Quasqueton guardian. (Quasqueton, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1856-1858, 1858-05-13
INDEPENDENCE, May 9Th, 1858.


INDEPENDENCE, May otn, 1905.
Mr.. EDIron.
Permit the, through the col
umns of your paper, to say few words
to Notaries Public in general, Notaries of
Independence in particular, and very par
ticularly, indeed, to some few of that nu-
merous squad last mentioned, who have
been SO wonderfully obliging on repeated
occasions, as to do microscopically small
things in the notarial business, which, if
performed by an intensely specimen of a
tradesman in any other business now
iranacting, would procure for him the
unmitigated contempt of every honorable
dealing man in the community. Some
of them to whom [ allude. have not hes
itated, on an occasion, to commit mean
things, of sufficient magnitude to be pro-
nounced by the 9th section Of the 158th
chapter of the ACTS of the Fifth General
Assembly of the State of Iowa, misde-
meanors, which section also provides for
the punishment thereof, in proper and
just manner. For the purpose of re-
minding of his duties and dangers that
Notary who sees it, with the hope of re-
cciving extensive and increased patron
age, and an extra supply of dimes there
by, to commit an open and direct viola
ton Of the provisions of the act to which
| have just referred, l submit for his at
tentive and careful perusal copy of the
violated sectioni itself, which says:
{" Any Notary Public exercising the
duties of his office after the expiration of
his commission, or when otherwise dis
qualified, or appending his official sigma
tire to documents, aohen tie parties hare
not appeared before him, shall be guilty
OF misdemeanor, and be subject to
fine of fifty dollars for each offence, to be
recovered before any Justice of the Peace
Of the county, and shall also be remoued
from office By tie Governor"
That the section here quoted has been
violated in an important part (that in re-
lation to affixing his official signature,
&c. within the past week, have almost
positive, and certainly sufficient, proof
The delinquent need have no trembling
noac. am not meddlesome; and only
wish here to publicly and solemnly pro-
test, in my qualified capacity as one of
the aforesaid Independence Notaries, and
in my rightful capacity of private citizen
who desires not to become a bold in
Tractor Of a just and equitable law, mere
ly for the sake of pleasing monied man
(whose patronage might possibly be of
more value than his appreciation )-against
future practices Of the kind, for the fol-
lowing reasons Firstly, it is in violation
of an act of the legislature. Secondly,
by disregarding the section before quoted,
a husband may force his wife to sign an
instrument that she might not, perhaps,
acknowledge as having done freely, and
innumerable frauds of similar nature
might then be perpetrated with IMMUNITY.
Third, it being, then, sufficient for the
party possessing the instrument, to as
the Notary that the names signed wsBe af-
fixed by the parties to whom they belong,
in order to obtain the Notary's certificate
to their acknowledgment, there would be
perfect facilities offered the forger in put
ting forged Deeds, DC, on record.
Fourthly and lastly, as many of the
Notaries in this vicinity refuse and con-
tinue refusing to certify to a lie, especi
ally in violation of law, and as the grant
ar seldom cares whether the party to
whom he deeds gets good deed or not,
providing it is only done quick and costs
him the trifing sum that Mr.. Obsequious
Notary underbidingly offers to do the job
for, the consequences are want of uni
formity among Notaries in their charges
those competent to do and deserving of
patronage are not sought by parties hav
ing conyeyancng to be done, whilst those
who are VIGOROUSLY unskillful and incom-
petent are freely patronized by them, and
as further consequence of such injudi-
cious bestowal of patronage, We see the
records of Buchanan county numbered
with hosts Of bungling and invalid in
struments, the sole usefulness of which
will be, in future times, the afrording to
lawyers of fat fees during lifetime litiga-
tons sure to ensue.
Slightly in debt, yet somewhat indie
pendent, | am still
MYSELF.