Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 162, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 July 1913 — ATTORNEYS ALLOWED $10,000 FOR WORK [ARTICLE]

ATTORNEYS ALLOWED $10,000 FOR WORK

Lang Owners are Making Vigorous Complaint at Size of F 69 Allowed Ryan Ditch Lawyers. Special Judge Cunningham before leaving Tuesday allowed Attorneys Foltz and Williams a fee of SIO,OOO for their work in behalf of the Ryan ditch, which is 4 per cent of $250,000,- the estimated cost of the ditch This is the maximum sum" allowed by law It is understood ttyat the attorneys who represented thfe remonstrators did not make any formal objection to the allowance, although they refused to recommend that the court allow that amount N Several of the land owners assessed for the ditch have made a vigorous protest against the allowance and their criticism seems more directed against the court than the attorneys This ditch has been in court only about a year and the fee seems excessive for the amount of legal work involved One attorney said Tuesday afternoon that he would have considered half the amount entirely adequate There is a sort of professional ethics among lawyers, it is said, that they do not object to the allowance of fees to one another, as any of them may get into position at any time where they need the aid of the other fellow to get a big fee. Attorneys Halleck and Potter, w'e believe, were alloyed only $7,500 for the Marble ditch petition, which has gone through the suprenie court and which has been in litigation in some form or another for about six years. Austin O. Moore was very indignant at Mie size of the {ee, and others are said to feel the same way. Judge Cunningham appointed County Surveyor Devere Yeoman, superintendent of the ditch. The remonstrators who filed notice of appeal will have thirty days in which to perfect the appeal and if they decide to carry it to a higher court they will have sixty days more to prepare the transcript. Charles Guild, »of Medaryville. was here Tuesday afternoon and was greatly pleased that the ditch had been established and said that its construction will mean the redemption of a large’amount of land in Gillam township.