The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-11
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
More About Damage Suits

TO tnS Edltor of The Age-Herald:
 An authoress has. 1t seems, selected as her subject the Birmingham Bar,. with the anti-public. utility corporation lawyers within the stage; of her im- agination. the villains of the play Con- scious that self-praise Is half scan dal, the writer hopes that these re- marks will De applied generally to the
 bar as whole. It would be better If this reply came from one outside the ranks of the profession and had the gifted witty authoress confined her arr ticle to the bar as. a. a..,whole and to theipublic in general, we would have perhaps permitted the public mind to uninterruptedly compare her assertions
 with their own experience and judge them deservedly.
 Realizing the delicacy Of the position of him who dares to differ with a fem mine writer. we shall accord to her every courtesy within our power; nay, we offer to her the zeal and service of good lawyers. many of then who have nerve enough to file a suit in her be- half for the collection of damages in the event she were injured by the neg ligence of another. even though 1t be a great corporation. s a
 This Is a great district made up of varied manufacturing. mining and pub, lie utility industries--wheEe the great majority of the public toll in factories, mines. furnaces or in the service of large and small corporations. the re- suit is that the toll of human life and limb Is great. Hundreds and hundreds are painfully. permanently and fatally Injured annually; honest. hard working, God-fearing men. women and children in the great majority of accidents who shall constitutes themselves the judge and jury of the merits or de- merits of their claim? To whom does this exalted situation belong? Some, It would seem in editorial controversy seek this elevated pedestal of legal and ethical discrimination-we. think the riantel of this kreat power rests. more gracefully upon the courts and juries of our country-that the rights of our people. the whole people. are best preserved in courts founded upon
 the accumulated wisdom of ages. It would seem safest that each party be permitted to plead In person or by counsel his rights in courts of Justice rather than to be compelled to depend upon, the whims. bias or interest of suit censor. '' '''
 There are great many lawyers here and there Is certainly not much money. for q plaintiffs lawyer in fake suit, If he works on g contingent fee. There are perhaps some men who aid law yers in preparing cases for trial and many of these mon are employed by
 firms who represent and who have a fright to represent public utility cor porations. On the other hand some men | 1xyt- ( -- l. IL 4 A advise people to sue rather than to settle for g mere pittance. There may be-, and we think there are. some men who advise those who have been in- jured to settle for a song, so to speak, and (confidentially) tell them of the tedious delay of courts, "that the com pany will keep the case In the courts Eunttl the end of time;" that 'the com pany has plenty of money and lawyers by the, year." and (more confidential ly stilD sometimes tell the injured If The hires a lawyer the lawyer will sell out on him or. else beat him out of the money and other similar statements to nicted. bereaved and widowed to take a mite offered tenderly and sympa thetically under the mantel. of charity never because of liability Between the interests of those who seek compensation for injuries and those. who seek to avoid or minimize | the payment therefor there Is and will eyer be serious conflict and wide di- lvergence of opinion-the right or wrong | will never be 50 nicely divided .(even after the fight the authoress predictsJ lthat all good lawyers or clean, con scfenttous. honorable men and methods will .b& found in the ranks of the cor poratfon. lawyers or without their ranks. There may be a few bad ones I and bad methods practicing and prac- ticed here now, but some of them are upon each side of. the queetion-per- lection dwells not In the camps of eith- CT opposing interest-but the whole of the Birmingham Bar and its assistants, by whatever name. interest, bias or prejudice one would choose to designate those assistants. does not reflect upon the greatness of this city nor does tho
 bar retard It's progress. Our conflicting
 interests will battle on ,andy We hope, with the broad spirit of federation. Bir- iminghams will STOW greater. still. Re- spectfully. WHITE D. GIBSON.
 Birmingham. February 2. 1911.