Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-04-20
Fun Of xntsrest 70 Tax-Payers.

The report which has been made In
response 70 The Senate resolution calling
Tor the names or special or assistant at
torneys appointed by General
iBfewsters and ths amounts paid them-is
ful OF interest for taxpayers. Under
the resolution no figures were called for
priorito january /, 1882, but in REV of
the figures given since that date it is not.
d11hcuh to form an idea as to the ex-
travagance of the preceding year.
The report shows that George Bliss,
of New York. received from May 26,
1882, to january 10, 1883, for services
In the Star-Route cases, $4,000. This
was exclusive of "expenses, board,
railroad fare, etc.m 1t was exclusive
also of $4,000 paid on the first named
date Tor services prior thereto It was
simply for less. than eight months of
not continuous service as an attorney In
the cases referred to, and as an assist
ant at that. Something like $1,000 s
month is what the bill amounts to, and
q very tidy compensation it is for. . law
yer OF Mr.. Bliss standing, Ii is almost
az exorbitant q bill as that presented by
Mr., Bliss namesake, the Doctor, for his
services in treating . pus-pocket. The
lawyer. however. succeeded better than
the Doctor. The latter had Congress
to deal with The. Lawyers only had
Brewster, Attorney General. =
=. Mr.. Ker, of Philadelphia, seems also
to have profited by Brewster's generosi-
ty with the public money. During the
year 1882 he received a. little over $l9,-
600 for services as attorney in the South
Carolina election and Star-Route cases.
some $3.50 of the amount being for ex-
penses, board and railroad fare. R.T.
Merrick gathered in $40, 900 from the
same source during the same period.
and H. II. Wells, who. formerly. prao-s
ticed law in Detroit, gathered in q lit
tie less than $500 On a similar ac-:
count. s fs-slssSs - fs 80
i The total expenses for extra legal
servicesin the Star-Route ceases during
| 1882 amounted to more than SIC, 900.
| Ii the expense were a necessary or
proper one the country would not
grudge it IN such cause, though in the
best possihles outcome it is ssending
good money after bad. - But who be-
lieves that the enormous expense is
necessary or that it would be made if
Brewster were not thoroughly imbued
with thes 'milch-cown theory Of govern
| mentp = 81 eg'* Ht
| Not only does the report show this
needless extravaganza in. Washington
and the Star cases, but in many
other places and in all sorts of cases.
Business which should be attended to by
| the paid attorneys of the Government is
farmed out to assistants. In Mississip-
pi,- Chalmers, the notorious, gets $500,
and that for services in his own Elec-
ton case. In Alabama an assistant at
t0rney gets $2,5O0in Election cases in
| which the Government is nowise inter-
ested. Even in Detroit, where the Gov
eminent interests, are in the hands. of a
thoroughly capable attorney, we find
one fee of 800 paid for outside assist
ance in case which was settled by
compromise. And all over the country
there are similar cases of wholly .sun-
justitiable and reckless expenditure of
the public money.
In the ordinary course of things, no
reform is to be expected in this matter
until Congress meets. But when Con-
gress does meet, something should be
done to prevent continuance of the
gross. abuse disclosed by this report
Detroit Free Press