The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-16

ments that there are fake damage suits filed here; but the statement in one of the articles that most of the damage suits filed are fakes is an absurdity on it's face and that such a statement is an absurdity could be evidenced by every judge and Jury before whom damage suits have been tried in the county. No ex- cepton Is taken because of the state
 ments that in this district there Is am- bulance chasing and a filing of an un- due number. of damage suits-in fact, for the purpose of argument, 1t will be ad- mtted that such is the case-and that in this business a practical monopoly exists. But the exception is to the evi-
 dent purpose and intention of the articles to create a sentiment against, and to cast cloud upon the entire legal pro- fession in the district; to hold up and expose the profession to public hatred, contumely, ridicule and obliquy."
 I say MT. Shapiro has run in circle and come back to the starting point because in his article of Sunday he re- iterates the very sentiment to which ob- jection was first made. Hear him.
 Some assert that in a measure Miss
 Armes' attacks are warranted; that a few members of the bar are disreputabe, but that this is no valid reason for brand ing the entire profession as corrupt. The argument is spacious and fallacious." If it be spacious and fallacious argument that every member of any profession calling, class or sect, should not be villi- fled and branded as corrupt because of the misconduct and failings of a few members of any such class or sect, then I will admit MT. Shapiro Is right and I am wrong; but this Is a point on which. as between us, we will never agree; so resort, the bar of public opinion. and there leave it..
 MT. Shapiro also takes me to task be- cause I have said that the Birmingham
 Bar association" incorporated, would take | up and prosecute any meritorious case of
 ethical violation laid before 1t. He says: | "Although the writer Is a member of this association, he has never heard of its be- | ing ready to take up and prosecute ethi- cal violators.' Is Mir. Shapiro really a
 member of the Birmingham Bar associa-
 tion," incorporated? The secretary of | the association says he finds no record | that such is the case. or where Mir. Shap- | iro has paid dues to the society. The | objects and purposes of the Birmingham | Bar association, incorporated, are, among other things, the social and literary ad- vancement of it's members, especially their | advancement in the profession to which | they belong. and the acquisition andNmain- | tenance of law library. It Is true this | society was not formed for the purpose | of prosecuting ethical violators, but,
 assert that 1t could appropriately do so | in proper case; and my assumption in making the statement was that the so- ciety would do its duty If occasion arose. | This society has existed since 1885. If MT. Shapiro has never heard of the so- ciety prosecuting ethical violators he Is at least of the impression that 1t could | do so. Listen what he has to say about it: "The Birmingham Bar association is an | inanimate. dormant Reorganization, and while it has remained listless, germs of corruption have been sapplng its very | lfeblood." If the society has no power to prosecute ethical violators, as MT.