The Sacramento Bee, Calif., Dan Walters Column.

By Dan Walters, The Sacramento Bee, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Sep. 26--IN THE END, DEMOCRATS FAVORED LAWYERS OVER SMALL BUSINESS: When lawmakers reconvened last January, there was wide public acknowledgment that something had to be done about lawsuits or threats of suits that certain law firms were pursuing against small businesses, alleging unfair business practices and demanding payments, usually a few thousand dollars each, to be dropped from the actions.

Many owners of the businesses involved -- restaurants, beauty salons, auto repair shops, etc. -- were recent immigrants, and their increasingly vocal complaints about the threatening letters were …