The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-27
Prdcticing LdW and Influence
By SAW oYARD

dure the surly climate of Vermont, and he took up his quarters in Philadelphia. Another was that he was converted to the view of Beck that no senator or mem- Der could honorably be retained attor- ney of a corporation; and yet another version was that he was possessed with an overwhelming disgust when a batch of mining camps and cattle ranches in the West were made sovereign states of, the Union. The story went that soon after those sisters came in Edmunds and Evarts were one day sitting on lounge in the senate republican cloak room dis Icussing some grave matter of state, or abstruse question of law, when one of the new senators came in, a former cow boy, and walking to them he uncere- moniously and rather rudely showed Evarts aside with ''I say, old cock, have some business with this old chap" and then he spoke to Edmunds about bill that he had introduced and that had been referred to the Judiciary com mittee, of which Edmunds was chair man. At least that was the story they told about the time Edmunds resigned. He entered the senate in 1866 and could have remained to this day had be elected to do so He is still living.
 Now I do not believe that when my old friend Beck was driving at the abuse | 1t was fragrant, though l am convinced that it's tendency was demoralizng. But we have fallen on times when it is vici- | n11G in he Co. i'either house of congress to practice law for the corporations at the same time he holds a brief to practice statecraft for the people. And I care not how honest the solon is.
 l have in mind a certain member of the national legislature. Report says he has retainers of $20,000 per annum from corporations. He gets $750Q from the people. He is comparatively an obscure man. His name Is rarely in the papers. He was employed immediately after his election to the office he now holds. And without his public station that man could not get retainer of 5000 or 5000. from those clients. Why, lawyers, better than he, are as thick as fleas in Spain One of his clients is threatened by certain pro- posed legislation. 1t may be that if the thing comes to issue he will vote for the bill and against his client, for he is as
 
 was that man hired for? You know, though I do not believe he knows. It is possible he does not.
  One conspicuous acceptant of seat in the senate put 1t this way: 'I do not practice influence" How does he know? Who is to draw the line between 'ip- f1uence" and law? And what Is fin fuence" and what Is law in this connec- tion? Can a senator go into the su- preme court and practice law and then step few yards away, and with the same issue before him, vote as he ar gued, and call that influence for which he makes no charge, whereas he had charged a fat fee for the law he had practced a moment before In the same behalf?
 Can a man serve two masters when their interests are antagonistic? Then member of the national legislature can practice law one side and solonism on the other at the same time Not otherwise.
 There are gradations in bribery. In the old day the money was in hand paid That was when Southern treason made Northern corruption respectable, if not patriotic. One morning a great man got a $1000 treasury note that he kept and never found out whence 1t came. He did other similar things. John N Ed wards in the Kansas City Times cruci- fled him at the crossroads of public opinion.
 | Then they resorted to other methods 1 the poker game, where it was under stood the briber was to lose and the corrupted to win They do that even ! now, and I have heard of game in New York where the stake would simply | stagger you.
 l
 1 But the more artistic and more adrot way of bribing a solon now days is to retain him as a lawyer and I am thor | oughly convinced that some of those are bribed without being at all aware of 1t. | Yet there are others of whom 1t was written of old:
 "The OK knoweth his owner, and the ass his masters crib
 | Take every man out of the two houses | of congress who is a retained attorney | for the corporations, and they might be reduced to- the necessity Of skimming around for quorums.