The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-02


 t5 develop conscience and to establish faith in all that is good and worthy. It is the most fruitful source of hatred, guilty conscience and doubt of man and government and ultimately of God and all good. An honest judge, clean and fair-minded attorneys and truth ful witnesses will in the trial of any case between citizens preserve and develop brotherly love, a good con science and faith in one another and ultimately in the law and the author of law An unfaithful and biased judge, suborned and tricky shysters call en lawyers, fraudulent and perjured wit nesses will generate hate, corrupt and destroy conscience and ultimately de- stroy faith in the whole system of government, in man and in God. There fore the reverse of Paul,s statement 1 is true-the end of lawlessness is hate out of a corrupt heart and evil con- science and doubt and insincerity. The law is good if in all departments and operations it is used lawfully but if used unlawfully, it becomes a most corrupting and accursed thing.
 Our forefathers held "'that perfect obedience to a perfect law makes per feet liberty" Perfect obedience to perfect laws produces character so perfect that right conduct becomes both natural and delightful. Disobedience to perfect laws results in a character so rebellious and viciouc that violation of law becomes sordid qualification and wilfulness and rebellion become a permanent attitude toward law. The release, at the court of criminal for the paltry dollars he may turn over ! to his corrupt and scheming attorney encourages scrime and eniarges that class to whom outlawism becomes a | weird romance. These criminals en- bolden and encourage each other and ultimately grow into mob whose de- | light is in grim and gruesome outrage. If civilization is to be saved, we must have clean court court where sheriff, constable and policeman have eyes and, a sense of official responsibil- | ity, whose lawyers seek justice rather than lucre and whose judges fear only God and seek only the right. No com munity can rise higher than its laws or grow better than its court. The key to civilization is found in the court house door. The call of the age is for a pulpit of purity, conscience and courage; a ministry who fear God more than they fear their leading members, who preach to save rather than to tickle the fancy of the worldly, who stand for righteous ness everywhere and reprove sin in all places, regardless of unfair and un- just criticism. A pure and holy min istry of the gospel means greater love, purer conscience and stronger faith. A clean court house and a holy church means a lofty civilization; a vicious court and a corrupt ministry means the downfall of civilization. The hope therefore of civilization rests with the lawyers and the preachers. The smile of shyster leaving a courtroom after having won his case and released a criminal by all kinds. of trickery and chicanery is. akin to the smile of the burglar who leaves the owners of the home sweltering in their blood and re- tires with the booty of the house in his villainous clutches; one has wrecked an American home for booty and the other has debauched an American court for gain. '.
 My appeal to the preacher and the lawyer, is first, the duty of each to maintain a clean life, and to see that is confreeres do likewise.
 The preacher and the lawyer are in- ducted into their calling and profess sion in the same way. First. each ap- pears before proper authorities and stands an examination on moral char acter and fitness for his calling or pro- fession. Second, each appears before the higher authorities for examination as to his knowledge of the law and the gospel and each takes solemn oath to be faithful to character and duty, the preacher before the altar of the church and the lawyer at the bar of the court. This precaution is taken at the bar of the sacred calling and profession that no unholy man shall blot Gods pulpit or disgrace the legal bar. No minister can hold a position in this country, can stand in any pull pit in America if he fails to maintain worthy Christian character. Let a Methodist minister violate any moral law and just as sure as he lives, he will be arraigned before his conference and tried before committee of his peers. If found guilty his license will be taken from him and he will be turn ed into the world without position and without support. Not even the fearful face of his wife or the pathetic group of children can preserve him from the awful tragedy of his conduct. When the lawyer shall be as true to the profession of law as a minister is to the calling of the gospel, the shyster will be eliminated from the courts. That l. as preacher, may not seem critical. let me quote from the speech or lawyer before the Bar association {: If this association should entrust to certain members of the bar in each of the large towns and cities of the state the duty of prosecuting to disbarment all members guilty of unprofessional conduct, sand the court should deal with offenders with firm hand, as they no doubt would many of them would be deprived of their license" Lest you consider me harsh, I read again from a lawyers Please note that this is not my language but the language from the lips of your peer in the profession {: The judge who allows man of this charA0tersto secure license ought to be ilAn3alaSed. The committeeman who recomrse one for license ought to be dischaf .Hnd beaten with many stripeE,: ~ decent lawyer whe ussociates with, oR& Df the class described ought to he fined to the full extent of the law ". .,,
 and Mir. Rubel.
 The need of the age is a clean court house in every county in America.
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