Evening journal., 1912-01-25
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
A Famous Lawyer and q
Friend Who Sought Free
Legal Advice
By Holland

"a good many years ago-long be-
! fore Elihu Root had become one OF
the great public men Of his time, and
when he had never dreamed of sit
ting in the cabinets of two presidents,
or thought It was possible for him TO
be elected to the United States SEN
ate-he was as perfectly able TO take
care of himself as he has in these
| latter years shown himself 10 be" said
one of Mr. Roots old friends, General
Howard Carroll, candidate for con-
! gressman-at-large from New York
State on the Republican ticket in 1882.
Il became well acquainted with Mr..
Root at a time when he was active in
New York city politics as a young
man. He had already won a reputation
as lawyer of unusual and profound
knowledge OF the law as a science,
with an equally great gift for the
practical application Of the law to
questions of business.
AT that time-and | suppose the
situation still holds good-it was no
unusual thing for a politician who
wanted to get information upon some
legal point. or advice respecting some
matter Of business in which he was
interested, 10 ask a political friend,
who was also a good lawyer, what
was the best thing to be done under
a given set of circumstances, the
politicians, of course, expecting that
the reply would be given freely as
matter of friendship. Mr.. Root had
the usual experiences of this sort, but
he was always able to satisfy his
friends without in any way causing
them to feel offended, and, at the same
time. without giving to them valuable
legal opinions unless he got paid for
them.
"a personal friend of mine, with
whom / was somewhat intimately as
ISOLATED. found himself greatly per-
picked over a certain matter which
called for competent legal advice. l
was with him one day in an elevated
railroad car in New York when who
should come in but Ehhu Root and
take seat near us My friend in
stantly told me that as he was on
very good personal and political terms
with Mr.. Root, he thought there would
/ be nothing out of the way If he put
/ the matter that was worrying him be-
! fore Mr.. Root and asked him what
would be his advice in the matter.
And, suiting his actions to his words,
4 he went over to Mr.. Root, laid the
matter before him and asked him If
he could suggest a way safely out OF
the difficulty.
"Mr Root was all urbanity. He dis
played the greatest interest in the
proposition. He asked many questions
about It, as though he we're trying tc
get clear understanding of the en-
tire matter. Then, after he had beer
sufficiently informed, he began a lega
exposition. To me, a layman, it was
wonderfully interesting. and during
the fifteen minutes that Mr. Root talk
ed / listened most attentively So die
my friend, and when Mr.. Root haC
finished. he was profuse in his thanks
adding that the counsel which he haC
just received was of the greatest value
TO him and that he should most GER
tainlY act upon 1t.
But said Mr.. Root, Just as w
we're leaving the train, there is On'
thing more that | want TO say to you
you must not bank too confidently ol
the advice which have just given you
for nothing is truer in my profession
than that free law is mighty bad law,
With that he left us. My frien'
stood perpleXed for some time, won
dering If there was any sarcasm il
the last part of Mr.. Roots advice.
kept my own face straight, although
! realized that in the parting moni
tion there had been abudant sarcasm
Copyright, 1912, by e. ]. Edwards
All rights reserved)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell o
"The Shipping Man Who Shortened
Trade Route Thousands of Miles,"