New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-10-10
HILLS CANAL CLAIMS.
r,n,NG THE BABY ACT IN DEFENCE
.,nvrrs ASKED TO PUT IN FABoLoos 'hA'"
THEIR SURPRISE AT THE RESULT.


e,rc1,I CORRESPONDENT OF THE IlaBuNE'I
r,v1RA. Oct. 9.-The Etmifd uoSe'" noe
ont with an editorial, obviously written y! .,m,
or Hill defending bis course as at'ot0' 90 900
through which Mr. Hill wrnus @o',Ooo
So' CO. Treasury nearly half OF which large SUN
800 his mariner took their fees Inc eui'oii"'
,arrolv reproduction Of letter from mn "nVn
..aarod I, The Gazette on November lo 1900 o 49,.
sa1,v tho same subject. The taxpayers VI Tn 'n &c
County az little liked to pay exorbitant cansi oo
-, Co., of state taxes In 1873 as they 40 III 80
md Mr. Hill has been forced 10 ih'Ao he
~"N ,~,,on In his editorial IN The G1-e"' W
. no, condeseend TO inform the pubic ny qu ,
IKE that the same explanation from Nun -n, In
come words but under his own signature ~ that
,be Go-,0e In 1873. Mr.. Hill now achuo ~. ,o,-oud-
c,,opel + L. Patrick, who was imprisoned " .ro ,m
ing the United states Government IIiII 70 get the
,hTough the Assembly which enabled M. enc " baby
-, :. o,,i,os Maid He Also again pie'"s '"0 49,,
- no d,d when In Tidd's vicarous uo''n 49,,
Tor taking Tweeds money the sIa'eni0u " ,- txenty.
AZ, hin was a young lawyer at 'no ~, ,,oo bo was
even year. old" This time he says 'a'' -, LAWYER
,n,or1ed n, the Mllport claims no wa So9 tho,
=, 10 the bar" But nc does not say tn"'
oni' jus ,u ovcral years later that the JOD was pun
1t not untll seNci"i '
through the Legislature ,,.. ,ha NM
MFR Hin audaciously says In BIS eultoii'i s 49, e.
,o of the State we're not affected by the size "i MS
g., thess cases. as the money came from MS ciio"' 49,,
haan alleged
nan cor great deal OF money out OF the cams' - '
nm :, ont Of their clients" But according TO state
-. node IN n TRIBUNE correspondent IN Mhport 'o'
d,v nv one of the lucky claimants, he was "
ve large claims with the obvious Intention VI
&C., tho fees of the lawyers They we're 10 Set ohe-Vlu
., the total amount and III some cases ouon"''
to,a amount recovered. 1t was to their pocnnary
VI ' 10 the claims large. Samuel Everett, OF
Mllport, said 10 HE AH'"' NJ
inf
.a,nnol 7 Coo had piece Of land which he thought
had been damaged i ana s sn Tor ro S1oo damages
..Why said thcy attention Will DC paiu 10 eiau
Of hat s AcG co When went to the lawyers shortly
afterward Coe sold the land to my DrotheI-ih-ia"'
William SChoes, for SOU.
Itts interesting to contrast Mr.. HIS defence OF MIN
1878 and in 1885. The latter is an abbreviated
edition of the former which contained awkward facts
needing to be omitted slurred over In 1870 he SAID
In the wear 1865 formed partnership with Mr.
Smith and the collection OF these claims was hao.
time then learned of their pendency and took part 10
aiding their collection In the year 1oVS tuS an
ure passed act which authorized the lana az Ap
nra,sers 10 hear these claims. IL was passcG I'LL le as
sembly through the efforts OF Colonel FatIlok VINO h
then Member OF Assembly Ourlaw hrn cohuuote VIC
case the same any counsel would conduct case m
Standardization Concede the fact What Of it That IS
n nersOua matter between our clients anu ouiscnos,
anu h nnIer Our charges to clients aid not
affect the state, cost II single extra GolI1 -.
