New Britain herald., 1925-01-26
THE OPPOSITION TO
 MIR. STONI,

Opposition to Attorney General Harlan F. Stone's nomination to the supreme court takes on one of those manifestations in politics that is based upon the premise that q lawyer who during his career accepts a mil lionairc of rich corporation as a client is not to be trusted as a high judicial officer,
 When John W, Davis was nom- mated as the Democratic candidate for the presidency 1t was. immedi- ately stressed by his political op- ponents that he once had been a Wall street lawyer" and identified with the Morgan firm. Efforts 10 broadcast this 'taint" continued throughout the election campaign.
 Now the guns of suspicion point to MT Stone. The situation is more aggravated in his case because of his nomination to the Supreme court bench.
 MT. Stone was one Of the counsel for agents of the estate of J. Pier pont Morgan in an argument before the Supreme court involving coal properties In Colorado. One James Ownbey of Boulder, Colo, claimed that the property was wrongfully taken from him.
 The retainer for Mr Stone in the case was in all probability a mere dollars and cents affair for him, bread and butter proposition. Had MT. Ownbey called at his office first and retained him MT. Stone would have been in duty bound as lawyer to fight his case.
 But nowadays, from a political stand point, lawyer is placed in the peculiar position of being forced to have all poor clients, with sides of arguments appealing to popular prejudice, if he would get along in popular estimation. Yet it has been an axiom of the legal profession for years that in order to obtain the big fees, to get along in the increment of lucre that clinks, it is necessary to be what is known as a corpora ton lawyer Few lawyers, when they are young and struggling. will fully bury the ambition to. some day obtain a fee of $l00,000 from a corporation--o maybe several such | fees, or fees that run even higher. It i is hard to find any who would dodge the possibility Of such a fee in order to keep the cuffs of his trousers clean so as to walk into public office later without besmirching the carpet, But after a lawyer attains sufficient proficiency to be retained by corporation or rich client in case involving high stakes, thus having the hallmark of ability stcnciled upon him, the wolf cry of corpora ton lawyer" pursues him to the end of his days.
 l If being such a lawyer and at the same time being candidate for l public office doesn't mix, it is clear that a great many able lawyers will 1 be barred from such office and many of inferior ability will gain office.
 Fear of placing such a lawyer as Mr. Stone upon the Supreme tribunal, of course, hinges upon the possibility that his decisions in i'm portant cases will tend to reflect previous associations. Some of our most important upscts of congress sional legislation has been by to 4 decisions and the watch dogs in the Senate apear inclined to scrutinize every candidate for the bench with the eyes of a hawk in search of prey.
 Another charge against Mir, Stone is that he contemplated seeking the indicting of Senator Wheeler in the 1 District of Columbia, after a special committee headed by Senator Borah last year cxoncratcd Senator Wheel CT of charge in Montana, which wns considered as d frame up' by large sections of the public, To transfer the proceedings 10 a federal court in Washington is regarded as nre judicial tn the interests of Mir, Wheeler and that Mir. Srone IS open to criticism if he conferences such action,
 President Coolidge would have avoided all this difficulty in gaining ratification Of Mr. stone for the Su- prcme court had he nominated MT. Hughes for the position. The latter in all probability would have been glad to be returned 10 such agree able employment.
 COMPLETE SURVEY OF
 MFJJGD DEBTS