Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-05-22
jones R[GR[.,5
YOUNGS ACTION
Ex-Clerk Supreme Court Sorry
La1e Lambasted Cummins
Over His Shoulder
EXPLAINS MATTER OF LAW SUIT
Hon. Christopher T. Jones, Defendant,
Says it Grew Out of the Political
Bicserins Between Shaw and Her.
riott, and That He Holds No tirudss
Against Anyone.
Special to Times-Republican.


Des Moines, May 22.-"If Lafe Young
had told me he was going to lilmbast
Governor Cummins over my shoulder
would have told him not to do it."
said Hon. Christopher T. Jones, ex-
clerk of the supreme court. The state
| ment was made in discussing the suit
of the state against Mr.. Jones, brought
by an executive council, none of the
| members of which are now holding po-
sitions on the council. 1t waj made
| in answer to the column and a half
from the pen of Mr.. Young attacking
the motives of the members of the
present council in pressing tile suit.
why, Governor Cummins was my
attorney in this case until he became
governor" said Mr.. Jones, Il nope he
| doesn't think that entertain any such
motives as Mr.. Young displayed. Gov
ernor Cummins said as my attorney
that there was no merit in The suit
and now that he has become governor,
| he must Of course act as the governor
! of the state, but am satisfied that he
| is as well satisfied as ever that the suit
! has no merit in it. This suit was on
| the docket when this council came in
and with the exception of the gov
erner none of them know any thing Of
the merits of the suit and their only
motive as l understand 1t is tO get all
the old lawsuits cleaned up. The fact
of the matter is this lawsuit grew out
| of the political pickering betwe IN Shaw
and Herriott. John Herriott was urged
on by his son Frank till he sought to
start the suit. Shaw knew there was
no merit in the suit and sai6 SO, but
| he wanted 1t brought SO that when it
fell thru the responsibility ard blame
would come back onto Herliott. ]
don't have any grudge against anyone.
want to be as friendly to La.,e Young
as anyone else and am so. would be
friendly with Herriott If it were pos
sible. This is free country and Lafe
Young has a right to write and print
what he pleases, but I would much
rather he had not tried to lanlbast the
governor over my shoulders for the
governor and are most excellent
| friends"
The suit against Mr.. Jones was
started some five or six years ago.
Mr.. Jones was the predecessor to Mr..
Crockett as clerk of the supreme court.
It was contended by the Herriotts that
he had done work for lawyers and re-
| ceived fees for which the state had
received nothing AS a matter Of fact
the opinions of the supreme court are
| handed into the clerk. 1t is the busi-
| ness of the clerk to record the opinions
properly that they may be preserved.
The reports of cases that are printed
and sold to lawyers in bound volumes
are printed by private publishers.
These get the copy of the opinions
from the clerk of the supreme court.
The clerk is under no obligation to
furnish the copy Of the opirions free.
The opinions are secured by these pub
lushers in various ways. Mr.. Jones hir-
ed a competent person to make several
| COPIES of the opinions. One he sold
to the publisher and out of the pro-
ceeds paid the person for making the
copies for doing that work and also
for keeping the records of the opin-
ions for the state. This saved the state
about $500 a year for the hire of a
stenogra pher. In the political fighting
between Governor Shaw and State
Treasurer Herriott, who is
now candidate for governor, however,
Mr.. Jones was the victim between
the two men in their crossfire The
order directing the attorney general to
bring the suits that were pending was
a general order issued last eall. There
has been no new order issued. At the
r1oy. Iy1yac e
ernor Cummins was not present at the
council meeting and the order does not
mention any particular cases that are
to be- forced to trial. 1t does not even
mention the Young case specifically.
Ast
Uncle Dick Clarkson, United States
pension agent, and formerly editor of
the Register, has very vivid recollec-
tion of the old squabbles over the state
printing and binding. 'I was not in
this fight over the young case" which
| as I understand it is over questions Of
| law as to what statute should cover
the payment of certain work" said
| Mr.. Clarkson today II v'as in one
/ fight over the state printing; and bind
ing in which 1 claimed thai the print
| ing and binding was costing the state
too much and 1 offered to give bond
for 800 900 that 1 would do the work
| for twenty-five per cent less.
"But there is one thing / have been
| led to notice more than anything else
since / have left newspaper work.
| used to get into those fight; and think
that the eutire state was thoroughly
! aroused over the matter and that it
was the most important matter of the
/ day. Since leaving newspaper work I
/ have found that the things the editors
| think the most important sometimes
never disturb the state at large at all
| Some of the things the editors think
| the most important the general public
takes scarcely any interest in. The
4sditors go on deciding momentous Is