Nor is there any fair interpretation of Canon * *
28 which may be said to be offended by this
proposal. gt will be noted that the offer made
in the ad ress is to de end citizens against
threatened infringement of their constitutional  
rights. So far as we are able to anticipate, no
substantial increase of litigation is likely to 8
result from the expressed willingness of these I 4
men to serve in such capacity. All that they
have offered is their experience and skill "if
and when any American citizen, however
humble, is without means to defend his consti- * * *
tutional rights in a court of justice." The
Committee is unable to see anything unethical · _
or improper in such a course. Our view finds _ _
support in In Re Ades, 6 Fed. Supp. 467. Of the S€&I1Cl11'1g C0mm1ttee
This opinion is written with full knowledge on Professional Ethics and
of the controversial questions involved; of the .
· tremendous issues which are now before the Grleveneee efthe Amer'
American people and in which the American ioan Bar Association
Liberty League and the National Lawyers Com-
mittee are vitally interested on one side. It is V
the opinion of the Committee that circumstances *
such as these render it wholesome and beneficial .
that there should be free interchange of views Willie right of oitieene to oreeniee end to
and public expreesion of opinion by those best give exnreeeion eo views Wliieli they enrere
Vereed m the teplee eeeeemed- The ereep bee ai,. upon public questions is Om ofthe lm.
organized and appears on the one side; a similar elienelele rielite Wliieli Amerieene enjoy,
group may well organize and function on the end lewyere enjoy tliet rielit ee eirieene
other side. Such an eventuality 1S more to t in eonnnon with their fellow inen_»·
be desired than feared. So long as the rights mlllie defense of indigent eitieene w.ith‘
of the public are entrusted to those best able ont eoinoeneetien is eerrietl on tlireltelient
to serve them_by reason of their skill, experience the eonntry ln, lefwyere renreeentine leeel
and high motive, the public will be well served. aid eeeietieel not only with the ennrevel,
A nation is at its safest when its most eminent but with the ccmmcndation of- those
citizens are imbued with sufficient patriotism to acquainted with the WOrk·,’
interest themselves in the public welfare, even
at great sacrifice to their private affairs.
Consideration of the public addresses, inter- en,
views and correspondence relating thereto, which r_¤·*  C4,ie
r have been submitted to this Committee, con- ·    
vinces us that the issue raised is one of con- ‘ ¤;  \ ·¤
fiicting theories and philosophies of government  *‘*‘e""’ 
under the federal constitution. fry l_e"
The question presented, with its implications,
involveshproblemshof pioliticiil, social and eco-
nomic c aracter t at ave ong since assumed .
the proportions of national issues, on one side or AMERICAN LIBERTY LEAGUE
the other of which multitudes of patriotic citizens Nafivml H¢¤d¢1u¢Y¢¢YS
have aligned themselves. These issues tran- NATIONAL PRESS BUILDING
scend the range of professional ethics. T WASHINGTON, D_ C_
s ir ek
Document N0. 79
November, 1935