The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1911-06-18
MIGHTY BIC FEES
FOR TRUST BUSTERS
They Cost Uncle Sam Lot of Money and They Seem
to Be Necessary in Nearly Every Case
That Arises.

! is reason, for such fees as are shown"
said Mr.. Beall.
Mr.. Beach really did not do so we'll with
his Medidian Hill condemnation, as did
A. A. Birney, another special assistant,
in managing the condemnation Of blocks
63 and So. District of Columbia. Mr..
Birney got $4,000 for this work, since
March 5, 1903. His case will be looked
into in detail by the committee in due
time. Chairman Beal wonders whether
condemnation at such figures ought to
be condemned.
Not wholly unlike these last two men,
toned cases, Is that of II. c. Gauss. He
was private secretary to Attorney Gen.
eral Eonaparte. But ne, too, was pushed
along into the upholstered situation Of a
special assistant. He was given the job
Of examining lands of the United
States in the District Of Columbia" and
for that he has suddenly risen from the
modest remuneration OF q secretary. to
the sl0,372.2 q that he drew from March 5,
1903. to May 81. 1911
How Lawyer Erwin Stuck.
Everybody remembers the Carter
Greene-Gaynor case-that is, all the
members of the nonagenarian club. 1t
started when they were in knickerbock-
ers. and Marion Erwin. then g. Federal
lawyer down In Georgia, started with 1t.
Marion has stuck to 1t since, with what
profit to his own bank account may be
Judged from the fact that in the last
two years he has been paid Sl5,435 for
services in connection with it
And there is Wade H. Ellis. Mr..
Ellis was assistant to the Attorney Gem
eral-the subhmated Job to which alIu-
sion has already been made; a job which
is an aristocracy by Itself. carefully TO
be differentiated from that of a mere
Assistant Attorney General Anyhow,
Mr.. Ellis was THE Assistant to the At
torney General He was also from Ohio
Ohio politics was in its constitutional
condition Of compiled ton; things didn't
lock good for Republicans out there.
President Taft was not strong. and yet
1t was his home State.
Mr.. Ellis, IL was finally announced,
would leave his position. return to his
Ohio practice, and have charge of Ohio
political affairs in behalf of the Admin
istration. Great confidence was ex-
pressed that under his skillful manage
ment things would soon look better for
the Republicans.
Wasn't So Bad, After All.
1t seemed tough for Wade to give up
a good Job, with a capitalized title, just
to save Ohio. But on inspection of the
Attorney Generals report one is graft
fled to note that Wade has, in the last
two years, been able to do something
besides look after politics. He got
81, 717.73 in antitrust cases" That
doubtless compensates him somewhat
for the fact that the Democrats last
fall were unkind enough to reflect on
his political management by electing
Harmon governor, with majority that
broke all records in its class
There has been good deal of unac-
countable disaffection over the liberality
the Government shows to the special as
sistants. In various other departments.
the Government employs many lawyers,
at modest salaries. Great cases. lnVolV-
ing the interstate commerce and other
laws, public domain. etc, are earned 10
the Supreme Court and there argue6omc
and won-by lawyers at 1900 to $'Uo
salaries.
These lawyers occupy humble post
tions, giving all their time to the Gov
eminent; they go up against the great
est corporation lawyers in the country.
but they get no big fees as special as
ststants." Nobody except the fortunate
ones in the Department Of Justice gets
those.
Disaffection Is Result.
The result of this apparent discrimina-
lion is disaffection on the part OF the
men who work all the time and draw the
small salaries, while the more favored
ones get the big cases, the big publicity,
the big opportunities. and the big fees.
These are the aspects that have been
interesting Chairman Beall and his COM
mittee.
The Justice Department is in an I'M
comfortable frame since the investign-
ton started. There has been expecta-
ton apparent in that quarter that some
thing uncomfortable might happen.
When Chairman Beall got the report
on compensation of special assistants
he, too, thought something uncom1ont-
n bio might hammer