The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1899-09-16
Timely Warming.

oAhSASSiS SLN1 SSSA NAClI thN Noly vi
having the law properly enforced
will see that bribery, perjury and
tampering with witnesses and ju-
rors will not be permitted. 1t is
not so much the poor. ignorant
criminal who is trying to save him.
self that is to blame for this dis
gustlng and demoralizing work,
but the individual who knowing
better, and who is expected to as
sist in the just enforcement of
the laws, advises and counsels
such methods for the sake of the
fee he is to get, regardless of out
ragged decency and in contempt Of
the law and those charged with
its execution.
On this subject our neighbor
the Clarion, made use of the fol-
lowing strong, yet perfectly cor
rect language in the course Of an
article under the caption "Whither
Are We Drifting ?'' in its issue Of
the 25th of February
ut follows as the night the day, that unless
our petit jurors will do their duty ST. Landry
g going to become second edition OF Bloody
Tangipahoa.' IL assassins. mutde:ers and
thugs go unwhipped of Justice, trials by jury
will have become what this last one proved to
be, "A deluson, mockery aud II snare and
the quiet and inotiensive citizen will indeed
feel he lives in a land where law secures not
life.' 1t is high time that our
people, regardless of political persuasions,
should arise TO man and say: Let those who
-1lnt Irxu t1,ptrl rln nifi 0F
this parish will assert Its majesty by melting
| out to them the punishment they deserve"
Has it never occurred to the
minds of those familiar with the
| sickening details of the case re-
ferred to, that such brazen and
| unblushing villainy would be i'm
| possible without the connivance
| and assistance Of an unscrupulous
and corrupt lawyer ? Then, why
| not strike at the root of the evil
head off the scoundrel who em-
ploys such fendish methods in
his practice as bribery, perjury,
jury-fixing, etc, and such scenes
as disgraced our court proceed
ings last February will be impos-
sible. Watch the fellow who is
known to have done such dirty
work in the past, and watch the
tools he is using to accomplish
his ends--keep an eye on their
maneuvres.
| As before remarked, the Clar-
ions criticisms were eminently
correct; but unfortunately the
harm had already been done, as
far as that term Of court was
concerned /; but let us hope that
it's erpose will have the effect of
putting the law-abiding public on
it's guard against a repetition OF
these crimes against the moral life
of the community at the next
term of court which opens here
next week.
The following article from a
Dallas, Texas, Journal, correctly
describes the cause of most OF
the failures of justice in our
courtslnapd just as certain as
day follows night, if this evil is
not checked, it will eventually
bring contempt on the temple OF
fustice and moral turpitude and
demoralization. upon the. commu-
nifty tolerating it:
Recent trials of murderers,
self confessed bribe-takers and
house burners in Dallas directs
forcible attention to one of the
| greatest evils afflicting the body
polite, to-wit, the criminally
criminal lawyer. Mark the dis
tinction. There is a strong dis:
tinction between the professional
clearer of criminals, employing
trickery and fraud to that end
and the attorneys who take as 9
client one charged with a crime
and does all that he can consistent
| with honesty to establish his inno-
cence or mitigate his punishment
It is a problem in mental philoso.
ply why man with an imperia
| intellect will for the money there
is in it, hire himself to one whom
the public knows to be an utter
wreck morally, and to clear hin
resort to every species of tricker.
and legal fraud. It would seen
that q man with such a mind, ant
| we have several Of them in Dallas
4 ought to know even from a sci
| fish standpoint he IS the loser
| In specific cases, where he has
rich criminal in bis power, o.
course he gets abnormal fees
But he ought to know that nj
respectable person can have con
fdence in his moral honesty, ant
hence he must lose in Legitimate
practice more than he gains b.
crooked methods. The logic o
the question is that lawyer VIII
resorts to trickery to clear Grim
inal is more criminal than hi
client. This public estimate Q
the case iaiparts a general con
tempt for such lawyers. And !
ought to. They deserve tn
loathing Of honest men. Sue
LAWYERS ought not be permltt.e'
to dwell in the same communlt
with honest people. In fact, J
Z / = h II