The evening world., 1908-10-15

John A Shields. clerk OF the United
states C!rcui. Court, recently got
b, 1855 20 FOR Just writing his name. FACT.
He signed a transcript OF the record OF
HE case in the lower court. HIS Zee
was perfectly legal. He was paid al
30 much per folio for his signature at
the foot of the last folio.
Another beneficiary was James Fl. Nc
Eenney. clerk OF the United States ST.
preme Court. He got IS 80 from the
city and a similar sum from the State
Of New York Toy reprint'ng the record
Of the case under the rules OF the Su-
preme Court.
s26,oO0 for Mr.. Masten.
Probably the most surprising bin pre-
scented and paid was that OF Special
Master Arthur H Masten, who gave
the Gas Trust several million dollars
worth OF property II did not know 1t
had Mr. Masten has cashed two
checks. one for SIS $50 and the other for
$4,000. This Is understood 10 total the
cost OF the reference.
The first big investment made by the
public was in 1905 when the Stevens
Gas Investigating Committee took hold
OF the proposition OF whether 81 per
1000 cubic feet Was not an eNorb!tant
price to charge FOR gas In New York
City. It cost just s37. 3S3 % to find out
that the public was being robbed.
Charles E. Hughes. counsel for the corn
rnittee, received $4,000 for his services.
and he was underpaid.
On the heels OF the investigation was
the creation OF the State Gas Commits
NJ har I
1905 and concluded July !. 1907. Aside
from issuing the original order for
So-cent gas. the commissioners accom-
pllshed little beyond cashing vouchers
OF expense totaling >l0' $3.50.
THEN the SO-Cent Gas law was passed
by the Legislature. The day after It
went into effect Joseph H. Choate
sprang his Injunction surprise IN the
United State Circuit Court restraining
the off ais OF the state from enforcing
the penalties of the statute and alleg-
ing the law 10 be unconstitutional in
that It conhscated the Gas Trusts prop
erty.
Fight Has Been Expensive.
The great proportion of the total cost
OF the fight has been expended In de-
Tending the constitutionality of the So
cent gas law. Gas experts, lawyers anG
stenographers haye reaped harvest A
Republican Legislature gave a Demo
cratic Attorney General SS.,Sj4.s4 to up
hold the law. 1t also gave s7,5SS tc
Former United States Senator David b
Hill, and $4,000 10 State Senator Alfred
Il. Page for their services IN the gas liti
cation
The Public Service Commission also
took a hack at the big fight II estab
llshed n Bureau of Gas and Electricity
which 1t operated at an annual cost OF
$4,000, and It went into the subject o
gas making with vengence. Edward
D. Whitney was retained TO load up fol
the United States Supreme Court. and
he was recently paid $1,000 on account
In addition $4,000 has been spent by thu
board In printing, stenographlc work ant
special expenses.
But the real sinews OF war have beel
furnished by the City of New York
which alone. independent OF the State
has already paid out sl2S,2234 In flghtini
the Gas Trust Assistant Corporation
Counsel William p. Burr has done moth
ing else for three years but direct tn
the term of Corporation Counsel Delany
was continued by Corporation Counse
Ellison, and is now being carried on b.
Corporation Counsel Pendleton
Citys Part In Fight.
The independent investigation OF tn
City OF New York arose from the fac
that IL was the largest individual Gus
toner of the Gas Trust 1t took tn
brunt for the 3Jg,999 other customers o
the monopoly In the latter part OF 1870
the city procured a bond issue of $4,000
The bulk Of this money went to experts
among whom We're W. d. Marks. f. w