The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-01-27

SAL of liquor. These bilis have
been introduced in response to n
strong popular demand made by a
ship of North Carolina. During
the past week h joint committee
on Propositions and Grievances
gave a hearing to parties who de-
sired to be heard in favor of or in
opposition to temperance or pro-
hibition legislation. The advo-
Gates of the pending bills requested
a delay until Wednesday and
Thursday, January 2Sth and 29th,
when, it is expected, large delega-
tions will visit Raleigh to present
progress in temperance legislation.
On Wednesday of last week, how
ever, several lawyers, employed by
distillers, saloon-keepers, or the Ii
qucr Dealers Association, made ar
guments against both the London
and the Watts bill, protesting Wig
~orously against the passage of
either. They wish the legislation
to stand unchanged. In SO far as
these attorneys confined their ar
gument to their attorneyship and
dictions of what might happen to
the Democratic party if their eli
ents got mad-so far their argu-
1nent was entitled to the same
weight of an attorneys plea in a
court of justice. Amy lawyer has q
right to accept a fee to represent
the distillers and liquor dealers be-
fore the committees of the General
Assembly, just as he has a right in
court to represent g. man charged
with any crime. AS IN attorney in
court, it would be unprofessionaI
for him to take jurors by the arr.
and whisper to them about the
case on trial. He must confne
himself TO the examination of wit
the jury. Just SO the lawyers who
have come to Raleigh, employed
by the liquor dealers and distillers,
have a right to make their public
arguments before committees, but
they are guilty of unprofessional
conduct if they seek to influence
the jury by Introducing matters
that are outside the record or by
injecting their political prestige
and using it to advance the interest
Of their clients. AS lawyers, speak
themselves, they are entitled to a
hearing. But, if while accepting
the fees of the liquor men to fight
their battle, they also use their po-
sition in II party to aid their
clients, then they have gone beyond
their professional duty and their
pleas are not entitled to considera-
ton because they speak as paid at
torneys and cannot divest them
selves of the zeal an attorney feels
FOR the interests of his clients.
ING liquor ucaItC auG O1SC1lkcTS
have raised a large sum of money
30 employ attorneys to fight tke
pending legislation. Tt is a matter
solely for an attorney to decide
whether he will accept their money
and represent them in the pending
contest. But we protest that when
an attorney comes to Raleigh as
their attorney he has no right t.
assume to be the guardian Of the
interests of the Democratic par
ty. In the Hobbies of the halls, in
everywhere certain attorneys Of
the liquor dealers association are
trying to build up a sentiment that
to enact effective temperance
cratic party to defeat. go
on" said one Of them yesterday,
with your prohibition legislation
and you Will turn the State over to
h Radical party" The man who
made that ~utterance had in his
pocket at the time a five hundred
dollar fee paid him by liquor men.
He was holding himself out as the
guardian Of the Democratic party
whereas he is really, as long as he
accepts fees to represent them, the
guardian and advocate of the dis
tillers and liquor dealers.
Shortly after the election the
News and Observer outlined its idea
of the temperance legislation that
! II General Assembly of 1908
f, ought to enact. There was much
favorable comment upon the edi-
torial Later, about the last OF No
vembcr, the following editorial,
giving the suggestions and the ar
gument in support OF them, ap-
peared in the News and Observer:
shortly after the election on the fourth
of November, in emphasizing the sig
niticance of the victory for prohibition in