The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-02-01
r.. p. McCOllOch of Anthony
Handles Subject.
Is AN EDITOR and A LAWYER
His Address at the Bar Banquet
Big Hit.
He Takes q Deserved Fall Out
of Unjust Criticism.

| Inc Law and the Press Mr.. NC
Co1loch was active in the practice of
| law in Kansas for twenty-five years.
OF late years, while not giving up the
| law entirely, he has devoted most of
| his attentions to newspaper work, and
is the owner and editor of the An
thony Bulletin, one of the represen-
tative weekly newspapers of the state.
His personal experiences and obser-
vatfons. therefore, have certainly fit
| ted him to handle such a subject as
| The Law and the Press in a most
| interesting and effective manner. And
| that is just what he did in Topeka the
| other night. His address follows:
There are, in Kansas, number of
| gentlemen who, perforce, must live:
The high cost of living has driven
| them to the leading Of dual lives, a
| sort of DR.. Jekyll and Mr.. Hyde eX-
| istence. While these gentlemen are
| newspapers which are moral guides.
When they are seized with the over
mastering passion to be bad they
break back into the practice of law.
Belonging to this body of our citi-
zenship, it is a pleasure to say word
| of the law and the press. Twenty-Five
years of the practice in this state
should give me come idea of the law,
as she is practiced in Kansas And
several years in the newspaper bust
/ ness, and red ink at the bank, should
qualify me to speak of the joy of run
ming country newspaper.
Editors Must Be Honest.
There is some difference between
those OF the law and those of the
press. Editors must be honest. A
discriminating observer puts it this
way. 1 quote from a recent issue of
legal publication, "A lawyer in
scoundre1, villain an dthief and no one
makes complaint when court ad
journs. If newspaper makes such a
reflection on mans character there
is a libel suit or a dead editor. This is
owing to the fact that people believe
what an editor says
Il have the profoundest respect for
the law and the greatest respect for
the bar of Kansas. And I am partic-
olarly proud of the bar of my own
county. The admiration 1 have for
it has been intensified by an incident
! occurring in our beautiful little city
within recent time. A few years ago
the people of my county voted a new
court house. When, for the new
building, there came the matter of
the court room it was determined to
have something that was right. And
it is right. In the selection of a prop
certain adornments provided which in
the language of the southwest are
called 'dudads. By some inadver-
tence, I think that the legal term
the ceiling chosen was originally in
tended for music hall and it is
adorned with large harp shaped in
StrumentS called by musicians, lyreS.
A visitor in our town was being shown
through the court house, and came to
/ the court room. He looked upon the
furniture and fixtures, the handsome
windows and the brass spittoons, then
| he cast his eyes to the ceiling Sud
denly he started back and his face
went white as he grasped the arm of
! his companion and said: This is the
| strangest court room L was ever in,
had you noticed that the Tyres are on
the ceiling when in other court rooms
| they are on the floor.
| Compensations Differ
"a difference between the professions
that should be noted is that of compen-
Sation. The lawyer speaks to a jury
and gets praise, the editor speaks to
| the people and gets cussed And then
! take the matter of the ultimate fee
| A newspaper man gets one dollar for
his newspaper, which is fifty cents too
little, while the lawyer gets ten dollars
for any five dollar case. Not only So
but the dollar of the editor represents
the final word, as the subscriber is
quite likely to stop the paper before
the time is out. The lawyers ten dol
| lar fee is but the entering wedge. In
any case where Jones sues because
Smiths hog has eaten up little corn
the fees that result to the lawyers are
ultimately determined by what Smiths
hog will sell for, and the amount of
| corn Jones raised that year.
linen there is the matter of delay.
| If the country editor should fail to is
| sue the rag for just one week there
would be revolutionary war, but the
lawsuit is long delayed and often be-
comes a new monument to patience
1T reminds me of the old lady wait
| ing for train in a small Texas town.
! The train was reported on time but on
its time the agent came out and
chalked on the board: No. 2, twenty
minutes late. The old lady shifted. At
ter while the agent appeared again
and wrote: No. 2, thirty minutes late.
The old lady coughed. He came out
| the third time and wrote: No. 3 forty
minutes late. The old lady could stand
/ it no longer and turning to the others
waiting said, One of you-all take that
piece of chalk away from that Teller
or We'll never get out of this town
There is a growing desire, and I think
lawyers approve it, towards taking
away some of the chalk that makes for
/ legal delays.
Chances for Real Service.
I'm either profession, the law or jour-
naliSm, or in the two combined. any
man who will can be of some service,
and it is coming to be the desire of
every true man that he may serve
rather than he be served. The lawyer
and the editor find compensation in the
consciousness that in their spheres they
are contributing to the general uplift
and helping on the movements for the
betterment of life in all its various
forms of activity. business, economics,
commerce, intercourse, social condi-
tions and religious aspirations.
May I, in closing, suggest that there
is one thing in common with lawyers
and editors. They stand together for
the best in government and in life.
Believing this 1 submit that they
should stand together for the crystali-
cation of a better, and a sound and
sane public opinion I admit there are
newspapers styled, Appeals to Reason