The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1910-10-25
TOO MUCH LAW
BY Ebert Hubbard.
Published BY Request

oyer-production of laws. During the
wear 1903 there were passed by the
Federal and State Legislatures over
$4,000 enactments.
Seven out of ten men elected 10
| Congress are lawyers.
The lawyer Is a specialist. ana rs
such he may be necessary, but an
specialists are dangerous and unsafe
men unless we'll audited and check
ed by those with no personal IN
terest in their specially,
The lawyer mind looks upon aW
as the one thing which keeps hu-
manity in the safe and narrow way,
Just as your religious think that
without his particular brand OF sal
walton mankind would run amuek
The people who look to law to
save them are already goners.
Mankind cannot be legislated into
goodness. Morality must spring
| from the heart TO be OF much avail.
The true function of government
Is to make IL easy for all men TO
do right.
To do wrong always brings a pen
atty regardless of law.
Lawyers look upon anything
which is not illegal as right.
As a rule they take all the law
will give them. and any one VINO
does this. said Macaulay. is a scoun-
drel at heart. Lawyers regard the
evasion of the law as quite a diff
ferent thing from its infraction.
In fact, lawyers belong TO the
criminal class. since their instincts
and activities are in the line of ex-
ploitation and not creation or pro-
ductiOn
IL we allow such men TO make
laws for us and then also execute
these laws, we deserve the punish
ment which we bring upon our
selves. as much as the client who
wanted something for nothing in
the days of King Arthur. and who
was turned over to his own attor-
ney for punishment. The attorney
soaked him for a bill for services
that took the fellows breath and
all of his property.
And the precedent still survives.
Note the case that came up in Cam
| den last week where the bill
brought in by the attorneys was
$4,000 in an action involving the
collection of $4,000. The law
ers collected the 100000 and kept
it. giving credit on account. leaving
a balance due of $35 900.
Also. remember that gentle and
self sacrificing attorney in the
| Harry Thaw case. who, having been
paid 100000. demanded 100000
more for suborning witnesses in
the tenderloin. Even the judges
blushed scarlet and passed the law
wolf the cosmic cruller.
David Harum said a reasonable
numheA m fleas on a dog is all
right. Also, ReN1iiii4isglht say mere
is no objection to having ree'ssS,lnl.-
able number OF lawyers in our leg
islatiye halls Lawyers should be
represented in Congress, but law
vers should not be selected TO rep
resent all the rest OF us, because
God knows. they don't When we
get a Congress with over halt OF
its members lawyers. we are inVit-
ing a session of delay. procrastina-
tion. bubble, stipulation, graft. OK
aline and needless expense.
A lawyer by training and by in
stinct is not an economist. He is
much more interested in Keeping
folks from doing things than to get
other things done. His mind works
negatively; and to block the oppo-
sition consumes a big part OF his
time. He is welded to precedent
Also. in spite of his boasting re-
spect for law, he is an expert In the
evasion Of the law.
He is on the side Of expense, moi
income
II isn't the lawyer who makes
the waste places green and causes
the desert TO blossom like the rose
The lawyer knows only one way
to make money, and that is to gel
yours.
But the business man builds, in
vests. creates, produces and makes
tons of grass grow where there
was one ton of sage brush before
The business man drains swamps
irrigates arid land, bridges streams
tunnels mountains, makes goo'
roads and sets the unemployed u
work.
The business man takes SOM
nothing and makes a valuable thinl
out of it.
J AS long as it is the rule ant
custom that we shall be represente'
at Washington by lawyers we shal
be governed by incubi and sucuDl.
The pernicious activity and med
ding interference by lawyers VIII
the natural flow and trend OF trad
is paid for by the people at ter
rifle cost.
Once there was a band OF pi
rates who protected the shippin
on the Adriatic from pirates. Ihe
collected from each vessel that pass
ed the "Tarifa" to pay expenses.
In self-protection the merchant
had to combine and drive the self
styled protectors" from the seas
And If the merchants had not com
bined, IN the Hanseatic League, pi
# racy would still be regarded as le
:, climate and a beautiful adjInC
q to civilization. Men always justif
themselves in all that they do.
THAT country is governed bes
that is governed least" said Thom'
B. Jefferson.
~ Jefferson was a lawyer, but he WI
one of the other kind.
, For the commercial, whose wor
% is to protect commerce and see thi
= trade moves along safe and leg
n lines,no words OF criticism can
raised.
The shibboleth of the law shoul
be Getting on, getting on!' III
business lawyer removes obstru
tions from the channel so the shil
of progress may pass. His e.
81 deavors are all away from litig
ton. not toward it. He cor
81 promises and works for peace. X
yenge is out of his orbit. "Ge
ting even" is not for him, and che
and transient legal victories ha'
for him no lure. He is on the si'
of creation and production, n
81 daotb and dfea0lutfOn