The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-07-15
MIR. DAVIS AS A LAWYER

MIR. DAVIS AS A LAW TEX
 Talk regarding. the "Wall Street affil- iations'' of Mir. Davis is now going the rounds, the purpose being to discredit Mir. Davis in. the eyes of the credulous ones who have been led to believe that an attorney who has reached eminence is in some mysterious way an enemy to the republic It is true that MT. Davis has represented some big financial con- cerns in the courts, but, as he himself has said: q have been at the bar nearly thirty years, with the exception of ten. years spent in public life. have enjoyed during the whole of that time practice of an extremely varied character. At no time have I confined my services to a single client, and in consequence many different kinds of men-some of them good, some of them indifferently good, and others over whose character we will drop the veil of charity. Since not trade, conceive it to be the duty of the lawyer, just as it is the duty of the priest or the surgeon, to serve those who call upon him, unless, indeed, there be some insuperable obstacle in the way"
 Inasmuch as this was written privately many weeks ago, and long before MT. Davis himself had any lively anticipations f l. AL@ f4lf peHv5- tence is deeply significant: "No one in all this list of clients has ever controlled, or fancied that he controlled, my pert sonal or my political conscience. am vain enough to imagine that no one ever will" Although this is MT. Davis speak ing about himself, there can be no doubt of its sincerity or absolute accuracy. 1t is because he cannot be. controlled and because of his impregnable personal in- tegrity that big business concerns have asked John W. Davis to represent them in the most intricate cases and before the highest tribunals, where no sort of indirection or subterfuge could possibly avail, but only the masterly ability of the most highly trained, most upright and most experienced advocate. It is noted that the cases of MT. Davis, as he has said, have been and are of the most varied character. He has been able at one and the same time to represent cases for capital and cases for labor, and to represent them success f,,l 61 oY1+ position clearly prove. He defended Mother Jones in West Virginia, and la bor unions have sought his services not in vain. He has pied the cases of finan- ciers and corporations in all the courts. He has successfully on behalf of the government. prosecuted corporations when they have transgTessed the law. He has acted as the attorney for the most eminent, and he has on the public behalf sent at least one of the formerly most eminent to prison. His professional ca reer is that of a successful man far above the average in his calling, both in training and in native capacity. Would the people then reject him because, for sooth, he is not mediocre?
 Mir. Davis has been called conserva- tive. If that means that Mr. Davis is not a radical, it is an honorable title. If it means that he is reactionary or even a. standpatter, it is not true. Mr. Davis is conservative after the manner of a builder of bridges. He will com plete no super-structure until the foun- dation has been deeply and substan- tially laid. He will extend no spans until the pillars are firmly built and solidly anchored. He will permit no traffic to pass over until the tested structure reveals it's worth. Mir. Davis is conservative in government as Fin stein is conservative in mathematics. He goes from the known to the related unknown, but the speed of his progress is not impeded thereby. Einstein dis ca1'ded some age-old mathematical pre- cepts, but only by replacing them with other laws more fundamental and more accurate. As MT. Davis himself ex- claimed in his first public utterance after his nomination: "There shall be no com promise with reaction!" Under his lead ership this government will neither stand still nor go backwards. It will go for ward into the bright destiny that beck