The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-05-21
THE CASE OF TAYLOR CRUM.

of that other life which we all |
feel, If we do not know, lies beyond?
-k8n---
THE CASE OF TAYLOR GRIM.
TAYLOR Crum came down from North |
Dakota and applied to the board of ex-
aminers for admission to practice law IN
this state. Crum had been practicing In |
North Dakota for several years, and had |
that deterioration Of good |
nature inevitable to the jewellers in that |
of perpetual wind and alkah
water. These worked rather harder on
him than on other members OF the Da-
kota bar. for, whereas they swore at the
court only after adjournment and when
within the seclusion of the nearest dis
pensary of-well, drugs-Crum. on one oe-
casion, swore at the court right to the
face of the dignifed gentleman who com
posed in his own person, the court. For
this, we understand. he was disbarred, IN
proceedings duly and formally had. The
supreme court of that state, if news dis
patches are veracious, lifted the ban Of
the decree.
Whether this be true or not. Crum de-
cided to shake the Dakotan mud from mis-
feet and cross the raging Red and hang
out his shingle In the city of Moerhead.
Whereupon he sought a permit from our
state board of examiners. We are told.
In the papers, that the board denied mis-
iS Ohah \
reporters rendition of their action. for,
of course, the board could only transmit
to the supreme court it's recommends
lions, and 1t probably recommended
the rejection of the application. But it
is the grounds of the action Of the board.
if accurately narrated by the versatile
gatherer of official doings, that strike the
lay mind as rather uncommon. The OBJ
lection presented to the board by sundry
lawyers opposing Crum's proposed inVa-
sion of the Minnesota bar was that he IS
a man of irascible temper. That was
what was the matter with him in Da--
emphatic expression of his contempt Of
court. That was a mistake; he should
have reserved his expression until he was
outside the court house, as all other
lawyers do. and, If one can believe the
yarns they spin in private, thing they
are very frequently amply justified In do
ing We are inclined to believe that in
Crums case the same causes that pro-
duced irritability In him affected the
judge also. and that the latter, was guilty
of contributory negligence. -
But is the possession of an irascible
temper disqualification in an applicant
for admission to the bar? If so, where
in the statutes, is 1t writ? Certain it 10
that 1t Is nowhere to be found in he
not have been adorned by that long line
of eminent judges whose tempers were
always on edge E. G. Ryan rose through
the bar of Wisconsin to its supreme
bench, and his temper at the bar and on
the bench was always as pungent as red
pepper. We find specifications in our
statutes of an attorneys duties, and we
find explicit statement of the causes for
which he can, be suspended, but nowhere
is 1t writ that it Is his duty to be sweet
tempered nor is a bad temper set down
among the causes for suspension. Be-
sides. how does our learned board know
but that Crums removal to the balmy
air, the sweet waters and the salubrious
climate of Moorhead-so markedly differ
ent from conditions in Fargo-would mol
lily Crums temper and make him as gen.
tie and lambiike as are all Minnesota
lawyers, as everyone knows. We submit
these considerations to the honorable su-
preme court when 1t comes to sit on
Crum; and, in his own behalf, we appeal
to their own memories of differences with
the bench when they were at the bar,
where their only satisfaction was swear
Ing at the court. when round the corner.