The morning call., 1893-05-28

as lawyer Is his successful advocacy of the
claims of Florence Blythe. he daughter of the
deceased millionaire, rs sole hereSs of the es-
tale. he case was by far The most celebrated
OF the kind thai was ever tried either In fhIs or
any other State. Blythe was most eccentric
and his early life was involved in great OBJ
scuriiy. As attorney for Blythe Mr. Hari had
singular opportunities for obtaining all The
knowledge possible of the millionare's rela-
tom, and he adopted and defended the clam
oi Florence and by his hateDce and legal acu-
men, and after long and eXhauStng trlal, Til
umrhahtiy indicated his position and secured
OF the Blythe tIial established MIR. Hart'S posi-
tlon in the legal profession for all time.
he II rec light which bears upon men hold
Ing important public positions frequently LEADS
% unjust persecution and exaggerated staie-
ment. Attorney-General Hart, ike Others be-
lore hln, has not escaped the criticism which
attaches sometimes to the most innocent ac-
tons, and OF the charges which were made
against Mr.. Hart during the session OF The last
Legislature the public are well Informed. The
CHARGES brought were for retaining SIT .S5I "A
resulting from the successful cOmuromise of
certain suits instituted In behalf OF tile HaI Dor
Commissioners. Attorney General Hart was
accused OF having retained this amount for an
unreasonable length of time, one contention
being that it should have been turned over to
the general fund OF the State. while the Harbor
commissioners deinand'd d It's payment 10 hem,
and between these contentious General Hart
demanded an adjudication before a competent
court.
On the matter beng Brought before JUDGE
and adjudged as belonging 10 the Board of
HarD0r commissioners, WHO duly received IL ::
the court approving General Harris actons in
The matter In boIdIng the funds until a pruper
d cisiOn could be had.
The second matter for Investigation was the
charge OF having. as legal adviser OF the Stale
oihclais, Dersistenly neglected his official
duties and imposed unnecessary expense by
The employment OF special counsel with heavy
fees.
This charge also fell to the ground, and on
a wall thaT Tros
was successfully vindlcated. IL was found that
General Har,'s management of his Office had
been highly successful; that be had attended
10 a vast amount Of legal work, ana that in the
employment of special counsel lie had not
gone beyond his proper privileges or Imposed
eXtravagaht burdens upon his office. O,her
and more trivial charges were also made in
connection with the Investigation, but each
was found 10 have been the invention OF spite
or malice and was quickly diSutOved. In the
witnesses in General Harris favor were J. II.
Mcdonald State Treasurer; L. q. Waite
Secret ~ OF State; A. J. Johnston, Stae Printer
Theodore Reichrrt, Surveyor q eaeral and
others OF equally high character and position
who each testified TO General Hart's great in.
dustry and legal capacity
IL thus appears from all the testimony pro-
duced curing This investigation that Attorney
General Hart has been absolutely blameIess
throughout the entire perlod, and In connection
with all The matters covered by the inquiries of
the committee.
Considerable comment was made bv the com
mitlee ON the iacJ that General Hart was no
sworn as witness before them. The posiiion
OIL this point assumed by the Attorney General
was fhnt every State officer ought to be put ON
tIial II the evidence of the prosecution uncon-
tradicted warrant such a course, and be did NOT
propose 10 have IL sald by his poiiiica aAene,nies
That h was necessary Tor him To take The stanc
Ill order lo get out of any difficulty.
Some idea OF The great amOnnt of work done
In the Attorney Generals ofIic was given in
the testimony of A. j. Johnston. Stale l'rinler,
10 the effect That during the two years Generai
Hart bas been in Office The Stat printing office
printed for him 40 briefs, making 264O pares
or the printed matt r, as against IA briefs of
500 pages IN loSS-9O, Under Attorney General
Johnson.
Theodore Reichert, Surveyor General testi-
fed 10 The very cordial relations he had had
with The Acknowledgement, and he told OF MIR
Hart going 10 Washington in April. 1892 when
lie argued case connected with MIR. Relchert's
deparlment for three hours and half before
the Interior Department On this occasion
said Mr. Relchelt. Mr.. Hart was complinented
by some OF the great legal minds at Washington
for his able argument.
In regard TO The employment by the Attorney
General OF unnecessary special counsel for
whose services exorbitant claims have been al
lowed, Judge A. X. Cntton testified that he had
been emnloyed IN number of cases by General
Hart, and the total amount OF fers allow him
was Sl2OO, Of which $500 was paid by a
planiif VINO SUED tile Stale, and whose claim
for Sl25,ooo was defeated by Judge Cotton;
and this was before The Attorney g enerai was
allowed his tXira deputies. 1t appeared tnat
all The lees were moderate, and lower thau
usually allowed In simil cases. During the
investigation lC was eudeavored to be shown
that General Hart had used The State moneys
in bis possession, and to make ihe payment of
The full amount INFO Judge Levy's court had
effected loan through CARRIER Boalt g. Bisbop.
A. j. Beiz, stenogf for the Attorney
General, testified 10 seeing In General Hart's
office on Montgomery street in this city large
sums OF fm0Dey-greenbackS and a bag OF gold
coiD-dufipe the time that General Hart held
in trust The State funds. John CARRIER had no
knowledge OF any money being borrowed hy
Nj. Hart from his firm. and l.. NJ. Hoefler, chief
clerk for the law firm, also SAID lie had no
knowledge OF any such loan. and none could
have b Ell made without his knowledge as he
had possession of all the books.
Personally General Hart IS a man who al.