Salt Lake Telegram | 1933-11-13 | Page 4 | Liaison of Bar and Underworld Promotes Grime

Liaison of Bar And Underworld Promotes Crime By BRUCE DRUCE CATTON CATION Whenever you take up the problem of crime and its prevention you are pretty likely to find yourself talking about the lawyers before you get through Attorney General Cummings Cummings' announcement announcement an an- that the department of ot justice is to open fire on lawyers suspected of underworld connection should not be surprising That there are lawyers who work hand In glove with notorious crooks is perfectly obvious obvious obvious-as as likewise is the fact that the crooks cant can't be curbed effectively until something Is done to the lawyers One of the most Important clements elements ele dc- ments meats of oC predatory crime says the attorney general is the manner in which some members of the bar cooperate cooperate co co- co operate with the underworld Any man accused of crime no matter mat mat- ter how black his reputation is entitled entitled entitled en en- titled to the best legal defense he can cm when get he gets into court That much go goes s without saying But what the attorney general Is talking about is the lawyer lawer who advises advises ad Id vises the gangster on how to commit and cover up crimes who helps him slip Islip out of the laws law's grip when he gets caught uses trickery to guide him safely through h the courts and in I general steps over the ethical borderline borderline border border- line In looking after his interests There are arc lots of lawyers like that Everyone who has had anything to todo todo todo do with the criminal courts knows It perfectly well So far the various bar association of oC the country seem to have hav been either cither unwilling or unable to do anything very effective about putting such lawyers out of ot practice I As an art emergency measure action by the federal government would bevery be bea sr a very good thing Uncle Sam has taken on a lot of unfamiliar jobs this year If it he wants to tackle the racketeers racketeers rack rack- of ot the legal profession now we can do nothing but wish him lots of luck I But In the long run the job Is up to the legal profession itself A much finer sense of the necessity of living up to the professions profession's ethical standards standards stand stand- ards a finer sense of ot the lawyers lawyer's responsibility responsibility re re- re to society as well vell as client who happens to be paying him a passion for tor justice and a recognition recognition tion of the fact tact that a lawyer can soil soU his hands by handling the wrong kind of business these business these are things we must have if It the housecleaning is really to tobe tobe tobe be effective Audiences today are Ire not altogether er pagan They have no desire to see a man butchered to make a Q Roman Roman Ro man holiday Ernst Ernst Lubitsch film director