St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-06-24
THE FIGHT FOR FEES.
The Senate Sends the Anti.Attorne1
E4jII Rack tn Committees

ElIk Back t9 com mEtIees
WASHINGTON, June 23.-In the senate
the Hawley motion was taken up to recon-
slider the vote by which the senate passed
the bill prohibiting members of congress
from acting as attorneys of land grant rail-
roads.
Mr.. Beck resumed the floor and continued
his remarks against reconsideration. He de-
MED that he had intended to injure anybody
by the introduction Of the bill. If the senate
should agree to the motion to reconsider,
that would be the last Of the bill. Mr.. Beck
read Mr.. MitchelfS amendments proposing to
forbid members of congress from doing law
business for men who were managers of
banks or importers of foreign goods, Or who
manufactured butter or oleomargarine, to-
baCco or whisky. IF that is not taking
lick at creation!' exclaimed Mr.. Beck.
He deprecated that sort Of amendment,
but added that he had often heard the
fable of the advice given to all
foxes by the fox whose tail had been cut Off,
That ad-ice was that they should all have
their their tails cut off because his had been.
He thought the fable illustrated the case of
this amendment. 1t would be as reasonable
to say that because man was punished for
criminally killing another man, therefore he
should be punished for killing mouse or for
taking life of any kind. Mr.. Beck did not
know whether Mr.. Mitchell was the attorney
L.
Beck had been informed that he was. He be-
lieved that Mr.. Mitchell bad a right to be
such. Railroad companies sought the best
lawyers and had right to them. Mr.
Mitchell warmly replied that he was
THE ATTORNEY OF NO RAILROAD.
He desired the senator from Kentucky (Mr
Beck to understand that he (dr. MitchelD
had never while in the senate been employed
by any railroad company to argue any case in
court or out. He was not now and had
not been for over year the attorney of any
corporation whatever. He was representing
no corporation here. If bill were to be
passed on the idea that every member of con-
gress who was lawyer was dishonest, with
the view of making him honest, then the bill
should be made to include matter indicated in
Mr.. Mitchelrs suggested amendment. Mr..
Mitchell asked Mr.. Beck when anybody had
told him that he (Mr. MitchelD had been at
torney for the Northern Pacific railroad. Mr..
Beck said he had been so told. The time did
not matter. He was glad to hear the senator
confess that he had resigned as attorney when
elected to the senate. Mr.. Mitchell said he
was not in the confessional, but he had re-
signed eight months before his election. He
(Mr. MitchelD remembered time when it had
been said in the newspapers that certain
members of congress were very jealous in
regard to certain whisky matters.
Mr.. Beck-Oh, well, that was just simply q
lie, that's all there is about that Laughter.
Mr.. Mitchell had no doubt OF that. Mr..
Evarts noticed that no disability had been
applied by Mr.. Beck to any other profession
than the law. He characterized as
'sUNILATERAL' LAWYERS
who would be Disseminated against. They
could only take case from the side opposite
to the railroad. MIR. Beck said he was him.
self lawyer and would not place any indig-
nifty on the profession Of the law. When
elected to congress, however, he found that
his public duties required all his time, not
being possessed of the transcendant abilities
that the senator from New York perhaps
possessed. The country believed that the
$4,000 year derived by senators and repre-
sentatives in congress entitled the peole to
their whole services, and il senators or rep
resentatives could not live on that
compensation they had no right to supple
ment it by taking fees from corporations,
whose interests were adverse to those of
the people. Mr.. Beck did not know what q
''unilateral lawyer was He supposed that it
was one-sided lawyer, not q ''quadrilateral'
lawyer such as the senator from New York
supposed himself to be. Mr.. Sherman, taking
the floor, said the universal rule of the senate
was to grant reconsideration almost as mat
ter of course whenever asked for. Even
when the senate was almost unit against a
bill the vote for its reconsideration had after
been unanimous This bill met his hearty
approval. The criticisms made against it
were rather too fine. The motion to recon-