Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price 1d. FRIDAY, JULE 1, 1887. Satan's Own.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XX, Issue 2087, 1 July 1887, Page 2

Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price Id. FRIDAY, JULE 1, 1887. Satan's Own.

Nothing probably iu our 19th con* tury so-called civilization will more astound the historians and philosophers of the 29th century than the existence among us of the class we call Lawyer*. May we not imagine the historian of a thousand years hence writing somewhat as follows : —“ The people of this enlightened 29th century can form an imperfect conception only of the utter barbarism that obtained in the 19tb. The people of the pale races, mistaking gilded servitude for liberty, dreamt they were civilized and free But they knew not civilisation or liberty, but blindly followed evil old tradition. Men were born, lived and died the humble unenquiring slaves of three dominant castes - soldiers, professional politicians, and lawyers. When, in the 20tb century the great social earthquake of humanity, outraged and despoiled, shook this planet to its core, these three castes were engulphed and disappeared from human ken. never more to pollute the perfumed air of freedom, never again to obscure the radiant light of knowledge. The lawyer—neither politician nor soldier --was yet allied to both, being the natural progeny of avarice and slaughter ; a legacy bequeathed to the 19th century by anterior ages of covetousness and darkness, iu short., in the foul seething cauldron of worsthumau passion- ‘'hi- trad,'- .if i.aw wa« ihe •cum tii.i■ Lcii ilya.cd -irfaoward. 1., U.c iLitli c-r.Uiry the ■ oivm;!i*. airline- unoi.-'- so me stnui»e •: ib;:d pret vwtvro :j> 'ji c'J tu i.-v.i • M.otfh. to power. ;<■■■>;;!! i:;rs ~yo mart* were Cbo .CO ''■ ■■: ” 0 ■■ • ruled alike m co .-cUDcds, parliaments, iu. . ■ So inlalUdted. so ■■ 1.-; i C : :.k pie iliac they d. eu.cd no i'.oil v; their lives com joeti'.'.vilbou 1 the intervention of these lawyers. Was achf-l born to wealthy parents, then atreigh! a lawyer was summoned to re-arrange the distribution of the family property— and take hit fee ! Did an innocent youth and maiden marry, then the same harpy assisted with the settlements and — snatched hie fee If husband and wife could not agree, the lawyer came between and— took his fee. If a man died, the lawyer, grinning alike at death, birth or marriage, drew the will and - hit fee. If a poor man sold or mortgaged bis house or strip of land, or borrowed a few paltry pounds, the lawyer was on baud to confuse the transaction and grab hit fee. If a tradesman failed in business the money from the estate, instead of going to the creditors, was engulphed in the pouch of this awful black comorant. If friend wronged friend, the lawyer interviewed and wronged them both. Fbese lawyers defended those they knew to be thieves, rogues, or murderers, taking their reward in the resultsof tbefi.nnd not shrinking from lucre deep dyed in human gore. When no quarrels were stirring, they stirred up quarrels and fomei. Ed discord. They invented new laws, r.nd made them imperfect that they might make money by the laws’ imperfections. They practised the arts of dissimulation ; wept nr appeared to weep over the woes of rascals ; never looked quite so innocent as when piling lie upon lie ; never so virtuous as when upholding the “ dignity and honor ” of tueir “ noble profession." t*uch, cum gram talis, will be the verdict of posterity. We do not say the finding will be altogether just; the verdicts oi posterity seldom are ; but we say that when people become truly civilized they wiii be asteunded that any c j' a ;;“ing to have emerged from bar barism ? ot manage its own atl.urs without the assistance pf those general midiwivea—the lawyers. p !do not blame these gentlemen for

their profession ; they found it waiting for them, but we declare such a profession can be possible onlv in a atii'C of moiety :■ • ‘Vrr , p .■ ; m : ; .1. a ' ■ ci • : i ' ‘"u, j up . ■ ■ >'■ ■■ ‘-ty ■: ' >n ■ < s let ■ e.ui,: ‘ ■ ‘ '.'’•l, UIL :•••■; ::V .■. i> . 1 \V 1 i'iS). ;■ ■! i. : ■ 'VVi.-i - ■■;.! I 1: • ,1- ; ! I P.llv or t ...on. cpp'ic ifi.p . \ 5i 1 - ■ . i f v;i " • l‘ hj ! Jit so

law icm—eitiior m or on! ot praciuv, tv Mil Pile own (.louse of i't'prescu'at IV'C-; swarms with them also, and at a natural sequence our statute books are encumbered with tons of ponderous and pernicious rubbish, and about half

the bills introduced are Amend: u nt Acta, that is Acts to complicate Acts and make work for lawyers. a lawyer or ex-lawyer presents hiL...,.01f before a constituency, there are always some who are anxious to return him simply because being a lawyer they think he must be a clever man. Lawyers are clever, but their cleverness is of the most superficial order. They loam enough of any subject to !a:kgi;T.)y aud fluently about it, and when the fail; is done forget vvbat they learned Lwe want more iucompt'c btrsible and complicated laws, more law court?. more judges, mare policee en, more prisons, then by all manner c means let us cram tbo House with

nothing but lawyers end ox-lawyers ; but if we require men who know tbo '.•■. Eds of their districts, who are practical, col flashy, who know a bean from a pea, who are not professional politicians, and have no private axe to grind, let ua choose as Representatives men of different and not so dangerous a class.