S, ~ Counsel for the State to hunt up and furnish
the opposing evidence not ours
M course il could not be expected that Mr. Hill would
volunteer tho Information that the state had no counsel
for reasons well known MI Hill, and that D. D Locke
and other claimants testified before thu Investigating
Committee that Hill and his partner came TO them ana
.ngyssted TO them-not in 1865 any previous year.
but twelve years after the freshet-thas they hid
claim AGAINST the State, and offered 10 coloc' IL vi
commission without to the claimants Inc state
interests we're defended Mr. Hill did not concern
himself about that he only thought OF his fees inc
large claims were paid with only slight reduction 10
the intense asonishmcnt Of the claimants Inc son OF
one f these fortunate claimants said TO The TRIBUNE
correspondent to- day;
We made our claims large because We expected to
have them trimmed down. But they slipped thougn'
much 10 our anazement The state didn't oppose Us,
as II should have done and Hill pushed the CLAIMS LOT
oil they were wort H.
Mc Hills a, smooth as ever in explanations, as the
touounp extract from his editorial The Gazette will
show
The Republican papers Of the state are just now
hu.y in printing stories charging that Governor llll
ont of tie State for damages These stories orig
innate with 1HE SEw-loRK TRIBUNE and me At1ahB
Jourun BY ingenious misrepresentation and dstOr-
t!oa these papers make out case that may impress
people who have knowledge OF the facts as daasns
In the year 1857 there occurred 10 the Chcluh8 dc
n food which destroyed large amount OF property.
both real and personal the damage was partcua a
citizens who suffered by the food then began 10 look
about If the state was not liable for eir losses
but they learned that the state c0uld not De
suci nor could anything be done until the Legislature
sroud pass autIorzing the canal appraisers To
take evidence pass upon the cases The canal APP
prAlsers had power at that tne to maze award
fAr.e citizens about nineteen In number aud entirely
Tcrccf able men then decided after consultation to en-
poy counsel, and endeavor TO secure the payment oil
damages.
Mr. Hi continuing his editorial gives account Of
the way Mr. Smith tried to get bill Jhr0ugh the LeSis-
lature authorizing the payment OF these claims.
Outa Catla
rine Creek having taken place many years before
81 1857. Mr. H says that he became a member OF the
law fra OF Hi Smith in 1865. From that time or
till 1869 the firm he says were cnicavorng to get bill
through Legislature legalizing the claims The claims
must have been bad ones ndeed,as successive Legsat
ures refused to entertain them. 1t not till 1869
that Mr. II ana Mr.. Smith, through Assemblymsn Pat
ricks corporation, pushed the hill through the Legat
urc. Perhaps Patrick's pay for this work the
S. 800 worth Etaira gazette issued him
later. Mr.. Hill describes infinitely the proceedings he
fore tho canal appraisers and the final payment OF
claims He then concludes his statement by saying:
That 10 10 the whole The awards werc act
uay made year before Mr. I'm was elected to
the Legislature lie la nothing do with originating
this c'ins There nothing irregular the matter
nor wasth6rc any politics 1t. 1t has alleged lat
Me>sr-. smith AMI Hin got great deal Of money Of
the claims IL SO they got II out OF their clients. The
awards made on the actual proved damages, aud
these damages all that the State paid
ever asked To pay IL seems TO he true that Mr. Smith
took the cases agreeing TO have certain share ~
ages were collected and nothing II they not That
arrangement with his clients which he had a
perfect right 10 make There Is ia the whole business
nothing not absolutely honorable and straightforward.
any person who will visit Mport, which Is only
twelve miles distant from this city, will obtain such
favorable opinion OF the AIlport canal claims and Mr.
UhVs share in their settlement Is expressed by Mr.
Iii himself. M;pOrt situated n a gorge Of the hills
between this city and Watkins. In the year 1897 the
Chemmg Canal constructed from Seneca Lake Il
Watkins to the Chemang River at this plac. The route
Of the canal rcequorters Of the distance was between
arrange OF high hills through which Catherine Creek q
largo aud turbulent stream flows from high lands porl
OF Emra to Seneca Lake The hills north and south
aud almost together at Millporl the valley mar
rowing ill there barely fifty feet OF level land SO mar
Is the valley that tho canal was placed ohnos
against the hillside and tho Northern Central Railroad
but I'm go had In he run aronnd a small HIN inst AZ h