The Washington bee., 1911-04-08
NEED OF COLoRED LAWYERS.
Attorney Joseph H. Stewart at Bethel
Literary-A Good Paper.

At the Bethel Literary last week
the members of the local bar held
sway. Among the interesting papers
read was that Of Mr. Joseph II. Stew
art, one of the most active members
of the bar. In his address, among
other things, Mr. Stewart said in part:
These classes of men are indispens-
able-the minister, lawyer and the doc
tOr." The subject of his address was
the need of colOred lawyers.
IF there were no cOlOred people
there would be no need of colored
lawyers" he said.
The Thirteenth amendment to the
Constitution of the United States gave
the colored people personal liberty
and the ownership of our own bodies
the Fourteenth amendment gave us
civil liberty and freedom, and the Fif-
teenth amendment gave us political
liberty and freedom; but our people,
after having been well drilled for two
and a half centuries IN the lessons of
slavery, had personal, civil and polit-
ical liberty suddenly thrust upon
them At first some were amazed,
others were shocked, some believed it
when told that they had personal lib
erty and freedom; others did not be-
lieve it, and continued on IN slavery
for a time; some wondered what they
would do with their liberty; others
went to work for themselves at once,
and now after forty-eight years some
have yet to learn what to do with per-
sonal liberty, for they have not yet
learned how to use liberty. A few ideas
as to its use will be given later. The
result of the sudden realization OF
what many of the slaves and their an
cestors had longed and prayed for dur
ing two and half centuries back OF
them, found them unfit to enjoy free
dom's full benefits and advantages
and many in their efforts to get the
things of life which they seemingly
desired for the enjoyment of their
personal liberty and freedom have
| run counter to the rules of law, fOI
which they have been and are still
| carried before the police and criminal
courts.
GAS a general rule the police have
little or no sympathy for our people
and as a result the slightest infractior
or violation of the rules of law is otter
unduly magnifed and twisted so thai
it may seem that grave crime ha:
been committed. The violator having
been arrested and carried into court
is arraigned Chat is to say, the infor'
nation or indictment is read TO him
and he pleads either guilty or nOt
guilty. A lawyer in the absence Of
some special arrangement will have
his client plead not guilty. A prisoner
affirming his innocence in a court IT.
Irrespective OF his past conduct, mean:
that he takes advantage Of his lega
and constitutional rights, he IS lnno'
cent in the eyes of the law until It Is
proved that he is guilty, all men are
presumed to know the law, and know
| ing the law no man is presumed TO v1o'
late it), the prisoner is before the bal
and he now sees, perhaps for the mrs.
time in his life that ne IS IN tigh
iplace; he finds himself unfamiliar witt
the rules of law (although the law pre-
/ sumes that he isl, he knows nothing
about the procedure of the court, anc
he finds that he is at the mercy Of the
prosecuting attorney, whom he OBJ
serves is in a hurry to have the cour
pass sentence on him, so that he may
be safely and securely locked up IN al
iron ceil. He knows that the prose
cutting attorney is paid TO convict him
and he finds himself toy in his hands
He sees that he needs defender
!. who must be lawyer What shall