The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1853-02-11
The Desianco Land sales Again.

'oHu""S " "S ~ foo"'" hO H"'no'
which he sends us Of prominent and
wealthy citizens who have purchased
from, five 10 fourteen hundred acres OF
the Stale Lands, at .he reduced price, in
different tracts, msking the necessary
affidavit Of intended actual settlement,
and for the provision Of homo for them.
selves and family. Some ofthese gentle.
men are lawyers, physicians, farmers,
&c, All men of abHWdant wealth.
Several Of them are men with whom we
are personally friendly, and Of whom we
would not believe, and do NOT believe,
tha, they have taken the oath Of settle
ment understanding il as we do. Intact
we know the contrary. Able lawyers
advised them that it had very different
meaning. And il there is a picture Of
the perversion Of the human mind darker
than all others, il is that Of a nanpro.
fessedly studying the profound principles
Of justice, as developed in the laws, and
the principles Of the laws, Of his coualry,
md then misapplying those principles
and evading the intention Of those laws
by cropping out little tcchnicali!ies to
write a lie against their letter and spirit.
Such men are false and unworthy priests
in The temple Of public justice, and
cause men 10 do ncts which, but for heir
lying sophslries, would not be done, and
with them rests in most instances the
greater part Of the responsibility.
Our hesitation does not spring from
the fact tina. these men are personally
friendly TO US, but from our reluctance
and doubt Of our right, as a public jpul.
nelist, to drag The names Of private ciii.
zens before the public, and make their
acts, as such, subjects Of animadveIslon.
In tho case of Messrs. Johnson and
Welles, their names and conduct we're
already before the public, but ty no act
of ours. Under these circumstances we
were free to comment on their acts
already made public, We do not wish
TO be understood that MIR. Wclles was
more especially TO blame than others,
aud we do NOT think that we havo any
where so minated. But numbers never
sanctify wrong. And it is we'll known
10 tho public that numbers have done
wrong in this matter, and if the Legisla-
ture and the State officers aFe wiling 10
cover il up, we know no obligation
resting upon us, 10 do more than to call
proper attention to the matter. and we
have already done all VIC conceive 10 be
our duty.
In saying this we do mel wish to be
understood TO retract single word OF
The censure we have visited upon the
frauduen: character Of this whole trans
action. We will not judge others, but no
legal soplislry could have led US to ms.
take what good conscience required in
making an affidavit for our personal
advantage. But perhaps we are squeam-
isb; there is an elasticity Of mind that
regulates itself by Statute. And, as the
poet says,
"Why should not conscience have vacation
"As well as other courts o. the nation! '+
"Have equal power to adjourn,
"Appont appeuran ;e, and return?"
Since writing the above we find the
following notice Of the action Of the
Legislative Committee on this question
in the Lima Argus:-
"We learned from Mr.. Morrison, who
was in town last week, that the com.
rniliee mentioned above, met, bur that
no prosecutor or witness appeared before
it, and consequently the committee ad-
journed without doing anything. Ii is
wrong, indeed criminal, for an officer to
be arraigned for dishonest prac'ices, if
there is no proof TO sustain the chirge,
and we epine if there had been, it would
have been before the committee"
That Committee, called upon to iHves-
liglte wrong, met together, and wanted
some one 10 do lheir business for them,
and as there was not, adjourned without,
doing it, thus grossly neglecting their
duty. We know that iha; officer did not
do his duty I'VE are also aware that the |
facts 10 prove this we're within the reach
Of the Legislature, if they had desired to
reach them; but as We said before, the
Committee would either whitewaslilthe
wrong or do nothing. We were right.
As 10 the 'crininality" Of arraigning the |
officer for his conduct, we have done so,