Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-03-23
Rev. Buckner in
Support of Campaign
Waged by Brother

~ SN~4AAk>A III
Support of Campaign
Waged by Brother
The work of Emory r. Buclner.
recently made United States district
attorney for New York. in APPLYING
the paddock to the gay night life cafes
along Broadway because of violations
of the Nolstead act is of more than
ordinary interest to Waterville people
because his brother, Rev. Arthur
Buckner, is minister of the Unitarian
church of this city.
ReV. Mr. Buckner is firmly in sup
port OF the sensational campaign
that his brother has waged against
the illegal liquor traffic and night
life of the Great White Way. Eyes"
ne said, Il enthusiastically approve
my brothers attempt to make Broad
way dry" He believes that the dis
trlct attorney will make New York as
dry as Kansas was % years ago when
they lived at home with their father
Rev. J. II. Buckner, then a Methodist
minister. but recently depose7 be-
cause of his religious beliefs. Pro-
hibition in Kansas at that time, Mr.
Buckner said, was about SIS percent
efficient, which he believes to be
quite good record.
In further commenting on his bro
tier. Mr.. Buckner says: my brother
is emphatically not a prohibition
crank. He has. however, a very high
ideal as to the sanctity of the law.
Above all he is scrupulously con-
scientious regarding any sort of an
obligation. He graduated from the
University of Nebraska in 1904 and
from Harvard law school in 1907.
He was entirely -supprting while
obtaining his education. He went
to New York in 1907 without a pull
of any sort other than of his own
creation. He entered the firm of
Henderson, Cravath and DeGersdorf
as law clerk. a year later he OBJ
tanned subordinate position in the
office where he is now chief under
Mr.. Simpson.
1t was in this position that he pre-
pared the famous case of the six
teen holes" against the American SUI
gar Refining Company. The excel
lence OF his work was a surprise to
his chief but it was a shock to the
sugar trust. A year later, or there
abouts, he became assistant district
attorney under Mr.. Whitman. | fol-
lowed the New York papers very
closely. at this time and it did seem
that my brother handled all the ma
Jor and difficult cases of the district
attorneys office. These included the
famous Stokes case which the public
is just now recalling and the O'Reilly
case. A few years later he was chief
council for the aldermanic investigat-
ing committee. which investigated the
police conditions of New York city.
There are many who treasure today
my brothers cross examination of
Mayor Gaynor in this connection as
a classic in the art Of cross examin-
alton.
! Ten years ago he accepted a part
nerShip with three other young men,
which continued until he accepted
the district attorneyship last month.
The firm is Root. Clark, Buckner d
! Rowland of 81 Nassau street. The
partners are nearly the same age
| and are of the same class from Har-
ward. While the address of the firm
| las remained unchanged their office
| has expended from two rooms to
| two entire floors: their clerical help
| from one Office girl to over 100, be-
sides a staff of some 35 lawyers. In
! private practice of law my brother
| put in operation two innovations. In
| the first place he conceived the nov
| ell idea of efficiency and dispatch as
related to cases at law. So far as
1 am aware he is the only lawyer that
quite acquired this idea. 1t meant
the introduction of an elaborate sys-
| tenn of records such as are main
| tanned by up-todate dentists and
surgeons SO that any client may dis
cover the precise status of his case
| at any unexpected moment. His sec
| ond innovation was the idea of treat
| ing employees as human beings. Ev-
| cry lawyer, clerk, stenographer and
office boy in the employ of Root,
, Clark Buckner Il Rowland receives
! an annual bonus. The spirit of CO.
operation and achievement prevails
in the office.
l fear that it is not of preliminary
! interest regarding my brother. Let
me add just one more comment. My
brother has all his life been measur-
| ing his strength with more forbid
ding and seemingly impossible task.
| During the hard times of the nine
| ties my father was a poor Metho-
| dist preacher in Oklahoma. His
small salary of 500 was sadly in
arrears. During the summer fol-
lowing his graduation from high
| school, my brother might have found
some small employment but he chose
an audacious program of teaching
| himself stcnography. In the fail he
entered a competitive examination
| with many experienced stenograph-
ers and easily won the position of
| court reporter. His salary of $500
| became the bulwark of the family
budget. That year we celebrated
| Christmas.
! Later he fell in love with Rather
| inc Reach. one of the most popular
| girls in the territory. Competition
was strong. Fathers house was
white in color and the buggy. old
but the best that one could hope for
as a poor parsons. However. broth
er won the girl. Usually a young
| man with no money either marries
or goes to college. My brother, with
| his natural bent to achieve the i'm
| possible did both. AS a self-support-
| ing married man he graduated from
| the University of Nebraska in three
years instead of four. He really
| was in no hurry to get through
school so far as I know. At this
! late hour / hazard the opinion that
| he crammed four years work into
thee because of the lure of impossi-
bility. Moreover, time hung so heavy
! on his hands at Nebraska that he be-
| came the lion of his fraternity, the
manager of the football squad and