The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-03-29

his services, or about six per cent. II he
had succeeded, it is reasonable to SUD-
pose his fee would have been not less
than twenty five per cent. That he did
not succeed, was surely not for any lack
of the know.how, but because of q
scarcity of the do.how, in Common
Pleas, Circuit and Supreme Courts. It
is no fault of great lawyer that he
sometimes finds streaks OF unaccountable
perversity in the decisions of the courts.
Such things will happen, you know
The taxpayers have no right to growl,
because, in addition to the $500 fee, they
must pay the original taxes with an
added $1,000 of accumulated penalty.
It's the fault with the courts, entirely.
The firm OF which Mr.. Sans, the re-
form candidate for Solicitor, is a mem
Der, in case involving $3.50 worth of
typewriting machines, charged their
clients 1920 for legal services. 1t wasn't
the work, but the know.how, they
charged for. And they were perfectly
right. If the typewriting company had
wanted little more of the know.how,
it would have been an even swap, or
perhaps, friend Sans would have se.
cured little "boot." As it was, the legal
firm only paid sixty.six and two.thirds
per cent. of the amount involved. What
more could they-that is, what more
could we ask of them?
And there's Judge Ditty, who says he
isn't editor of the Gazette, although he
was at the time referred to, and is still
resident owner and the responsible con-
troller of its policy. He says to FL. go,
and he goeth, come and he cometh. The
Judge has probably found law so prof.
table that he will not soon revert to
newspaper work for steady diet. For
drafting the bill which we inavertantlv
called an ordinance last week, and in
which case he says he only did the
manual work." he accepted $75 90. On
the market, this manual work" is worth
eight cents hundred words As there
were 900 words, he was entitled at
market rates, to seventy.two cents. In
other words he got little over dollar
for every cent he earned As, accord
ing to his own statement, he only fur
nished the manual labor" and some
body else furnished the know how.
Nevertheless, he knew how to get there,
Notwithstanding he was not employed
by resolution, and that's a matter of
value-to him. Count him among "Our
Jewels" Put him up on the pedestal.
He'll do.
These are a few samples of legal value
and they are not exaggerated. We re-
fer to them as worth all they charged.
These are men of magnificent abilities,
natural and acquired Besides, they are
reformers-men who oppose every sug.
gestion OF injustice. Their tender con.
sciences would recoil with horror at a
thought of overcharging.
But there's another legal fee which the
reformers did not make. Urder their
leadership, practically, the water works
enterprise was baked in the start, and
the City Council found it necessary to
proceed wisely and cautiously. To in
sure success, they thought best TO en-
ploy legal advisors. With these advisors
| they kept in close and constant touch.
| Not single step was taken without
consultation. The attorneys were in at
tendance upon the meetings of Council,
and in several cases interposed a for
bidding hand when Council would other
wise have permitted such changes in the
plans as would have released the sureties
of the contractors All the work done,
by and under the advice of these at
torneys was found unassailable by the
enemies of the improvement, and when
reviewed by the eminent Cincinnati at
torneys who have made that class of
work life study, was pronounced abso-
lutely without fault.
Nevertheless, the City Council made
a very serious mistake, inasmuch as
they failed to recognize sour Jewels, !"
whose transcendant splender would have
added to the spectacular effect
Then, again the attorneys employed
by the city had no adequate idea of the
value of the legal know.how. They only
charged the city three per cent. for their
legal services, and for their very effective
aid in the sale OF the bonds. The latter
were sold when all other municipal
bonds went begging in the market. So
remarkable was this fact that it was a
subject of comment in the financial
columns OF New York City papers. For
all OF this these attorneys charged three
per cent, and their bill was pronounced
reasonable by nearly all other attorneys
in the city.
Now come "Our Jewels'-God bless
them-the Six, Twelve and Sixty.Six
per cents, and want the three per cents
kicked out by the boot of Reform. so
that municipal affairs may be turned
over TO the aforesaid Six, Twelve and
| s. xty. Six.