The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-06-27
SPECIAL COUNSEL.
What the Government Is Paying for Legal
Services

"hdb INC government raging IOr LeSal
Services.
Senator voorhees,, in Halet Kilbourn's Suit.
THE case,' said Mr.. VOORHEES,, twas tried
a year ago in day and half. 1t was tried
by District Attorney Corkhill and Mr.. w. B.
Smith, ex-Solicitor of the Interior Depart
ment. This case was at one time full of
grave legal Neutrality-suspicious. as far-reach-
ing as the question of civil government and
human liberty. 1t is now one of the simplest
cases that can be tried in a court of Justice
a case involving simply question of DANA
ges for wrong; how much shall be paid for
civil injury. There is no legal question IN
it anywhere, and if had a law-student in
my office twenty-one years of age who could
not intelligently try this case I would let
him go planting corn for a living, and yet
here we have the Attorney-general of the
United States asking for delay, after gentle
men have travelled hundreds of miles; asking
it to be postponed until the Treasury is re-
plenished, until its exhausted Golfers are
somewhat filled to employ special COUNSEL"
Continuing, Senator Voorhees, said: This
question of the employment of special coun-
sci is attracting some attention in this coun-
try, and it might attract little more The
ptOliE VI illS OIitSu OtdleS are paying 1Or
the support of the government, and paying
for Ire support of its departments The De-
partment of Justice is an organized body of
lawyers, consisting of an Attorney general
and seventeen assistant Acknowledgement
any one of whom is liable to the order Of the
Attorney-general at any moment, and the
payroll amounts to $59,000 a year for special
Attorneys general. Seventeen of them and
the Attorney-general make eighteen legal
officials in the employ of the government to
whom the people pay $67, 900 year, and my
word for it, there dozen of these distin-
guished gentlemen this day who are not do
ing two full hours work out of the twenty
four, any one of whom could be detailed to
come here and assist in this intri-
cate question: Add to these eighteen
distinguished gentlemen, headed by
the Attorney general, drawing out of the
treasury $67, 600, the District attorney, who
gets Sc, ,000 and two assistants we'll paid, max
ing a payroll to attend to this case of
twenty-one gentlemen, drawing out of the
treasury about $4,000 year, and l am
brought here time and again to be met with
this objection, that this corps of twenty-one
men cannot furnish one, two or three, or
one-half dozen to come here and try this
case, but it must go over in order that the
public treasury may be replenished and to
be drawn on to employ special counsel |
am weary of it, and the people are weary of
it. " For seven years Mr.. Kilbourn
has been pursuing his rights, and it is not
decent for the government to interpose an
obstacle to the course of justice at this late
day, under the pretense that there is not
force enough in the employ of the govern
ment and not money enough paid to gentle
men to come forward and try the case Both
parties are here Mr.. Thompson is here from
Ohio the witnesses are here, the lawyers are
here, The jury is here, the court is here, and
there is no time equal to now for the trial of
this case"