Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-20
HIGH IDEALS, PLEA
Of VICE PRESIDENT
Marshall Appeals to George
Washington Law School
Students.
URGES DILIGENT EFFORT
TO ELEVATE PROFESSION
Cooperation of Courts and Attor.
neys Urged-History of Local
University Is Traced.


strong plea to the young LAWYERS
OF the country To aid in bringing
courts and the lawyers of the country
back to the high regard in which they
were held in years gone by was utter
eu by Vice President Marshall at tn.
first annual banquet of the Georce
Washington University Law School at
Rauscher's last night
Mr.. Marshall admitted that courts and
the lawyers have become less influential
In America in recent years He g.y.
as reasons for this the DELAYS I'm litipa
ton; the fact that some Iawyers bs,.
been prone to use the technicalities os
the law To aid their clients. without re
gard to justice. the practices of am
bulance chasing and Of urging an
divorces
He declared that it lay with the law
yers themselves to regain the lost ground
and that they could do this by living up
to high principles
The big hall was crowded with alumni
of the law school and members of the
student body. 1t was typical college
banquet. with college songs throughout
"a
small round tables. with the exception of
those at the speakers table which lined
the north end of the room Distinguish
ed members of the bar and members of
the local courts were guests of honor.
The speakers at the banquet besides
| the Vice President were Rear Admiral
Charles II. Stockton, president of the
George Washington University: John
b. Larner. president of the board or
trustees; Charles c. Tucker president
of alumni association; Prof Walter G
Clephane, Prof Everett Fraser and
John a. Diener.
Vice Presidents Address.
Mr.. Marshall in the course of his speech
| said:
"Mr. Toastmaster, guests and fellow
scoundrels: l was in doubt why a
Hoosier lawyer should have been invited
to address you here tonight But out in
Indiana. under the constitution of the
| state. any man Of good moral character
may practicle law, and any man of good
moral character may sell intoxicating
liquors. Fifty years ago. in Indiana. the
people thought that the courts had be-
come corrupt and the lawyers scoundrels
| They had never heard of the recall OF
judges. Nevertheless. they wrote into the
constitution that any moral man may
| of judges by popular vote
"A year ago I'm Washington some one
| heard me say that / thought all lawyers
/ were scoundrels. and that / was leaving
the profession. He took 1t seriously and
l received letters and editorials by the
score on account of it. / am glad that
| am among company that understands
me.
Favors Poor Institutions.
II am glad to address YOU young men
of George Washington University Law
School. The more so since President
Stockton has told about it's being a poor
| institution. To my mind there is a great
danger in an Institutions having too
! should send him to a poor institution OF
| learning. Notwithstanding the many
things that have been said about "A re-
cent speech of mine, l am not opposed
to money reasonable amount OF
| money Is good for an educational insti-
tuition. but not too much. In modern
science the great discoveries have been
| made by the poor men. When they have
obtained great wealth they have lost the
power for individual research and have
spent their time playing with apparatus
In big laboratories.
Recently the government set to work
with all its power to find out the cause
Of the wheat itch. but it remains for a
dollar microscope to find the microhe
You are not in a bad place when you
are in poor institution like George
Washington. l hope that some day
wealthy man will give you what you
need. but 1 hope to God he will not give
you more.
Lawyers in Forefront.
The lawyer goes back to mythologicai
times There were lawyers in the days OF
Job, and Job needed one IL any one ever
did. Lawyers have ever been in the fore
front of civilization and progress. At the
lawyers hands has been made the civiii-
zation In which he lived. Your distin-
guished professor who told you tonight
that the lawyer does not have the in
fiuence which he once had Is right. He
asked why. And many eyes are turned
toward me when he answered the ques-
ton 1t reminded me of the boy in school
who, when the teacher asked II any one
could tell who wrote Hamlet said:
Please teacher. / didn't do it. When his
sister related the story at home that
evening the father said: The little div1l
I'll bet he did do It..
/ wondered If you were thinking that
the man who had left the law and gone
into politics had done 1t.
''The reasons for the lack Of influence
which lawyers today hold 1 will try TO
set forth. 1t is not possible for all OF
you who are going into law to win promi-
nence. II you have begun to study law as
an avenue to great wealth, let me advise
you to quit right now.
Duty as Peacemaker
The highest business of a lawyer is
not to provoke litigation, and to seek
big fees, but his highest duty is to be
a peacemaker among his fellow-men. The
world. Notwithstanding the fact that
jaundiced eyes are being cast upon II. =
growing better year by year Men are
being consecrated to help the onward
progress to the time when all men shall
be brothers.
"Since the days of Cicero the question
has been asked whether lawyer has the
right to defend a known criminal. 1T is
your right and duty to defend guilty
man as long as you do not use subtei-
fuge. but see that justice Is tempered
with mercy in these days or modern civ
iliZation.
+ar that q lawyer is simply a lawyer In
the old DAYS he had nothing to do with
moking contracts That was the duty OF
tho scrivener. Modern business has
changed all that. You will think that
Won are lawyers, when, in fact, one-haif
of your business is that of the scrivener
beware as you love your country, that
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