Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1906-12-03
ALLOWS $500 INSTEAD Of
$27,5oO.
RECOVERED TWO MILLIONS
Dead Attorney Set $4,000 as Price
OF His Services for State in Suits
Against Railroad Companies, but
Executive Cuts Down the
Amount.
Madison, Nov. 27

MdQlSOn, NOV. ~.
Governor Davidson yesterday cut in
two the price set by the late H. w.
Chynoweth as the value of his SER
vices to the state in recovering about
100000 in the state railroad law
suits. Mf. Chynoweth made a claim
of $4,000. He received $4,000 while
Governor La Toilette was in the ex-
ecutive Office and Governor Davidson
now allows $500 more.
Governor Davidson allowed $500
on balance claimed of $27, 500, cut
ting the claim down $4,000. R. M.
Bashford, attorney for the widow of
Mr.. Chynoweth, handled the matter
and made it plain in presenting the
account to the executive, that if the
governor did not feel justified in au-
diting it for the entire sum claimed
1t should not prevent the estate
from taking other steps toward re-
covering the money.
Big Sums Recovered.
The cases on which Mr.. Chynoweth
worked for the state, and as a re-
suit of which work physicians say
his health was destroyed beyond pos
sibility of recovery, were the three
sets of litigation, called the penalty
or license fee cases, the back tax and
the ad valorem suits. The result of
the litigation was that the state re-
covers in round numbers some $4,000
900 and it may be more before the
total of unpaid taxes due is finally de-
termined.
Governor Davidson delayed auditing
the account, not being assured of the
merit of the large claim, and the mat
ter was placed in the hands of R.
M. Bashford, who laid before the gov
ernor documents covering the serv-
ices of Mr.. Chynoweth, and the opin-
ions of leading attorneys as to the
reasonab]eness of the claim.
Amounts to 500 Day.
Mr.. Chynoweth was first appointed
in this capacity on September 3, 1904,
worked about 60 days on the cases
up to January, 1905, and spent all
his time thereon after that time I'M
til he was stricken with his last sick
ness. The service amounts to 400
days spent for the state. With the
documents laid before Governor Da-
wilson in letter from Senator La
Toilette to Mr.. Chynoweth, showing
that the payments up to the resigna-
ton of the former governor we're not
intended to be in full I'm all legal
services" says the senator, "the final
judgment must determine the value of
the work as a whole"
Opinions Favor the Claim.
Judge Romance Bum, for many
years judge of the United States dis
trict court, to whom the matter was
submitted for an opinion as to their
reasonableness of the charge, says
that $4,000 is the estimate he would
make of the value of the services,
considering the nature and great i'm
portance of the questions involved
and their newness to the profession,
the known ability of counsel, the time
employed and the results of the liti-
CATION
Henry M Lewis, referee in bank
ruptcy, says: MANY lawyers Of no
greater ability or legal learning than
Mr.. Chynoweth can find employment
at a much larger sum than $500 a
day for their services. This claim
is not unreasonable, and at least one
third of the fee was earned by the
presentation of the cases to the SUI
preme court"
John M. Olin says he would sug-
gest $4,000 as a fair remuneration,
D. K. Tenney says $4,000 is entirely
reasonable F. w. Hall says the
claim is quite reasonable" George
G.. Green and H. O. Fairchild say $780,
900 to $4,000 is not exorbitant." S.
S. Gregory of Chicago says $4,000
would be very reasonable compensa-
ton"
The action of the governor was TAX
en- pursuant to section 131, of the
statutes of 1898.