Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1908-02-15

money that goes every year into the
pockets of New York lawyers. 1t is
based on the opinion of a noted at
toTaey, who is pessimistic rather than
gwen to exaggeration- On one side
were fees of $750,000 and 100000
earned in single cases. Among the
great lawyers 100000 fees are not I'M
usual.
The fees of the great attorneys in
the past seem pitifully small Rufus
Choate, even when recognized as one
of the greatest of American lawyers,
took cases for $50 again and again. 1t
was only toward the close OF his career
that he thought that sum too small.
Aaron Burr, a successful practitioner
in his day, accepted cases for much
less Daniel Webster, in the height of
his legal career in Boston-in the days
of the Dartmouth college case-earned
see, 900 a year. Before his life ended
he accepted contributions of money
from his friends. The same wRs true
of Henry Clay
Lincoin's Small Fees
Like Lincoln, both of these famous
men sacrificed much to public life. One
of Lincoln's largest fees while a law
yer in Illinois was a land warrant
for his services in the Black Hawk
war. He took a tract of land in Iowa,
opposite Omaha. His fellow-lawyers
took him to task for accepting small
fees, or none at all, saying it demora-
lized the profession. ''Old Abe as he
| was then called, defended two boys on
murder charges and would take moth
ing for it. When he came to New
York in 1860 to deliver his famous adj
dress at the Cooper institute, an old
friend asked him how he Jared in the
world
"Oh, very WE'LL Lincoln is said to
have replied. I have cottage at
| Springfield and about $4,000 in money.
| If they make me vice-president with
Seward, as some say they will, shall
| be able to increase it to $4,000, and
| that is as much as any man ought to
| want
| Lincoln's fortunes were about in
| this condition when he went to the
| White House as president.
When New York lawyers talk of at
| torneys who have earned big fees they
usually mention William Nelson Crom-
well among the first. He is "a physi-
clan of Wall street. the new type of
lawyer bred by the growth of great
corporations, the most skillful reor-
! ganizer of wrecked business enter
prises in the legal profession. But
among laymen he is better known as
the man who earned s1,00O,0O0 when
| he bought the Panama canal.
MIR. Cromwell, a small, secretive and
| rather nervous man, has been COM
| pared to a mole for the way he bur-
| rows into intricate business prob
l IJo
| with brilliant financial skill
Fortune in Single Case.
A man with such a unique genius
| might be expected to make exception
ally large fees. His first big case, for
| instance, brought 100000. This was
| in November, 1890. The brokerage
| firm of Decker, Howell & Co. was
| forced to suspend with liabilities of
| S10,000,000. Mr.. Cromwell was made
assignee He managed the affairs OF
the concern skillfully that he de-
efared dividend of 100 per cent. He
was paid $7,222.16 for this work
The many great cases that have
since added to Mr.. Cromwelrs fame
! were overshadowed by his fee for the
| Panama canal deal. Busy as he was
here, Mr.. Cromwell found time to look
into the higher politics of Central and
| South America How he got track oil
| the situation in Panama is a mystery
| When he became general counsel for
the new Panama Canal Company In
1896 the isthmian route hardly had a
friend in this country. He quietly
started the campaign to have the
United States buy the property, wor
over the French bondhclders, gained
supporters for the scheme in this
country and finally offered the United
States the option of the canal fol
$4,000, 600 What came after-the
failure of the Hay-Herran treaty, tbs
Panama revolution, said to have beer
planned in New York, and the hasten
ing of the negotiations-is famiiia,
history But as monument to the
genius of Mr. Cromwell was fee the
Ike of which can hardly be paral
1e1ed in the history of ,tl1e legal profes
sion 1t was not fee, properly speak
ing. but a commission The -larges'
estimate of it is 81 .000, 006-s In reality
Mr.. Cromwelfs profits have been estf
mated as nearer $4,000 900.
Guthrie's Big Victory.
Equally remarkable in its way was
the fee William D. Guthrie recei red in
the Plant will contest. He was al
| c~ss-nSe1 Mrs