Los Banos Rotary Club History
Winton Says Law Is "Common Sense"

Gordon Winton, well known Livingston attorney and candidate for the State Assembly from this district to succeed retiring Assemblyman George Clarke, told members of the Los Banos Rotary Club Tuesday noon that "if more people would just practice more good common sense and good judgment, plus a generous admixture of humility, we and all of America would get along a lot better and be a lot happier."

Exploding the myth that the average lawyer welcomes the irate and indignant client who wants to sue someone on the slightest provocation, Winton declared that lawyers universally dislike to go to court to settle disputes that could be settled amicably and peacefully by private conference and agreement. "Success in our profession," he said, "is measured not so much by fiery conduct in the court room as by our ability to advise our clients so they may keep out of court and to effect satisfactory and just settlement of differences and wrongs."

Commenting generally on the laws of our land, Winton said our general law descends mostly from English common law, back to the days of William the Conqueror and the time when Professor Blackstone in England first presented his Commentary on Law that set forth facts, cases, and precedents established by previous decisions.

Generally, he said, our law grew up as a matter of custom as because necessary to govern one person in relation to another, providing for freedom of our own conduct until such conduct becomes injurious to another, when new laws limiting rights, privileges and conduct must be enacted.

Condemning the common tendency of the American public to cry "there ought to be a law" Winton pointed out that in the last session of the California State Legislature there were no less than 6000 separate bills proposed for enactment into law. Fortunately only a minor portion of those submitted were finally enacted. Winton also decried the general tendency of the public to ignore or overlook proposals of new laws unless they are directly and selfishly interested. In too many instances, he said, in the presentation of proposed act on the recommendation and insistence of a special group of their constituents without realization that the proposal does not represent the thinking and wishes of the majority.

Winton was introduced to the group by Mike Dambrosio, Rotary's general program chairman. In introducing him Dambrosio pointed out he was a graduate of the Livingston schools and the University of California, and received his degree in law from San Francisco Law School in 1946, after serving in the United States Navy for four years during World War II. He has been active in Boy Scout work for the past 10 years, is a long time member of the Parent-Teachers Association. He was State Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in 1953-54, and is a past president of the Merced County Bar Association.

May 18, 1956

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