Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1864-01-25
Legislative Purity.

John ?. Hale yesterday started an Inn
portant question in the Senate, viz:
"May members Of Congress, who arc also
lawyers, properly sell their professional
services to persons inculpated as guilty of
defrauding the treasury" Trusting that
the subject will be thoroughly ventilated,
not on one side only, we proceed to elndi-
date it by few suggestions. Hale it ap-
pears, having been successful in procuring
the liberation of one person who was in
prison on charge Of mafeasance in Of
fee, was applied to in another case which
seems to have had considerable cash in it.
The offer of retainer of $4,000 seems to
have raised doubts in the Senator's mind
as to the propriety Of his dipping deeper
into this line Of business 80 he consulted
his brother Senator and brother lawyer,
Revcrdy Johnson, who thought him " ex-
ceedingly green for asking the question:"
and to the inquiry whether there was any
impropriety in his undertaking this pro-
fessional job, replied "not the least under
heaven" adding that be, (Reverdy) ''had
Gperhaps] been doing the same thing
every day" This removed Hale's scruplcs,
and he went in. Now, Reverdy johnson
appears to be the very last Senator whose
opinion on this point should have been
taken by any one anxious to be safely ad-
vised. J. is commonly reputed to have
done these little jobs in behalf of thorough
going traitor of. the Ross Winans pattern
procuring their release when they
should have been placed on trial for their
lives. So in the case of large amount
of specie (some 100000, we believe)
impoundcd by General Butler in New Orr
leans as the property of the Confederacy,
but which johnson persuaded the Gov
ernment to order General Butler to give
up, against the Generals most earnest re-
monstrances. Johnson was the trusted
agent of the Government in New Orleans
and, if he did not take large fee for
getting that money out of General Buffers
hands. and getting Ross Winans out Of
Fort McHenry, We don't consider him at
all "green," nor were (probably) those
who employed him. And ne does not
need to be doing job of this kind "every
day" to make living by it. Why was
$4,000 offered 10 Hale for his services i'll
this case: Is he in the habit of receiving
q retainer of $4,000 when he is retained
as lawyer 1t seems not from his own
account. Why was he offered $4,000 i'll
this case: Was it not because it was
thought or hoped that his position as
Senator, his political distinction and inAu-
encc, would enable him to achieve results
which an equally good lawyer, lacking
these advantages would vainly attempts
We do not know that such is the fact, and
vet the case looks as though it were. At
all events let the case be thoroughly sifted.
Hale, we are confident, is an honest man,
who can never conscientiously lend him
self to base uses or seek to clutch unholy
gains. But he brcathes tainted atmos-
phere, and he makes bad choice Of
advisers in cases of conscience. Let him
look well to his ways! Reverdy Johnson
is not only United States Senator but
Unionist, and professedly friendly though
not devoted to the Administration. He
was retained, year since, as senior coun-
sci for General Fitz John Porter, ar
raigned for disobedience of orders, neglect
of duty, and misbehavior before the enc
my, in General Pope's disastrous cam
paign. AS able and upright body of
officers as could be drawn from our
armiesNtried the case, with Joseph Holt
for Judge Advocate. That court heard
all the evidence, heard argument for the
defence only, and thereupon brought in
verdict of guilty. And Johnson-who
had publicly expressed his and his clients
satisfaction with the composition of that
Court-has since issued a phamphlet i'm
pugning its judgment, which clearly in
sinuates, if it does not distinctly charge.
that the Court was packed to secure an
unjust conviction of his client for political
ends, and that not only the eminent
Judge Advocate betrayed his trust-he
being bound to act with strict impartiality
in the premises-but that President Lin
coin confirmed the unjust and ignomini-
Gus verdict, knowing its iniquity! Yet
Johnson has since visited that President,
prepared to counsel him as a supporter
and friend On the whole-while COIL
fident that Hale has intended no wrong,
and trusting that he has done none-we
decidedly incline to the opinion that Sem
ators ought to leave the defence Of alleged
peculators and public robbers to members
of the bar, whose power to aid them is
purely professional, and who have no
sort Of scruple as to undertaking their de-
fence and pocketing all the fees that may
be ofered.-N. Y. Tribune, Dec. l8.