Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-01-31
An Attorneys Idea of the Amount Ex-
pended ON Both Sides.

Washington Post.
A Post reporter met one of the most
prominent counsel for the defense in the
/ star route trials Yesterday. and subjected
MN TO microscspical Interrogation.
Nv hat is there significant, if ANYTHING.
in the sale by General Brady of his man
SION, as recorded a day or two ago, for
$125,000?"
Nothing, more than l suppose General
Brady was in need of money, and took this
opportunity to obtain it,
Have these trials been pretty costly ?''
Il should say sO,'' was the reply.
"HOW much do YOU suppose has been
put out by the principal defendants f''
"Well, l have no idea that Gen. Brady
has expended less than $4,000 since the
attempt was made to proceed against him.
hrst-by information, and second by indict-
ment."
Chow about the othersY'
1t has cost Dorsey fully that much,
and perhaps more, and Mr.. Vail, who is
the least notorious of the three, because
nothing OF politician or manipulation of
political affairs, has paid more than either
of the Others"
For what reasOn?"
"Well, should naturally answer, for
the reason that he is more able to do so. He
is man of large means.v
Then you mean to say that the three
principal defendants have expended up
wards of 5000, 900 in their defense?''
"FuIly that; perhaps more"
"What are the items of expenditure
that make up this terrible total?''
"Well, we lawyers think a good deal of
ourselves, and do not work for nothing.
The counsel fees are large-nOt so large
though, as those paid by the government
The defendants do not have any One-hun-
dred-dollars-a-day men around, but we
nave families to support, and in an exact
ing trial like this, which requires con-
slant attendance and application, we are
Obliged practically to neglect all our other
business"
''Can you give me some of the items of
eXpense?"
''Take the simple one of stenographing.
The cost to Messrs. Brady and Dorsey,
who both had short hand reports of the
first trial, which ended practically in
smoke, was over $10,000."
''Do the defense have to pay for their
own witnesses ~
Certainly, The government pays for
theirs out of the plethoric treasury of the
United states, but every witness called by
the defendants is an additional expense to
them,"
"Ihen poor man would hardly have any
chance for making a successful stand
against determined effort on the part of
81 do not see how he could stand up
against it for moment. You know that
Congress passed without question the
extra appropriation of $4,000 in addition
to that which was regularly appropriated
ia defray the expenses of the prosecution:
and the probability is that the deficiency
this year will be large and be made up by
extra appropriations as before"
us there no tendency to inquire into
this extraordinary eXpenser'
"There does not seem to be. The AttOr-
ney Generals report, in which it was first
made public what enormous fees were
being given to Mr.. Bliss and his asso.
clates, was six months later than the date
up to which it was carried, and since that
time the amount expended cannot be
known outside of the Department of JUS
tlce. Some time ago a member of Con-
gress introduced resolution calling upon
the department for detailed account of
these expenses since the time to which
the report was carried, but it has been
left to die q slow death, or has been smoth-
cred in one of the numerous committees.
1t is pretty well known, however, that
Mr.. Bliss is receiving right along his $1O0
per day. There has been a bin lately
passed by Congress to increase the fees of
witnesses from distance beyond the
ment."
'grhen, on both sides, the total cost of
conducting these star route prosecutions
will be fully half million?o
Yes, more than that, for half a million
dollars won't settle it, A short time ago
the prosecution spent three days in ex-
amining into the merit of route and the
action of General Brady while an officer
OF the government, where the amount in
Volved, even if established as asserted by
the prosecution, was less than three dol
lars.n
'.Was it establishedY'
'ENO, it was not, 1t was left as Opaaue
as when first entered upon."
How much did that cost the govern
mentT'
Counting Bliss and his able coadiutors.
the jury and the witnesses who were beinig
held waiting their turn, | should saw t
was cheap thing if the government got
OH for less than three thousand dollars y
rs Brady as rich as he has been EeDOrted
to bep' s''A '0O
THAT wanders out of my domain. He
needs to be if he has many more defenses
TO make against the Government of the
United States