Year: 1875

1Qe OulGlsEo WttS uA5 0t6u ISCt0LAy Lue7
defendant in two cases Of libel, the ofense
t in both cases being in applying the term
! "shyster" to the defendants, who were at
torneys-at-law. The first case, BUTLER plain
tiff, was tried, and the jury gave verdict for
$500 damages. In the second case, where
BUSH was plaintiff, there was verdict for


defendant. A defense in both cases was that
the term shyster was not necessarily hbelous,
and there was mass of testimony IS to the


proper Specification OF the word in addition,
there was the general defense Of justification.
What wes the controlling view of the jury in
either case We do not know, nor why BUTLER


got damages aud BUSH got nothing. We
know neither Of these persons, and what va
propose to say has Mo reference to them or to
their cases.


While the word shyBtor has so far no ad-


Judged or Photographed definition, it is u


term popu1arly used every day. It in term
applied exclusively to persons who practice


law, and, when used to describe man Of
disreputah1e personal and professional char
acter, is applicable to very large class Of
persons in this city and in all cities. When
used in this sense and thus applied, the term


has very justly and properly most con-


temptuous and degrading Specification
There is need Of such word We do not
knew how old the term shyster is, but there


was an occasion for proper term, and wa
suppose it was coinage Of necessity,


thing to supply an existing want. We do not


mean to say that "shyster" has no other


meaning than to describe disreputable law-


yer doing disreputable business, nor that


it always has degrading Significance but


What we mean to say is that there are, in al


large cities, large body Of men who get nd
mittea to the Legal profession, to describe


whom some title was needed, and that, if


shyster covers them, then it is q word as
much needed for popular use as gambler,


sharper, vagrant, swindler, aud other terms
used to describe other social pests.


The legal profession make great mistake
when they loosen the lines which separate an
honorable profession and the practice which
is Of questionable character. There may be


necessity for two branches Of the profess
sion; one for the practice OF the law in an
honorable manner, snd one for the
abuse Of the forms Of law in the
interest Of knavary, dishonesty, vice,


corruption, and social depravity. II this
necessity exist, and lawyers are needed


for both lines Of practice, so be it; but the
profession ought to be SO wide, and the moral
and professional lines separating them so
plain, that there ought to be no possibility Of
having member Of one branch mistaken for
member Of the other. But when the
standard Of the profession is so laxened, and
the peculiarities Of the two schools Of prac-
hce are 50 mingled, md the business prop
erly pertaining to each SO generally distrib-
uted and sought after by both, that it is
impossible to say "shyster" OF <tlawyer"
without applying to large portion of the
profession equally, then the term shyster
loses much Of its foroe, and becomes another
term for the 1egn profession


A man becomes o shyster, as distinguished
from lawyer, because Of the character Of
his business, and. the peculiar practice which
TINT business necessitates: Certainly, mem
bers of tho Bar ought to know when the one
is merged into the other; md they ought to
know thnt they cannot be both and hope to
escape proper estimate before the commu-
nifty. The factis, there should be two distinct
professions every man admitted to the Bar
should be compelled to make his choice, and
not be allowed to practice as one while pro-
Tossing to belong to the other. Then
there would be no mistakes; and there
would be no libel suits for calling men
out Of their proper "a mistake which
even the most careful are now likely to make
whenever they undertake to refer to men,
bers Of the Bar following general practice.


The ahysters-those who :shyster for liy-
ing-consdtute the most despicable class, and
one Of tie most dangerous men in all CON-
munities They are ministers at The altar Of
Juztce, sit within the temple, and officially
aid in holding the balance, and yet they are
the partners and associates Of crime, shara in
its spoils, invent perjuries, bribe witnesses,
pack jn1es, and resort to every possible
means to render courts Of justice and the
forms Of law odious and contemplate, H.
famous and corrupt.


Tic closing Of the Anderson School Of
National History On Penikese Island, which
wns announced in circular last week BY M1.
ALEXANDER AaAss1z, Is q sad blow to the
IT .A.E~