The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1902-07-26

What manner Of mar should the At
torney-GenerAl Of the commonwealth Of
Nevada be7
Let rs reason together. He is the le-
gal adviser OF ell Stale officers, empow-
cred to act in all legal questions to which
the state - party, or in which il Is, or
may become, involved. II il his duty to
prosecute all claims Of the State, all vio-
lstions Of State Law, and to defend the
state against sll unjust claims that may
be brought against il. A legal mistake
On his part may cost the State thousands
Of dollars BY involving it in unnecessary
litigation. Sound, legal advice. timely
given by him, may prevent litigation and
save the state thousands Of dollars.
Il goes without saying. therefore, that
he is . very important State officer. In
addition to the qualifications for Gov
ernor, be should have special quslifcs-
tons peculiar to the duties Of his Office.
He represents the people in legal con-
tests. He Is to defend their rights
against al corners. His opinion deter
mines whether the State shall or shall
o 20 to law. 1t forms the basis Of all
action taken in favor Of the State and Of
all legal proceedings taken in its defense.
His opinion, therefore, should be cor
rect and true in every particular, but to
be correct il must be founded on law,
and TO be founded on Law the giver OF the
opinion, the Attorney-General, must
have ar intimate knoxledge of Law, must
be able to interpret its meaning and de-
termine its application in any given case.
To do this he must understand the
fundamental principles of common Law.
its scope and purpose, how 10 put its
machinery in action and enfore it's de-
crees. In other words, ne must be q
legal engineer.
He should be familiar with State and
Nstional-snd it wouldn't hurt him to
know something of international law.
He should be familiar with the decisions
Of courts in important cases. and their
practical application to cases that may
come under his management.
Above all he should know that the pri-
mary object Of law 10 justice, and that he
is simply an instrument in the hands OF
the people to promote Its ends. He should
speak and write English with precision
and accuracy that his cause may be pre-
sented in proper form, his opinions have
weight with the court, that he may ex-
emplify in his own person the dignity Of
law and deserve the respect Of the State
and people. With an analytical mind and
a clear conception of the duties and re-
sponsibilities Of his position, combined
with the foregoing qualifications, there is
no good reason why he should not earn
bis salary and protect the interests OF the
State.
The SENTINEL stands for honesty, de-
cency and responsibility in official life,
and believes that the press Of the State,
with few exceptions, stands for them also.
1t believes that a public Office is a public
trust, that it should be the reward Of
merit, no. Of political corruption, and
that a State officer should exemplify
in his own person the highest type
OF American manhood, American patri-
otism and American citizenship. 1t
would like to have new blood infused
into the body polite and young. honest,
intelligent men elected to Office to replace
some OF the old. broken-down, spawned
political hacks that have hitherto brought
disgrace upon our commonwealth.