The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-16
NEW YORK LAWYERS.
They Make More Money Than
Those of Any Other City.
THE RISE OF JUDGE DILLON.
Roscoe Conkiing's Career-Corporatfon
Cases Pay Best-Jsmes G. Carter,
the Boring Sea Counsel.

New YoRK. Oct 10-ISpecial Core
spondence. THE death of Daniel Dough
erty, the appointment OF James c. Carter
as one of the chief counsel for the United
States government in the Bering sea arbl-
tration, and the remarkable address de-
livered by ex-Judge Dillon at the meeting
of the American Bar Association, have
caused the greater lawyers of the United
States. and especially the brilliant bar Of
New York city, TO comment with much of
interest of late upon some of the rewards
which await lawyers of profound learn
ing and great ability. A feeling has
been growing among lawyers that the
tendency of the present generation is tn
bring forward for political honor others
than those who have won fame in the
practice of the law. 1t is only within
the last fifteen or twenty years that busi-
ness men. farmers, educators and others
who have not been bred to the profession
of the law have taken such active interest
in politics as TO enable a very considerable
representation from these classes to secure
some of those honors of politics which in
the past were almost exclusively reserved
for lawyers.
But the special features concerning ths
honors VIII ich the men above mentioned
have received, about which lawyers and
others have been talking good deal of
late, is The tendency of the ADLER men in
the profession 10 seek New York city as .
field for practice, even after they had
gained distinction in those communities
where they first began the profession of
law. Some very tempting stories have
gone abroad throughout the United States
about the great success which men who
have come to New York to practice law
have met with. Some of these stories are
true. and yet there are many men iii New
York pTacticing law or trying to who have
realized To their sorrow that such success ses
are exceptional. The case Of Judge Dillon
5 such an exception.
Judge Dillon was for many years Judge
OF United States court, having a large
circuit IN the valley of the Mississippi.
His salary as Judge was only $4,000. His
opinions were of such value that they
would have brought him many thousands
more had they been given In the capacity
OF a counsel to clients. Besides his labors
on the bench, Judge Dillon wrote one or
two treatises upon legal subjects which
were accepted as authority, and his royal
ties from the sale of these, together with
his salary as Judge, enabled him to live in
manner beii ting man holding his Of
hclal post. But he was not getting ahead.
He felt that it was due to himse If and his
family that he should make better pro-
vision for their comfort and his declining
years than seemed possible to do while he
was on the bench.
Judge Dillon thought very seriou sly
about this matter for several years, and at
last when he received a proposition from
tiie Columbia College Law school TO take a
professorship. bringing with it a salary of
$4,000 year. he decided to make the at
tempt to take the risk to resign from the
bench, and, as he put it in n homely way.
''to hang out his shingle in New York and
take his chances"
He had besides his professorship and
the royalty on his books something of an
assurance that he might be retained as
counsel in some cases for the Western
Union Telegraph Company. He thought
he might look forward to an income for a
time of about $4,000 year. Yet it was
with some anxiety that Judge Dillon