The morning journal-courier. (New Haven, Conn.) 1907-1913, 1908-08-31
BUT UNNECESSARY.

BUT UNNECESSARY.
The adoption OF the Cannons Of
Ethics by the legal fraternity, in con-
vention met at Seattle last week, was
an admirable move Yet what the
American Bar association resolves can
not be considered nearly as important
as how It's thousands Of members real
ly will conduct themselves profession
ally in the future. That there have
been fragrant abuses on the part of
our lawyers cannot be denied. The
very fact that so much publicity has
been given TO the new cannons Is proof
enough Of It.
To make mention Of many OF these
abuses Is needless. As a contemporary
has put II, there are today many prom
lnent and influential lawyers whose
chief business ls telling wealthy clients
where they may keep to the letter OF
the law and break II In spirit There
are lawyers who receive their fees from
both litigants. There are those who do
not hesitate TO bring personal influence
with judges to bear In cases wherever
they can, going so far as to argue the
latter In private with the judges out Of
court. We do not have to 60 out OF
New Haven for examples of ill-feellne
and personalities between counsel, Of
hully-ragging witnesses, and Of fawn-
ing upon and fiattering iuries or indi-
vidual Jurors. Lawyers have done their
best to encourage litigation rather
than to prevent It.
That these and other practices are
abuses Is apparent, No Cannons Of
Ethics are necessary TO persuade up
right men of that fact. The cannons
are nothing more nor less than an elah-
Grafton Of the Golden Rule, the Ten
Commandments, the criminal code and
the rules OF common sense and COM
mon honor, as applied to lawyers The
simple existence OF the cannons Will
not bring about the looked-for change
any more than the existence OF the
Golden Rule and the other ethical
codes have, unless our lawyers are
themselves willing they should
While, II our lawyers are de-
string change, they can bring that
change about without the new can
mons, as we'll as with them. In other
words, II is not the promises but the
deeds that count.
Commemorate as the action OF the
American Bar association is, It is real
ly In the hands of the hundreds Of local
bar associations TO better the ethics
of the legal profession In this country.
Lawyers should be students enough of
the principles of law TO recognize the
legal futility Of negations that are not
backed UP with prescribed punishments
to be inflicted in cases of violation.
Few of our local bar associations, es-
recially those In our larger cities,
where malpractices are most common,
are over-zealous or jealous at all In
pressing claims as to unprofessional
conduct, or as TO the disbarment OF
lawyers where misconduct has been
proved against them. Those who arc
appointed to investigate such charges
are not over strict, and their own ethics
are oftentimes not over scrupulous. Ev-
idcnce must be overwhelming against
lawyer to result In disbarment. The
great scarcity of cases OF disbarment
is not evidence OF the purity Of the
profession so much as of its rnpurity
Charges are not brought and when
proved are not punished The work OF
reform Is In the hands Of the local as
sociations and Of the individual law
yers themselves. They can accomplish
1t, cannons or no cannons, II they
want to.