The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-05-07


wanted to have built d great public
Institution. Yet some distant relative
with whom he never had any close
affiliatien, by the aid Of schenling law
yers, broke that will. It was only be-
cause one Of the new heirs was intrin-
sically honest that part Of the estate
was placed at the disposal of the trus-
tees who were appointed to carry out
the scheme.
Where Lincoln stood.
There is an old saying that nothing
Is more deceptive than column Of tig-
ures. There is another old saying,
Nothing is more unjust than law
Any lawyer who prostitutes his brain
and energy to plead the dishonest civil
suit Of a client becomes a party to the
corrupt purpose. The lawyer himself
by that advocacy becomes a dishonest
man. Abraham Lincoln won the APP
pellation Honest Abe" How? He
would never allow himself to get mix
ed up in & dishonest suit. Many years
ago a man went to his Office in Spring
field and wanted him to be his attorney
for certain case. After Mr.. Lincoln
had studied all the facts he turned T.
this man and said: My friend. by a
technicality Of the law you can win
that case, but | will not argue it for
you. You are dishonest in your at
temDtS to win that money. If | stood
before jury to plead for you, every
word | uttered would seem to echo in
my mind this sentence: Abe, you are
pleading for an untr1th; Abe, you are
a dishonest mani" John J. Crittenden,
the great senator. had marvellous pow
er with jury. Every kentuckian
knew that Senator Crittenden would
not under any condition consciously
argue for Il dishonest cause. Many a
college lad has contracted a habit
which has contaminated his whole flu
ture by standing up in a literary soci-
ETY. to champion a wrong theme. There
fore, my legal friend, never under any
condition become party to Il fraud by
advoca ting in civil suit the dishonest
cause Of corrupt client.
The houe5t- lawyer Hte77Ftf7ff. asses f. llse
means to plead for a justifable cause.
He never produces false witnesses to
an alibi, no matter how much he may
believe in the innocence of the defend
ant. He never believes it honest to be
dishonest or to tell a falsehood, no mat
ter how good the cause may be. for
which that falsehood has been told.
The Lawyers Many Temptations.
But, though this may be all true, the
temptations before honest criminal
lawyers are very great. Believing in
the innocence of their clients, they
know as no other class of men how
many innocent victims have been sent
to the penitentiary or the gallows
through an unbreakable chain of false
circumstantial evidence. In one of our
large cities of the east a man was
aroused one night by a noise. With
lighted candle and cooked revolver, he
descended the stairs and was shot
dead. An ex-convict was arrested and
charged with the crime. His lawyer
believed him to be innocent. He did
all in his power to save him. He was
hanged Some years after the execu-
ton a dying convict confessed to that
crime and thus proved that an limo
cent man had his life ehoked out by
false circumstantial evidence. In the
same way few years ago woman
in the far west was murdered. An in
nocent man, proved so by later devel-
opments, was found to have suffered
hot r N
warden of Sing Sing penitentiary.
"Warden, do you believe there are any
innocent men in this prison who have
been sent here unjustly by circumstan,
tial evidence?' Lots of Them" he All
swered. 81 believe there are lots of
them" "Now," says the honest law
yer, II believe my client is innocent,
and yet this false chain OF circumstan-
tial evidence will convict him unless
break it. Is it not right to fight fraud
by fraud? Am not justified in using
any means to deliver this innocent
man?" In such a crisis the temptation
is overwhelming to present any evf-
dence available. even though it is
known to be false. He argues himself
into this position because he believes
he is justified in doing wrong to win
a right.
But, my legal friend, two wrongs
never make right No lawyer in any
capacity is called upon to lie. A false
hood is a falsehood, no matter how it
is told If you believe in Justice, your
own hands must be clean when they
touch hers, nor must you eontaminate
your own lips when you would WOO her
to protect the life of your client. IT a
lawyer is willing to lie for a good
cause, the time will not be very far
distant when he win be willing to tell
a faiseheod to win a bad cause.
The righteous lawyer tries to keep
his client out Of litigation if possible,
That means he does for his client ex-
actIy what the honest doctor would do
for his patient. The family physician,
coming to the bedside Of an invalid.
does not say, "How long can | keep