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THE ILLINOIS FAEMER. 



Feb 



Should Farmers Study Law or Invest 

 in Law Books? 



To a certain extent, we answer in the aflBrma- 

 tive. Of late several very vexatious and expen- 

 sive law suits between farmers, and between 

 farmers and others, have come to our notice, and 

 upon which we deem it our duty to have a word 

 to say. 



For several years we have been an acting jus- 

 tice of the peace, and thus have had an oppor- 

 tunity to know something of the subject. Farm- 

 ers should know enough of law to keep out of 

 its meshes. They should also know something 

 of its forms, so as to defend themselves in case 

 they are compelled to take a part as parties to a 

 suit, or as witnesses. Law books are very ex- 

 pensive, the statutes costing alone the sum of 

 twelve dollars, which, with four dollars for ses- 

 sion laws passed since their publication, makes 

 sixteen dollars, but as there are so many appa- 

 rent contradictions of statutes and decisons of 

 the commoQ law, which form so important apart 

 of our code, that even this would be of no great 

 value to him, and as a general thing we would 

 not advise either their purchase or their partic- 

 ular study. "Haines' Treatise," a work design- 

 ed for the use of justices of the peac , em' races 

 all the forms of pleading, and all of subjects 

 coming befoie a justice's court, is Invaluable, 

 and, iu thousands of instances, would save vex- 

 atious suits and accruing costs. As the most of 

 suits of farmers have their origin before justices 

 of the peace, it is proper that farmers, to a cer- 

 tain extent, should become familiar with the 

 subject matter of this court, and what the rights 

 of litigants are. 



This work, we believe, is ample to give one all 

 the necessary law and law forma needed before a 

 justice, and cannot fail of being valuable. We 

 have learned to prize the work highly for the 

 great number of cases that it has quashed by al- 

 lowing parties to read its pages, when their 

 rights were made plain, and they either aband- 

 oned their intended suits, or were induced to 

 settle the case, thus saving many a neighborhood 

 broil. The cost of the work is five dollars. It 

 contains a set of forms for all business purposes ; 

 gives a list of decisions relating to this impor- 

 tant court ; a complete and concise digest of evi- 

 dence, forms, and regulations in regard to patents, 

 Constitution of this State and of the United States, 

 in short, it is a comple vade mecum for the farmer, 

 trader and mechanic, and we hesitate not to say 

 that it should be found in the library of every 



farmer who has extensive dealingti, or is threat- 

 ened with petty suits. In almost every town 

 we meet with some person who knows too much 

 law, that is, too much in contrast with his integ- 

 rity, and such men depend upon the ignorance 

 of their neighbors to wring from them some ad- 

 vantage. 



Between ignorant justices and shyster attor- 

 ney?, the farmer stands but a poor chance ot 

 justice, and hence the adage that " it is uncer- 

 tain as the decision of a bvckwoo s justice." 



To expect that a common farmer, without any 

 particular knowledge of law or law forms, could, 

 upon receiving a commission from the Governor, 

 make correct decisions at once, is at least absurd, 

 tor there is no branch of business that does not 

 require some little study and attention. As a 

 general rule, our village attorneys at once advise 

 their clients to commence a suit, let their griev- 

 ance be what it may, something upon the plan of 

 the doctor who doctored his patients iuto fits, as 

 he was " death on fits." It is to save the farmer 

 from the needy grasp of the village pettifogging 

 lawyer that we recommend this work, which is 

 so reliable and cemplete in itself for almost all 

 the legal and business departments required by 

 the farmer. 



With the author, Hon. E. M. Haines, we have 

 had a long acquaintance, dating back to the 

 Tillage of Chicage with its few thousand inhabi- 

 tants and muddy streets, but now the commercial 

 metropolis of several powerful States lying to- 

 gether in the great valley of the lakes and the 

 upper Mississippi. 



A farmer needing legal advice had much better 

 invest in such a work than to employ some tenth 

 rate lawyer, as is too often the case. In the 

 opening of a highway we have seen a suit com- 

 mence in chancery when almost any school boy 

 would have known better, but the attorney must 

 have the fifteen dollars, even when he knows his 

 client would have the costs to pay, for the sim- 

 ple fact that suits of that nature can only be 

 tried in law courts. 



We could give a long chapter of similar swin- 

 dles that would not be to the credit or talents of 

 these leeches on the producing class. The hon- 

 orable, high minded attorney we hold iu high 

 esteem, while we would send the needy pettifog- 

 ging lawyer to some other business more useful, 

 if not so ornamental ; and it is with shame that 

 we confess that a large share of their ill gotten 

 gains are drawn from the too confiding farmer. 

 Farmers should be sufficiently intelligent to make 

 out their own leases, contracts, notes, bills, &o., 



