Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-10-29
SOUTH AMBOY COUNCIL CENSURES
CITY SOLICITOR FOR HIS ACTION
Object TO Manner in Which He Re-
tanned His Counsers Fee for Ser
vices in Susuuehanna Coal Co.
WHOLE MATTER is THRESHED OUT

, council. The reply which | gave to
this resolution that you passed last
meeting night was not intended to be
fippant, nor was it intended to be
disagreeable, but it was reply made
by person who was severely hurt
by the action of your body.
AS / said in my reply l have
worked here with a good many OF
you for a number of years, and it is
the first time in all my experience
that l was ever subjected to anything
of this kind. As Councilman Man
haitian says, at least l gather from
what he says, and gather from the
other members OF the council, there
is no objection to the fee which /
charged. Now If that Is so / cannot
understand what all this criticism is
about. You do not have to take my
word for it, you can go-if you want
to find out the law you have to go to
to the lawyers-you can go to any
reputable lawyer in this county or
state or any other state and ask
them whether or not had a right to
reserve from the moneys put in my
hands such sums as / thought were
proper for my services and ] will
venture to say you will not find one
single lawyer or one single fair
minded person who will not agree
with the action | took in taking out
my fee from the monies which canlc
to my hands.
Delivers UItimatum.
Now / will admit the fee is a
large one, but | will also say that the
services which were rendered We're
important. The time which | gave
to this case and energy which / de-
voted TO it are certainly worth some
thing and / did not intend nor do I
intend now to take any chances on
the amount to be paid to me for
these services and l want that dis
tinctly understood Now / won't say
do not care, but l will say this, |
have taken the stand set forth in my
reply to your resolution and unless
there is some higher authority, ! do
not intend to pay back to the city OF
South Amboy or any of it's officers
one single penny of this $500 un-
less | am made to do it. Now that is
the ultimatum as you might call 1t,
and that is the stand take, and that
Is the stand every decent, reputable
and honest lawyer would take, and
do not intend to be put in the posi-
ton of having to wrangle or scrap or
to litigate for my fee.
81 am sorry you gentlemen do not
see the situation in the light that
saw it when l reserved from the
moneys in my hands the fee which |
think l was entitled to. The fact that
you do not see the way / saw it is
not my fault. hope that the reply
which / have made to the resolution
will persuade the members of the
council that the attitude which /
took was the correct one. ! hope,
not that they will see the error Of
their ways, but that they will con-
slider and realize the position that |
am In and the position which i took,
and that after they read this reply
carefully they will come to the same
conclusion and that was that | had
a perfect right to retain my fee.
The relations which have existed be-
tween me and all the members of the
council from the very first time |
was appointed borough attorney have
been we might say almost unani-
nous, the relations between us have
been courteous. There is not man
on the council, either this one or
the previous one, can say / have tried
to play politics or give any advice
In reference to any question except
conscientiously thought to be the
law That is the position | took in
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