The Madisonian. (Virginia City, Mont.) 1873-1915, 1896-09-19
HARRISON'S INCOME.
THE PRESIDENCY HAS NO FINANCIAL
ATTRACTION FOR HIM.

His Law Practice Is Very PrOf1tab1e-Acts
Chiefly as Advisory Counsel-Some Cases
He Has Appeared In and the Fees He
Has Thereby Earned.
The friends Of ex-President Harrison
who deprecate the methods now being
made to bring his name before the St.
Louis convention give as a reason for
his determination not to be a candidate
that he has found his profession Of law
exceptionally remunerative, and that
his receipts annually aggregate more
than the salary of the president. While
he has appeared in court i'll some very
important cases, much Of his work is as
consulting or advisory counsel.
It is asserted that cases in which the
ex-president has not been known as all
attorney, and in which he has acted only
as advisory counsel, have Melted him
during the past year more than a COM
potency, while he has made over 1885,, :
900 in cases in which he appeared in
court in the past two years. The most
important public case in which he has
appeared since he returned from Wash
ington was the litigation between the
city Of Indianapolis and the street rail
way company, the former %contending
that the charter of the company had ex-
pired by limitation and the latter that
the charter was perpetual.
Mr.. Harrison appeared for the COM
pany. The ex-president contended III an
exceedingly ingenious argument that
corporate privileges are created by the
state, and that a city could not limit
them by ordinance; that the right to
use the streets of a city once granted
was perpetual, and could not be limited
or revoked. Judge Wood Of the federal
court conceded with this view Of the
law, and the case is now i'll the United
States supreme court cn appeal. For his
argument i'll this case Mr.. Harrison re-
ceived "a fee Of $25, 900, and another fee
Of $25, 900 as q retainer for the supreme
court.
In the Henry Ives case, involving the
purchase Of the Vandalia railroad by
the young Napoleon of finance, and
which was recently decided in favor of
McKeen, there was another fee of $685.
900 for the ex- president. In the more re-
GC1G WILL CdS6 ~ 1OlCIlllIcIlu LIZ ACCCASCSt
a fee of $40, 600, which would have been
made, but he consented to a reduction
of 81, 900 in order to advance a COM
promise between the heirs. An impOr-
tant case which he argued in the In
diana supreme court was that involving
the charter Of the Eel River railroad.
which was leased by the Wabash. be-
cause it was a competing line in Indiana,
and then suffered to go down. The state
attempted to revoke the charter Of the
Eel River road on the ground that there
was collision between its management
and the Wabash. In this case the e
president received a fee Of $22, 600, al
though he came into the case after the
issues were all joined and the battle had
been fought in the lower court.
1t is said that he received $40, 900 and
a contingent fee Of $40, 600 in the Cali
fornia irrigation case in which he re-
Gently appeared in the United States
preme court. In addition to the fees for
these services he received 81, 900 for
each of Is lectures delivered at the Lee
land Stanford college two years ago,
making, since his return to indianapolis,
about $3.50, 900 that he is known to have
received for his services.
1t is said that he takes more pleasure
in his ''out Of court cases than all 9th
ers, and that there is a strong probable
ity that he will eventually confine him
self entirely to the former cases. These
consist largely Of cases arising in the
management Of great Incorporated in
terests.
A sample case, in which he received
a fee Of $40, 900, is thus related:
One morning Mr.. Harrison received
municipal and state bonds. Some ques-
ton had arisen about the legality of the
issue, and there was a difference be-
tween counsel that had been consulted.
A full statement Of the facts, with &
tender of a fee Of $40, 900, reached Mr..
Harrison one morning, and he imme'
diately set himself to studying the case
That afternoon he visited the supreme
court library, raj down u long list O.
the constitution of the state in which
the bonds were to be issued that causet
him to doubt their legality. The mex
day he dictated all opinion, in which h
set out the facts and suggested tina
certain changes be made, which, h
said, would remove all question Of thei.
illegality. It is not known whether thi
advice was followed or not. A frien(
who relates the story says that the in
vaStiuatiOn OccnDie1 tho o,aata,. mart n