Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-08-08

! Wnen man WoIu WIS SoOu - HN
was that kind of a man. Now even his
written and signed contract is worth
less il he chooses to repudiate II. "A
prominent and successful lawyer re-
Gently. told the writer that there was
never a contract drawn up that could
not be broken by skillful attorney.
1t is the sole occupation of certain
class of lawyers practicing commercial
law to draw up contracts that are sup
posedly unbreakable while another
group spends its time devising methods
to break them, 1t is remindful or the
contest between the makers Of armor
plate to invent n shield that cannot be
penetrated and gunmakers to fabricate
weapon that will hurl a projectile
through it. These lawyers are men
of. high standing in their profession
They would be highly insulted at an
that their methods are un-
ethical. Yet what are they doing but
aiding and abetting men TO break that
which should be held most sacred, their
word of honor. ,......-
Civil law has come to be largely
dog eat dog" 1t is a matching of
wits, of sharp practice against sharp
practice. A code of simple honesty
between man and man would leave our
courts barren Of cases and cause nine
tenths of the lawyers to turn their
talents to productive lines. 1t is safe
prediction that rs per cent. of the dis
putes that congest the courts could be
settled in a half-hour talk between the
litigants if their lawyers would SO
advise them. But how few attorneys
do this. 1t would mean the loss of the
fat fees that, in prolonged litigation,
eat up the property of the. disputants.
1t is not, however, in civil law that
our present danger lies. Fools must
pay for their folly and if neighbors
will rush into court to settle
their differences they must accept
their portion of the blame. Lawyers
who encourage such litigation are aid
ing in lowering the standards Of civili-
zation and humanity but their respon-
sibility is light compared with that OF
the lawyers who practice criminal law.
Laws in restraint of crime are
enacted to protect those who do the
productive and constructive work OF
the world from those who would prey
upon them. A criminal is one who
will not play the game Of life fairly.
He is q person who lacks the moral
stamina to endure himself the buffets
of existence and. who tries to take an
unfair advantage of those who do.
Every criminal, whether Of high or
low degree, invariably has a tale of
real or fancied injustice which he
whines to excuse himself. The, truth
is that he is unable to stand the gaff.
He wants the good things of life with
out paying the price Of physical and
mental toll
Therefore, he takes what he wants
from others either by guile and trick
ery,or by force. There are exception
al cases when it almost seems that the
criminal is justified but two wrongs
never make a right" and no individu-
al or association of individuals can
remedy an injustice by committing
another one.
Lawyers or Actors?
In this ceaseless war of society
against its outlaws it would surely
seem that society would be entitled to
the protection of the legal profession,
every member of which takes an oath
to uphold the law and serve the ends
of justice. How lightly this oath is
regarded is seen in the previously
quoted statement of Mr.. Woolwine.
Instead of aiding justice these crooked
criminal lawyers, as Mr.. Woolwne
dubs them, do everything in their
power to thwart it .-
Taking example from the tactics of
big business, the big criminal rings en-
gage lawyers versed in every shady
trick Of their profession. This ring
generally revolves around one big
lawyer, a man Of considerable standing
in his profession, who seldom appears
in court in behalf of his clients but
who plans the campaign that his lesser
associates carry out. One or two men,
bers of the ring are trial lawyers OF
repute, men possessing little know
ledge but of histrionic talent who en-
deavor to sway the emotions Of the
jury by theatrical appeals to its SYM
pathies and prejudices. These men
are in reality not lawyers but actors
with all an actors manrerisms and
studied eccentricities. No one better
understands than they how ito tear a
passion to tatters."
Then there are lesser attorneys who
do the leg work, attend to bail matters
assist in locating and coaching wit
nesses. In addition, the ring, or rather
it's attorney, employs heelers recruited
| from the ranks of cX-police officers or
detectives who have quit the force for
good and sufficient reasons. If the
lawyer docs NOT maintain his own staff