Life, 1916-11-09 · page 10 of 40
Life — November 9, 1916 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes American lawyers and their ethical compromises. The main cartoon depicts Saint Peter at Heaven's gate confronting an "American Lawyer" carrying law books. The satire mocks lawyers for: - Prioritizing client interests over justice - Using legal technicalities to justify immoral acts - Helping clients "steal franchises and bribe legislators" - Claiming they must serve clients' interests above all else Saint Peter challenges the lawyer's moral fitness for heaven, suggesting American legal practice has become morally corrupt. The lawyer's defense—that justice between man and man is his concern—rings hollow given his actual practices. The secondary illustration shows a domestic scene, likely continuing the theme of compromised principles affecting personal life. The satire targets perceived corruption in the American legal profession and business culture.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LIFE: “ MILEAGE GUARANTEED” Americans at the Gate XT!” called Saint Peter. The man who was sitting at the end of the bench rose and came forward. He was well, but quietly, dressed. In his right hand he had a sheaf of legal cap. Under his left arm he carried three calf-bound volumes of large size. “Name, please.” “Tam the American Lawyer.” “Can you show cause why you should enter?” “T can. Article fifty-three, number 23,548, statutes of —” “Just wait a minute, please,” requested Saint Peter. “We are not governed by legislators here. Put down your books.” “Well, then, I can ‘prove by the unwritten law—" “We are not interested in that, either.” “Well, I have spent my life in the interest of justice as between man and man.” “Now we're getting at it,” said Saint Peter, leaning back comfortably in his throne. “In what proportion of the cases were you on the side of justice?” “T don’t remember.” “Do you mean to say that justice was your first con- sideration?” “Well, if you put it in that way—" “That's the way we always put it here. Do you mean to say, for instance, that you put justice before the interest of your clients?” The American Lawyer drew himself up proudly. “ You must know, your honor, or however you are called, that nothing can come between an honest lawyer and the in- terests of his clients.” “But you were an officer of the court, sworn to labor in the interest of justice.” “But what—” “Exactly. What would become of your fat fees if you did not help clients to steal franchises and bribe legis- lators?” revised “Yes, but in the Stringem case, the United States Su- preme Court unanimously decided—” “We are not interested in that. Every day we are com- pelled to reverse the Supreme Court. Now isn’t it a fact that you did not consider justice at all?” “T object to the question.” “Isn't it a fact that you depended for your opinions of right and wrong upon what you could find in a book?” “T object.” “And isn’t it a fact that, among the many thousands of laws, you could always find one or more to justify any skulduggery you cared to engage in?” “Am I compelled to incriminate myself?” “And isn’t it a fact that you continually preyed on the ignorance of the people, making simple cases complicated by all sorts of technicalities and delays and professional ethics and legal verbiage?” “But—” “Clerk, take this man away. Appoint him to the Su- preme Court in Hades, where he will be compelled. to listen to the sophistries of the best lawyers in the business.” His Wife: CWaRLes, DEAR, YOU ARE GROWING HANDSOMER EVERY DAY, “UM SORRY, ISOBEL, BUT I'M RATHER HARD UP AT PRESENT.”