The Saint Paul globe., 1905-04-30
WILSON TO DRAW
MORE STATE MONEY
Attorney General Young Allows
Lawyers Claim for
$1,5OO

Atty Gen. E. T. Young has decided
TO approve the claims of State Senator
George p. Wilson of $1,500 for legal
services in connection with the states
participation in the old suit against
the Northern Securities company. Mr..
Wilson will receive the state treas
urer's warrant for the amount early
this week.
Former Atty. Gen. w. ]. Donahower
refused TO indorse the Minneapolis
senator's claim just before he left Of
flee, Dec. 81.
Gen. Young's decision to approve the
claim is a reversal of the opinion of his
predecessor, who expressed the belief
that the attorneys for the state had
been amply compensated when they
had taken $4,000 in fees from the
state treasury for their services in be-
half of the state.
1t has been common knowledge
about the state capitol for the past two
weeks that the attorney general would
approve the claim of State Senator
Wilson. Both his claim for additional
compensation and the claim of M. D.
Mum of st. Paul have been before the
attorney general ever since he took
possession of his office, Jan. 1.
The claim of Mr.. Mum was for
$4,000, in addition to some SIS, 1000 that
had been paid him at different times
since the litigation was commenced in
1901. State Senator Wilson had re-
ceived $4,000 for his participation in
the litigation, and asked an additional
s1,5OO
Recently he renewed his efforts to
have the attorney general approve
his latest claim on the state treasury
and yesterday Gen. Young announced
that he had approved the claim and
would indorse the order which Gov
Van SAINT and former Atty. Gen. w.
B. Douglas had signed before they re-
tired to private life.
In giving his reasons for his action
the attorney general said:
Thinks Claim Reasonable
II am satisfied, from a discussion
of the matter with Judge Douglas.
that the claim is reasonable and just,
and that being true, it ought to be
paid. The litigation was not closed
when Judge Douglas resigned as at
torney general, hence the matter
comes up for my approval. This action
closes the whole matter as far as I am
concerned"
1t will be noted that Gen. Young
makes no mention of the negative ac-
ton Of former Atty. Gen. DonahoWer
on the Mum and Wilson claims for
additional compensation. In giving his
reasons for Withholding his signature
TO the warrants, Mr.. Donahower, OH
Dec. 81. said in dictated statement:
What Donahower Thoufht
In the fees already received. the
state, in my judgment, has literally
PAID counsel for services. 1 know of
no instance in this state where counsel
employed to represent the public in
important litigation have been more
literally compensated. The fact that
there still remains in the public treas
ury a balance of the merger fund suffi-
Client to meet these claims does not in
my judgment, offer any sound reason
for their payment. There are other
important matters requiring litigation
to which the legislature may advan-
tageously appropriate the uneXpended
merger fund"
Former Atty. Gen. Donahower, seen
last night, was asked to express an
opinion Of the action of Gen. Young in
allowing the Wilson claim. Asked if
the action of the attorney general was
not an implied reflection on the judg-
ment of himself in his official capacity,
he declined to discuss the point.
1 will say, however" said Mr.. Dona-
hover, taking all the circumstances
into consideration, that is seems to me
that the claim of Mr.. Mum is as much
entitled to recognition as that of SEN
ator Wilson"
The prospect for Mr. Mum sharing
further in the division of the unex-
pended balance of the original fund of
$4,000 is not regarded as favorable, in
view of the statement of Gen. Young.
His statement that this action closes
the whole matter so far as l am con-
cerned" is taken as conclusive that he
will not approve the Mum claim