Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1891-11-05
Those Letters in Brief.

| out in the Sentinel in an interview stat
| ing his interview with Congressman X.
/ NJ. LsfOllette at the PlankingtOn. was
| solely TO employ him as an attorney in
/ the snit of the State vs. Ex-Treasurer
/ Harshaw, Mr.. LaFollette printed in the
same paper over his own signature a
long letter recitIDg the correspondence
that led up to the interview and the
conversation as TO his relationship to
the Judge; and closed with the following:
Mr.. Sawyer said: "Pinney was employed b
us to give an opinion in the case. but I knew you
would know ali about siebecker and wanted to
see yon about him. These cases are awful i'm
pOrtant TO ia the state and we cannot afford to
lose them. IL costs me lots OF anxiety don't
want to have to pay manning large sum Of
money, whether 500 COZ or more am not Ger
tain). Now came down here to see you alone.
No one knows I am TO meet you here. I don't
want to hire yon as an attorney in the case, La
Toilette. and don't want you to 20 into count. but
here is nifty dollars, / will give you FIVE hundred
more or a thousand-or FIVE hundred more and
thousand Il am uncertain which he said when
Siebecker decides the case right"
said to him: Senator Sawyer. yon cant
know what you are sayingto me. y you struck
me in the face You would not insult me as you
insult me now"
He said: "Wait-hold on" 1 was standing
up. l replied: mo, you do not want to employ
me attorney. You want TO hire me to talk
to the judge about the case of the bench"
He said: ~ did not think you would take
retainer in the case. did not think you would
want TO 20 into the case an attorney. How
mucl. will you take as a retainergr
answered: You have not got money enough,
sir, 10 employ me as an attorney in your case
after what you have said TO me-"
He replied: We'll. perhaps don't understand
court rules. Anyway, let me pay you for coming
down here"
said: Not dollar. sir" and Immediately
left the room. think he followed me out of the
parlor and down the stairs, bat he did not again
address me. nor did l again speak TO him.
passed at once ont Of the hotel
To this letter Senator Sawyer answer
ed stating what led to his trs ing to
employ Mr.. LaFollette, and says:
when I offered to retain him as attorney, told
him that would pay him retainer of $500. He
said he was a poor man and would like the retain
or, but under the circumstances he thought he
ought not to accept. did not tell him that
did not want to hire him as an attorney in the
case and I did not tell him that / did not want him
to go into court. Neither did / offer him $50; l
did not say to him II will give to you 81, 900 or
thousand more when Siebecker decided the case
right
Nothing of the kind was said and nothing was
said from which any such inference could be
drawn. AS soon as 1 learned that he was Sic
becker's brotLer-in-law 1 felt the improperly of
his being employed in the case, because of the po-
litical turn the had TAKEN at least so far as
the newspapers are concerned. He never said to
me:
senator Sawyer, you cannot know what you
are saying to me. If you struck me In the face
you would not insult me as you insult me now.n
Not a word of that character was said by him.
Neither did he say TO me:
''You do not want to hire me as an attorney
You want to hire me to talk to the Judge about
your case off the benoh.n
find also in his statement In the Sentinel, the
following:
He said (meaning myself II didn't think you
would take a retainer in the case 1 didn't think
you would want to go into court as an attorney
How much will you take as a retainers' I an
swersd you have not got money enough. sir, to
employ attorney in your case after what
you have said to me- He replied, well, perhaps
don't understand court rules; any way, let me
pay you for coming down here.' 4 said not dol
lar, sir "
No such conversation took place between Mr..
La Toilette and myself, and nothing said be-
tween him and myself from which any such infer
ence could be drawn. 1 did offer to retain him,
before knew that he was related to Judge Sic
becker. After he told me that he was Judge Sic
becker's brotherin-law and that he did not think
that under the circumstances he ought to take
retainer in the case, nothing further was said
about the retainer, paying him any money, ex-
cept said to him this.
81 have put you to the trouble of coming down
here, and 1 ought to pay you for coming here.n
He said, mo would not take anything for
that.n
The foregoing plain facts in the case,
had no idea whatever of employing La Fol-
lette to influence Judge Siebecker. Bring Madi-
son lawyer and having formerly been his partner
1 thought he would know whether Judge siebeck-
er was likely to be preiudiced against Mr.. Har-
shaw on account of what Mr.. Harshaw had said
about and that information of him did not ask
and he told me frankly what he knew about Judge
siebecker, and said that he thought ne would not
be so Influenced
] leave the public TO judge OF MIR La Folettes
reason and motive for making gross a misrep-
resentation of our conversation.