The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-04-03
More Explanations of
That $4,000 Retainer.

Jacksonville lawyer, and we don't
blame the Recorder in the least 1t
needs explaining. and lot of it. be
cause the people are by no means
satisfied with it.
The trouble with the Recorders ar
Sument is that the deeper it gets into
this matter the worse tangled up it
becomes. In recent issue it says:
In the Pensacola Journals first es-
say on fees of special counsel for the
l. l. Board, it strongly commended that
as good trade should be made in get
ting such special counsel as a private
party would make. With which prop
CsitiOn 2 most heartily agree. And in
order to prove that the Board had
made as SOOc a trade III getting attOr-
neys III these cases as private parties
would have made. we expressed the
belief that the railroads and land com
panieS, who are private parties 1n
the other side of these 8. me- cases,
gave more TO secure the services Of
their counsel than did the state. If
this is true then does il not prove that
the state made as good d trade in GET
ting attorneys in these cases as pri-
vate parties? Wouldn't the amount
given by private parties on the other
side of a case in which the State is
Interested be the best evidence to
show whether or not the state secured
special counsel as reasonably as pr
Fate parties would have done i'll 4
similar position.
Ire Journal still does not believe
that as good trade WAS made in
this matter as could have been made
There seems to be a general impress
yers are not excepted, shat when 4
piece OF work is to be done for the
state the very highest fee possible
must be charged. This IS wrong. and
those in authority who allow it to be
cone are responsible for it There is
no reason why work for the state
should not he done just as reasonable
as it would be for private individual
The Recorder thinks that because
The railroads paid high fees in these
cases that the state was also in duty
bound to pay high fees. This argu-
ment is untenable. One might as well
argue that because = corporation ruins
a man IL business, the state should do
likewise. On the other hand il must
be considered that the railroads have
their lawyers employed by the year
just as the state has The attorney-een-
eral, and it is not 10 be supposed that
their lawyers receive anything extra
for the handling of these suits.
The Recorder states that it believes
the railroads and land corporations
nave paid their lawyers big fees ir
these cases, but it fails TO state just
how much has been paid tneIn. 1t
should present facts and not SUPPOSE
tons
In another article on the same sub
ject the Recorder seeks to discredit
the ability of the attorney general Of
the state in the following manner:
We think our friend. the Pensacola
Journal, is labOTing under a misappre-
hensiOn when it concludes thar because
the whole time Of the Attorney GeneT-
al of the state can be and is secured
for S2,5oO per annum and that special
counsel for the different boards can be
secured from time to time at the same
rates of charges. or course. attorneys
Of some kind may he had at that price
hut the state should have as Soo0
talent as is to be had. The Journal
mas possibly overlooked the fact that
no lawyer OF prominence would accent
the position OF attorney general OF thI5
state for the small salary it pays. He
makes ceveral times this amount in
his regular practice at the bar. and
possibly does not have nearly so much
to do The prominent attorney who
accepts the small salary OF attorney
general, We may be sure. is seeking
the honor % The position. and mayfair
a ste ppiH" store TO something higher
while tho T-omineat att.,rney who is
called III as special counsel holds no
honorary position. and expects tha
.u#l fee that he would ct in any
O;hcr case
The editor OF the Recorder is nc4.-
CT the .-eJorne. general than TIE
Journal and i dou5tle-, better abb"
10 sit in Judgment on lis work. aEd
mis- abilities as Z, lawyer. but W have
always been under the impression that
lie attorney general was . vcrE c1pa-
lie lawyer. Why thc Recorder should
Try to cloud ~ ISSUE b. an attempt
- discredit the aJtoru"r general W.
are unable 10 see. II The present at-
torncy general i one or the 'pron.i-
nent attorneys who accept The small
Office ur attorney general as a stop
ping stone 10 something higher then
its 'reUmcur OF having no attornc.
general capable of handling these MAJ
teys falls Hat.
In the sumo Issue OF this excellent
paper there is another paragraph
which attracted our attention. Il ro.-
lows:
When Raney and Fleming ana Dan
lei ana Cjh"rs Of same POLITICAL belief
were beir" paid handsome fees by tho
l. !. BoGId ever ythinG was rosy ana
sweet on the horizon Of some news
BaDerS. bUI when the ether fellows