17

Oak Lawn, Sat 14th March 1846

The law was made to protect the weak against
the strong and to compel men to be honest in
their dealings. It is to compel honest men and
[???]grues to right according to law. That is each
and every man being amenable to the law
is protected in his rights by the law. Where a
man is sued at law, he is put upon his
legal regrets. There comes the conflict, not
that each is solicitous that the law shall be
administered right but that he get the
best advantage. To do this, they will make
dishonesty and fraud wear the guise of jus-
tice and fairness. Put a man to law, he
will hoodwink the law and turn the ture
course of justice. Such is the majority of cases
of men I have seen at law. If you drag
a man into the court house and put him
on his legal rights, you must expect no
favors from him. While under a private
artbitration of differences, with professes frien-
dship he might have been liberal and [????]
uding. But now his is in the toils of the law,
brought in by the Sheriff at your instance
he will put himself upon every defiance
available for him. To the extent that his in -
digration is executed against you, his pride
is aroused up for himself. He is now at a
game or a battle - he hates to be beaten or whip-
ped. He will beat or whip you if he can
Pride is as often the chief principle involm
in a lawsuit as any other. Men do not like
to be beaten at any thing. The being cast
in a law suit in some way mortifies the
pride. The successful party should not for
that reason boast or exhibit an air of triumph
Your foe might recoil upon you from an unex-
pected quarter. Such is my experience.