Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1889-03-23
The COMPENSATION OF LAWYERS.
What Is Proper "A "Limb Of the Law"
Discusses the Subject, but Throws
No New Light Upon 1t.

At the sixth annual meeting of the
Bar Association of the State of Kan
sas, held in Topeka. January s and 8,
1889, T. A. McNeal delivered semi
humorous address upon "The Com
pensa,ion of Lawyers" His address
is too lengthy for republication in
these columns, but the following t
somewhat copious extract is made, as
it embodies tho speakers opinion on
this much discussed subject. 1t will
be observed that Mr.. McNeal either
could not or would not answer the
question which he asked himself as to
the proper compensation Of lawyer.
For this reason his address, although |
Astounding with brilliancy, was some
what disappointing. He said:
"What is the proper compensation
of a lawyer How is fellow to tell,
when prospective client states that
he has some business and wants to
know the charges, how to look down
into the depths of his heart and see
how much he is ready to give? How
is the young lawyer to get proper
gauge of the value of the service
rendered His ideas of value may
be as vague as the ideas of the man
who caught another man kissing his
wife. The culprit was man of wealth,
position, influence. Things looked
bad. He was ready to compromise
on the other fellows terms, If he was
willing to be satisfied with anything
but gore. He approached the hus-
band of the kissee, and, concealing
The fact that his knees were shifting
together, and his heart lodged in the
region of his trachea, asked how much
he would take to settle and say moth
ing? The MAN whose domestic felic-
iity had been trampled upon, the
affections of whose bosom companion
had been alienated, looked upon the
Iinterferer with his domestic affairs
with stern and steadfast eye. He
knew he had him in lis power, but
didn't want to crowd him to death.
He was a German, and said slowly
Well, don't want to be too hard on
you: do you think tollar-and'a-hal
would be too much p
"Have you, brethren, ever been in
| the position when you didn't just know
how much compensation to ask for
Have you ever understood YOU
clients capacity and found that be
would have paid more and expected
to pay more, and then went out ane
F., kicked yourself sadly, to the mourn
> full tune Of the whip poor-will's song
Or, have you ever found that you ha'
laid few s,raws too much across tn
. spinal column of your client. and in
/ duced sudden attack of paralysis
Or, have you ever labored with a ma
y who in period Of temporary idioc
wanted 10 rush into court with ba
u case, to persuade him to let the 10
out, and finally convinced him agains
his will, and had him 60 off grumblin
and pay you not cent? What
It the compensation there? Possibl
n you got even by balancing up thu
. action against one when you helpe
- fellow out Of hot hole and let hi
d sniff with undiminished gall the pu1
air of freedom, when you knew
ought to be employed in the CO
shaft at Lcavenworth.
" 81 have so far treated the compe
o. sation of lawyer from commerce
III and sordid point of view, and this
>" all the view that good share OF Il
a. world have of lawyers general
CT They regard the tendency OF the la
D. YER to evil as natural as tina: the spar
es should fly upward. They believe tn
III for a reasonable fee he would try
We ;" get an order vacating the mario" a
w. straight way, and for $500 retain
IL" he would release and quitclalm
Jus himself, his heirs and assigns,
H. right, title and interest in the N
Jerusalem. They imagine that
LAWYERS are going up and down Il
raging lions seeking whom they +"
devour, while as matter OF fac
=, good many OF them are going ao
III, ,ooL and lowlv pot.hOunds To-