Arizona republican., 1899-05-20
HH1kt;fiiiiSON'S H[i1t;ii BIG FEE.
As Leading Counsel Before
 inc Venezuelan Court.
The Ex-preSidenf in New York on Ills Way to inc field of Opera lions Which Will Yield Him slOo,OOO Besides Expenses.

New York, May 19.-Cspecial) -Ex-Presldent Harrison has come to the city to complete his preparations for his journey abroad as the Iealiing counsel before the Venezuelan arbitration court, and I am told that he n6lI has his argu- ment we'll under way. It is likely to be an historic 6l1cument, and to rival ex-Senator Evarts' famous address On the Alabama claims before the Geneva conference i'm 1872. If the argument fits the fee, as those who knlcw the ex-prssident are ccGfdent it will, then it will indeed be memorable one, for I understand that General Har- riaon's fee is. the tidy sum of S100,000 and expenses abroad. These are rec .cpd figures, I believe, for making atl address for other counsel are em- p,oyed on ether phases of Venszue-a's case; but one who was talking the other day about the unusual size of the fee declared that it was unusual, also, for a former president of the United States tci make his first appear anee abroad as the paid attorney in controversy.
 Indeed, it is not of record that any president ever was employed abroad after leaving the White House, and am told that in the ultra diplomatic circ.es at Washington the very fine point has been raised that it is unbe- coming in a former president to go out of his own country on such mission The size or the fee and the international importance of the suh- ject at issue, however, have had good deal to dc with dulling the sharp edges of criticism, for we have not had many chief magistrates whose ability to make such an argument was rated by another country as high as S100,000.
 If cur chief magistrate after re- tiring from office, cannot engage in q controversy of such proportions as the Venezuelan boundary dispute, then what employment of dignity and of emolumen't c2il they hope tc have. after they leave Washington? The ques- tion that General Harrison has been engaged t1 argue called forth from Cleveland, it will be remembered, a document that would have involved this country in war with England but for the cco1 headedre15 Of Salisbury. It was a pretty big question for us all in those days-far too big for Cleve- land to handle in a rational way-and I dldubt whether questions of dip1o- platic properties such as are constant ly plunging inner circles at Washing ton into a seedhing mass of agitation will for an instant -ead sensible people to regard General Harrison's mission with other feelings than those Of pride. It is true, of course, that HarriS5n's s action establishes a precedent, but the question lxas asked the other day whether the lalck of opportunity rather than other reasons operated with his predecessors in the White House.
 Another point is that few of our presidents retained their activity and vigor after retirement so we'll as Gen. eral Harrison. I saw him yesterday, and he seemed as hale and hearty as when he was in the White House. | Cleveland also keeps abreast of the | times, but Cleveland has not the in- centive for work that Harrison has. | Cleveland is rich. His only worry is | over the number Of ducks he can bag, | or Of fish he can haul in during days ] outing H2rriSi3n, on the other hand. | never workel1 more persistGntly than i he has since he left the White House, | though he was always noted for his l close application to his desk. When | John Quincy Adams tcok a seat in con- gross after Jackson defeated him for | reelection to the presidency, there was discussion as to whether his course, was in keeping with the dignity of the office he had held, but Adams did no better service for his country than during his stay in congress.
 No doubt General Harrison will make an impressttcin abroad of which his countrymen will be pil11d. how ever diplomats may look upon it, and he contributes much more to the dig nity and history of the country than if he were spending his time in gunning 1r fishing or other recreation.