New-York tribune., 1919-05-15

expression, or anything like it, directly
or indirectly. Neither did l use the
expression that l was going to break
IN with an axe or anything like that.
dad not ask if there was a vacancy
IN ms hrm and did not ask him for
any place IN his firm, and did not want
! to join his firm, and do not now.
81 never asked him directly or in
directly about going in with Mr.. Stanch-
feid or to be introduced to Mr.. Stanch-
neld' or TO take any matter of any
kind up with Mr.. Stanchfield. In fact.
at that time l had already made ar
rangements to carry on my own bust
ness.
Alleges a Deep Scheme
Inc now. apparent purpose of the
governors false statements on the oc-
caslon while testifying in Albany be-
fore the adjournment of the Leeislat-
ure was to make trouble for me with
my friends, and drive such of nv
friends as he claimed 1 had ridiculed
or abused to the support of the Car
son, Martin bill, for which he was
working.
The fact is that in the st. Regis
conversation the Governor, first thing,
suggested that / come to New York to
practise law and suggested $4,000 a
|
lie went into some detail as to the
amount of business he was doing, said
ne had earned $4,000 in three months;
that his concern would do over $780,
600 this year, and that his office ex-
penses were about $4,000 a month: that
ne drew two wills in one week and got
$1,000 apiece for them; that he settled
one lawsuit without appearing in court
at all and got $4,000 for it.
ASHAMED to Take the Money!
"He observed that the money was
coming in SO fast that he was almost
ashamed to take it; that he had made
inquiry among the other lawyers and
found that such big fees were the Gus
tom; that he intended to buy a house
and lot; that he had been obliged to
increase the help in his office until he
had it completely filled and could not
get more room until after October first.
i had had no notice of what he
wanted to talk with me about, or what
ne was trying to get at. He talked
along until it became apparent that he
had no particular work for me to do
up its own mind as to what he meant
by the suggestion.
AT that time, when he suggested to
me to come to New York, I told him
little about my own circumstances
Now, | might be pardoned as an in
divldual for not liking the reference
that he made to me- 1t was untrue, and
it was undeserved. I had gone to his
hotel at his request to talk with him.
and certainly was not trying to break
IN anywhere with an axe, and | was
not trying to get any connection to
practise law in New York. / do not have
to practise law in New York, and my own
circumstances are such that l earn
enough money honestly and always
nave all my life, to get along and live
we'll enough in these times.
Wanted No Favor" Practice
rAnd I told some of that to Governor
Whitman, and l told him that the idea
of practising law here never had ap-
pealed to me, that l always felt that If
somebody broke ,ntc the practice of
law down here, that it would mean
some kind of practice that he got, not
because of his ability as lawyer, or
ms ablllSy to present a case to court,
but because of some favor that he
might have done somebody when ne
was in public Office, and did not want
any of that"
The point of this last was not lost
on Thompson's audience, who laughed
loudly.
MIR. Whitman next entered into
talk on state politics and suggested
that the next candidate for Governor
should come from upstate and that |
would be the most available candidate.
and that he intended to run for United
states SENATOR continued Senator
Thompson.
after this he leaned back in his
hot
you about was that Mr. Shonts wanted
me to talk to you about the Carson
Martin BILL and I want you to supnort
IT, and he said, 4 have not been re-
tained'
Refused to Support Bill
Il said, Why, Governor, you 90 not
understand this bill. 1t is not simply
a question of permitting the Public
Service Commission to regulate fares.
but 1t carries with it a reputation
OF contract obligations. | cannot sun
port 1t and l have made it perfectly
clear that | cannot
1T was then that l referred to the
TACT that hearing had been had and
Governor Hughes had been there and
maze very convincing argument as
to the power of the Legislature. but
that ne nor anybody else could con-
vince me that the Legislature should
ADOPT policy permitting any person.
urn or corporation to retain the bene
hts OF a contract and be permitted at
the same time to repudiate their obli
cations. | argued with him at some
length about it and'told him it would
be absolutely impossible for me to sun
port this bill in its present form.
lie argued that the railroads were
IN bad way, some receiverships had
been had, more were likely to follow
on July l, and that more monev ought
to be provided in some way. He said
1T would be bad Republican politics IN
defeat the bill, because when tha re
celvershlps came, if | defeated the
bill, the Republican party would ha
charged with it.
Not a Party Measure
1t told him | did not so regard il .
that | would take all the responsibilitv
for my own individual acts and tbst
the matter was not party measure
and | did not believe that onvbod,,
would dare suggest that it should be
made one "-" NC
u told him it was not anv Of nv
business how much fare the duly CON
stltuted authorities in the City Of New
orK allowed the railroads to collect.
tnat | was not going to worry owe.
That, but that | would oppose any i'm
pairmefit of contract and had no OBJ
Jection TO revision of contract |
"here benefits as we'll as obligations
could be revised. He then wanted to