Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-27

without publicity, and with entire satisfaction through
the efforts of two more lawyers. Naturally. nothing
is heard of these. When Dickens drew the rather
aggerated character of Mr. Tulknghorn, the unereal
looking who had locked his breast all the family
secrets of the English nobility, he described to nicely
the secrecy and trustworness that must character
all lawyers in dealing with the family and legal
affairs of their clients. The Esculapian oath of the
physician strcter than the bond of secrecy that
gags the lawyers mouth.
IF my experiences in the law had convinced me
= that both law and lawyers working every dav
for the betterment of men, should be disappointed
man. There IS throughout the country today a wide
spread and usable complaint that there is too much
delay the administering of the law. The law, clogged
as it is with the impeding rust of precedent and red
tape, is great engine for good And make the pre-
dcton here that within the next ten years there will
be tremendous change in the operation of this engine
The reform will be wrought by the mere force of public
opinion both bench and bar. Nowadays there is too
much attention devoted to useless techncaites and
needless Under the pressure of public opinion,
Judges supported by the bar will exercise all their
power to expedite litigation, power they have always
possessed but never fully used. They will
and more to the method of old English Judge whom
His plan was simple He would get before him the
opposing lawyers and the controversy. Then he
would ask them what points in the controversy
not disputed. When they answered, he would say:
Therefore, Gentlemen, need waste no time
this, that the other We get down to the point
issue One side take twenty minutes and the other
take twenty NOW say WIldI you have 10 say, ana L
will decide the case"
Something of this spirit would lift from all the people
a tremendous burden of expense and suspense. All
classes suffer by the present policy of delay but
has been pointed out by President Taft, who him
self eminent Judge, the great share of the burden is
the shoulders of the poor,-the men who cannot
afford to pay big fees, and the widows whose little
money may be withheld from them for several years by
procrastinating tactics.
That all this will be changed is the conviction of the
great body of lawyers and the proof of the prophecy
the carried
to make it certainty. 1t is being taken up by Legs
laures and bar associations and it will be Helped along
with growing swftness by every attorney who wishes
keep his profession free from reproach For instance,
nobody will deny that is almost criminal devote
much expense and time and trouble to proving dead
mems signatures dealing with property titles that the
court and everybody else knows vested in certain
persons beyond the slightest shadow of doubt. If
such title is clear and if nobody denies it, why
the court order that it be recorded and thus expedite
that which should not be delayed?
Five years ago it greater habit than at present
for lawyers forget their duty of serving mankind and
to devote themselves to serving | refer to
the habit of lawyer giving all his time and services
client corporation and to the allied custom of
serving counsel for big company and getting his
remuneration in the shape of stock in the firm Twice
in my career | have been offered such positon,-a
fattering salary for giving all my services to
poration refused them both. do not intend that
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