The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-11-11

called from his la6ors, and if honest toll Is to
meet It's fitting reward, nave not u1upl %
| but that even now he has found thnt "oless-
ed" rest which Is VOucnSaleu 10 I'LL lHaI III Q
"pure in heart
Mr. Lee was to an eminent degree modest
and retiring. No one would ever know lhe
vast fund Of his literary Information VINO
did not talk with him specially upon given
| subject. and no man was more ready or WILL
! Ing 10 give help, especially to the young.
have known no man more able to help ana
| no man more ready to give 1t. In this line
we young men Will miss him sadly.
But Mr.. Chairman, as / said IN the begin
ming, l did not rise TO make any leneIhy
| speech but prime ipally TO present these reso-
| lutions as The chairman of the committee,
but have felt impe!led 10 say this mucn @ Pc
cause of the high regard In which helo ME.
| Lee. , ,,, a. =
| hone. that In some slight degree they may
preserve and perpetuate the memory OF one
who in every sense was an accomplished,
honest. true and Cody man.
Remarks of Hon. f. b. Gary.
Mr.. Chairman: There is noble sentiment
in the human heart to commemorate the
| worthy dead.
This sentiment is so strongly implanted,
| that we sometimes see IL eXemplifled. even
among those who were enemies, as when
Julius Caesar ordered a magnificent monu-
ment to be erected in honor OF Pompey his
| fallen rival, and when Antigouus commemo-
| ra ted the brave deeds of Pyrrhus his un for
| nate foe, by splendid funeral. In response to
this sentiment we meet on this occasion Tor
the purpose Of adopting sui table resolutions
touching the death OF the lamenteu Dr. W..
A. Lee.
Since we commenced the practice of law at
this place, death has laid It's icy hand on the
painstaking, laborious, and Weli,eq4Ippea or
Judge Thomas Thomson, one OF the aplest
and most illustrious members or this par !;
the accomplished scholar and eloquent adVo,
RI1rt l4hn
Noble, who for many years enjoyed his full
share OF the practice; Col. Orvllle L. Calnoun,
| who was our fond friend and with whom we
were associated frequently IN the trlal OF
Mabry, ESQ; the handsome, gifted, and elo-
ouent l.. Wardlaw Smith, Esq; and now we
are called upon TO mourn the loss OF him who
ia The subject of the resolutions just offered.
AS we pause for moment 10 cast glance
over the past. we see, before the minds eye,
DR.. Lee the citizen, the pious Christian, the
soldier, the scholar, the head or the family
circle, and the lawyer. -
Our remarks, however, on this occasion will
be confined to DIR. Lee, the lawyer.
The members of the legal profession, may
be divided into two general classes; tnose
com posing one class, are the practitioners
who have no higher aim than 10 make money
out OF the profession, and who simply become
fam iliar with the decided cases for The pur-
pose Of converting their knowledge into dol
lars and cents The other class Is composed ol
of those who love the profession OF law as o
science. who love its literature. and to trace
the history OF legal principles 10 their 1oun
dalton and origin.
1t is needless TO say TO which OF these
classes DIR. Lee belonged.
| No lawyer can he profound and great IN hls
pro fession who, in addition to his knowledge
Of the decided cases, does not study the pro
fession us q science, read its literature, and
become familiar with the history of Its prin
ciples. In this way only can he behold The
beauty and grandeur Of the profession.
The high standard in measuring the proies'
sional conduct of members OF the bar, as eX'
pressed by the Supreme Court OF Con necticut
| is " worthy of mention In this connection ano
Is as follows
ut is not enough for an attorney that he be
honest.
He must be that and more.
He must be believed TO be honest.
IL is absolutely tial to the usefulness
OF au attorney, that he be entitled to the con-
fidence OF the com munity, wherein he prac
tices. If be SO conducts himsels In his pro
tession, that he does not deserve that conn,
uence, he IL no louger an aid TO the court
nor guide to his clients.
A lawyer needs, indeed, to be learned.
IL would be we'll If he could be learned In
all the learning of the schools.
There is nothing to which the Ingenuity o
man has been turned, that may not become
the subject of his inquiries.
| Then of course, he must be especially
skilled In the books and the rules OF his own
profession.
He must have prudence and tact in using
But all these may exist In moderate de-
gree, and yet he may be a credltaole anu use
ful member of the profession, 80 long as the
practice is to him 4 clean and honest 1unc
tion.
But possessing all these faculties, If on ce
the practice becomes to him, mere Draw
craft and not conscience Is the rule, and
! where falsehood and not truth are the means
by which 10 gain his ends, then he forfeits all
right 10 be au officer in any Court OF justice
or To be numbered among The members Of an
honorable profession"
We know, Mr.. Chairman, that there have
been lawyers In every age, who, by their con
duet, have brought reproach upon the profes
sion, and thus famed the flames OF that pre-
odice, which many have had against the
profession, from its earliest history.
| This, however, is unjust to the fraternity.
A few days ago when we read the address Of
Honorable Seymou d. Thompson, before
the Stale Bar Association OF Texas, we were
deeply impressed With his remarks relative
They seem to US to be appropriate, at this
time, on account OF the high character o.
DR.. Lee, and the deep love he had for bis
chosen profession.
We quote from the address as follows
THE members Of the legal profession, always
conspicuous US public leaders, played mos
important part III your struggle for indepen
dence.
regiments, and your eXpeditionary forces.
Sam Houston, who commanded your Army
Of Liberation, on the fields OF Sam Jacintu
where you defeated and took prisoner the
Mexican Dictator, and finally achieved your
independence-waS lawyer no less than q
soldier. Fourteen Of your counties
are named for Judges Shall / cal that roll
Gray, Ansford, Hemphill, Hutchison, Lips
comb, Mills, Ochlltree, Oldham, Wheeler
Wilson, Wlnkler. - Lawyers have al
ways been an Inconvenience to despots.
The tyrant is continually stumping his toe
against the lawyer. Napoleon, the son of q
lawyer, hated lawyers. When he first con.
splred TO overturn The government Of France
to drive out the Legislature, and to make him
his proposition TO his military co-conspira-
tors was TO clean out the lawyers.
Shall extend this field Of illustration?
torted from King John at Runnimede, was
undoubtedly written by lawyers.
1t was lawyer who first, in our ancestral
country, disputed the doctrine that the King
was above the law, and whose undaunted
courage, gave US that second charter o1 llber'
ty, the Right ofPetition.
Ii must have been u lawyer who drew the
famous Habeas Corpus Act
celebrated Statute /. William and Mary /
which settled the succession Of the crown on
It's modern basis, and declared the rights o
the Sublect-a statute from which the first
eight amendments to the Federal Constitu
tion, placed there through the influence o.
Mr.. Jefferson, were drawn, and whose essen.
tial provisions are embodied in the Declara'
tiou of Rights in every American State Con.
stitution.
1t was lawyer who drew the Declaration
I OF Independence. promulgated by the Con
gress of the thirteen British North American
COLONIES, on the Ith OF July, l776.
1t was Gambetta. u lawyer who proclaimed
the present French Republic In 1870. . 4.
| A few days ago in a recent audience cham
Der in Chicago, the representatives Of a great
political party were assembled from every
State and Territory Ia the Union, 10 discuss
great questions and TO consider great abuses
| A young, smooth -shaven man, apparently
lust out OF colleges assembled the platform To
/ I.lnSe a m mpmOrahle dehate.