?
In volumes-you count by hun