The Washington times., 1905-12-24
Lawyers In Good Standing.

Two lawyers have been convicted
in New York for the violation of the
law they were sworn to protect and
observe. Unless the proceedings in
the criminal court are reversed
which is not anywhere anticipated
they will expiate their faithlossness
as citizens and their treachery as
ministers of justice" in a jail. They
will then be criminals, in all the
shame and ignominy that term ex-
presses.
The body of other ministers Of
Justice and Officers of the court, !"
by which characterization is meant
the New York Bar Association, did
not contribute to this result. Accord
ing to the district attorney who prose-
cuted him one of the men convicted
has been a menace to the peace Of the
community for twenty-five years; but
the Bar Association did not proceed
against him at any time IN the whole
quarter century. The other, if less
experienced offender, was also Of a
cheaper mold; but there was still not
pride enough i'll the profession to dis
avow his practices.
1t is the case everywhere. In
Washington, and in all the rest of the
country beside, honest men, useful
men, men of the highest standards
and noblest personal ideals, are either
nt-exIraordinary as that
may seem-or too busy to give at
tention TO the steady degradation of
their profession by polite crooks.
Every city has its Hummel and most
cities have more than one Wickes.
In Washington at least they have
been lawyers lin good standing, Z"
whatever SO empty phrase may sig
nifty.
This is not all These lawyers of
the better class have not only per-
mitted known thieves and felons TO
sit among them as ministers of JUS
tice" but have acquiesced in the gen
eral establishment of d code OF ethics
which rated nothing as wrong which
did not land the perpetrator in prison
and no Offense as a crime which
could not be proven by jury trial.
Otherwise, how can even lawyers
explain the careful drawing of in
struments deliberately designed to
eyade the law? Or pleas TO juries on
the basis of the advocates personal
belief that the accused is innocent
in the face of testimony more than
sufficient 10 establish the crime al
legged? Or the manufacture Of de-
fense?
Yet these misdeeds nave attracted
40 attention from lawyers. Indeed
lawyers themselves, men of marked
personal caution, have averred con
fdentially" that these offenses have
all been committed at the bar of the
District of Columbia within the year
No wonder men of other professions
are saying that no criminal is Sc
black that he cannot obtain the serV-
ices of a lawyer in good standing to
clear him, if possible, and no corpora
ton so lawless that it cannot retain
the talents OF q great lawyer to hell
in its misdeeds.
The Times has expressed its views
on this subject many times. 1t has
pointed out that men VINO have not
only committed of1enses against the
law. but have been convicted ol
them in District courts, are still prac-
ticing in apparent good standing al
the District bar. In one case, perhaps
in several cases, man disbarred by
one branch of our judicial system
practiced in all the others. Not even
these inconsistencies moved the bal
| TO action until an aroused public
opinion urged ii on. And today, after
half a year, every one of the men in.
dicated is still in good standing"
Justice to our District lawyers re
! quires, however, the acknowledgment
that they have acted-hOwever tard
lily and unproductively. A commit
tee has met. information has been OBJ
tanned, the unfitness of several at
J torneys which has been well known
to the whole community has beer
at last realized by their associates
and the only recommendations con
ceivable under those circumstances
have been made to the court. Tha
these recommendations hang fire II
not the committees fault.
Whosesoeyer fault il is, the situation