[untitled]

     That there should have been any halting on the part of the counsel assigned by the court to the defense of Czolgosz in the assumption of the duties thereby imposed is to be regretted. The duty is not a pleasant one, but it is a duty someone has to perform in order to carry out the letter of the Constitution in the conduct of criminal cases, and the gentlemen selected have finally determined not to shirk it. The method pursued by the Erie County Bar Association in making recommendations to the court for the appointment of counsel seemed to have solved the problem in so neat a manner that it received universal commendation. The plan avoided the exploiting of some notoriety-seeking pettifogger, and was calculated to maintain all the traditions of legal dignity. Acceptance of the trust without question was to have been expected under the circumstances. The conduct of the defense may involve malignment by unthinking and irrational critics, but to pander to this sentiment would have been to swerve from the best ideals of an honored profession.