The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-10-30
BARRETT TO MIR. PAYNE
pIsBARRED ATTORNEY WRITES
 CAUSTIC LETTER.
Says That He Has Been Given No Opportunity to Meet and Re- fr.e the Charges Brought
 Against Him.

Washington, Oct 29-(Special. )--Al- l though 1t was recently announced in
 the press reports that Harrison J. Barrett of Baltimore, who was formerly assist | ant to the Assistant Attorney General for
 the Postofiice Department, had been dis
 barred from practice before that Depart ment, apparently no notice was ever given MT Barrett of the pendency of any pro- cedings against him looking toward his disbarrment. nor has he yet received any notification from Postmaster General Payne that he has been disbarred
 From the tone of letter received at the Department 1t appears that in the absence Of any official information on the subject, MT. Barrett Is inclined to doubt the &C., curacy of the report. The letter is ad- dressed to Postmaster General Payne and calls attention to a communication from MT. Payne under date of April 27th, 190a assuring MT, Barrett that if the investi- reflected upon him fin any way" he would be given 'an opportunity to make any answer or explanation which he de- sired; Later, says MT. Barrett. when the Postoff1ce Department, August 5th, lyos, invited him to make a statement Mir Robb assured MT. Barrett that if disbarr- ment proceedings were instituted he would be given hearing, confronted with all the evidence against him and an op: portunity to reply to the charges, and he points out the fact that it was only after MT. Robb had given such assurances that he made statement.
 Some quiet sarcasm is indulged in by MT. Barrett, at the expense of the in spectors who sought to obtain a full state ment from him without letting him sus- pect tnat the information was to be used against him: He states that he was frank and free" with both the Assistant Attorney General and the inspectors and furnished all the information they asked TOT. upon the assumption that the of- ncials or your department were more zeal ons to do justice than to make case; | and this, notwithstanding the fact that at the time I was comforting with your
 omcers; l was satisfied they were seeking MT. Barrett makes a plain and dignified appeal for his rights as a recognized at-
 torney, protesting against the summary acuon which the Postmaster General is reported to have taken, on the ground
 that his right to earn a living by the practice of his profession is one of which ne cannot lawfully be deprived without
 charges that such action could have been
 taken only for the purpose of prejudicing
 the public mind against him and with the
 intention of inturing his standing in the of livelihood
 My right to practice my profession. '
 says the letter 'fs one of which I ought | not and cannot properly be deprived with l out O ANi nearing according 1 to law. The government has preferred
 it's charges against me In the courts and | l am ready and anxious to meet them;
 inded, I am glad of the opportunity to put
 this matter in it's true light before a court
 and to show that the allegation that I
 have entered into an unlawful conspiracy
 with General Tyner, a man who has lived
 nearly eighty years, respected and hon.
 pred among men, and who presided over | the department now in your charge is as absurd as 1t Is false"
 MT. Barrett adds, somewhat caustical,y:
 You must know that I have not and l would not appear as an attorney before your department, as long as the indict-
 ments against me are pending. There
 fore, if you have issued an ex-parte order
 as reported 1t Is wholly unnecessary and can only tend to my prejudice and should not be allowed to stand"
 In his conclusion Mir. Barrett calls at-
 tention to the fact that while the duty of prosecuting those charged with offenses
 against It's laws devolves upon the govern
 ment, it Is also charged with the no less
 sacred obligation of protecting the ina,ien-
 able rights of all it's citizens. While I am ready to meet any charges that may
 be formulated he concludes, surely the government intends to deal fairly by it's
 citizens and will not call upon him to meet substantially the same charges in
 two tribunals at the same time.'