Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1866-03-15
For the Chronic le.
u tEfb f@IIIDII Ir
iowa County Railroad Bonds.
rup gDnon or THE TRIBUNE on TIE NIT
NESS STAND.


the 7th instant, a lengthy article in which
he gives fwhat he styles, "a short history
Of the County Bond case" After stating
the fact Of che passage of the law empower
ing the people 70 vote, the protest ola por
ton o. the County Board against the issu
ing of the Bonds on account Of the illegali-
ty Of the election, and the s!,bSeq''ens sign
ing of the BONDS by the Chairman, he
saws. "Mr. B3echer found the protest oea
"pcrtion Of the County Board against he
"payment Of the County Bonds, had rem
"dered them unsalcable, and came TO the
conclusion that ae could use the secor.d
unortgagc to b, tier advantage than he
"could the County Bonds, and made the
"ofcr to a,akc the exchange with the
"county, but it being at a time when the
"removal Of the county scat was the allah
"sOrbing topic, the offer was never laid be
''fore the County Board by the Prosecu:-
cling Attorney, 70 whom we are told the
"oher aas made, as it was supposed the
Exchange would operate agaiiStthe inter
test Of those who sought the removal Of
"thc county seat"
In the recorded proceedings the Coun-
ty Board Of Supervisors, may be foand
resolution adopted on the 29th day OF
April, 1854, in .he following language
to-wit
ResoZged. THAT the Chairman Of the
''8oard, and he is hereby authorized to re
''ceivc of the Mineral Point Rail Road
COMPANY, such qaaatity Of the County
sBonds as said Company may at any TINS
Udeliyer up 10 lin, and on such delivery to
"yiye up an equal amount OF the Company
"Bonds originally given in exchange foi
"said County Bonds"
Which resolution has never been rescind
cd by the County Board, and is now a
valid and effective as when adopted on said
2sth day Of April, 1857. It will appear 20
anr one of common sense, by the reading
of the resolution. that the Chairman was
the person to effect the change, if done al
all, and that there was an anXi ty on the
part of the Board 10 effect such exchange,
by the adoption OF the resolution. The
then Prosecuting Attorney, Mr.. Cranc).
during his lifetime, has often emphaticall,
declared mat the subject of an exchange
of the Bonds was never advanced to him
by Mr. Beecher or any one else, This, II
necessary, can be proven by the oath OF
many unimpeached and unimpeachabl,
citizens.
That the taxpayers Of the county ar,
agsrieved' at the monstrous debt hanging
over them, is true and it is equally tru,
that neither Dodgcyille, nor any part OF
portion Of the northern part Of. the county
is responsible therefor, ssthe vote on tbs
subject shows. Who then is responsible
for this gigantic swindle on the Gindustri
Gus, bard working taxpayers of tht
county?
Pending the trial of the County Bond
case in the United States District Court III
Milwaukee George w. Bliss, witness
produced and examined on the part of the
defendants, being duly sworn, testified and
said:
II reside at Mineral Point, Iowa county,
wisconsin. My occupation Is that OF a
"printcr. My age is fittytwo. ! am pub
''isher of the Mineral PUNT Tribune, ano
shave been since lS47. The law autnoriz-
ling the election, as to the issuing OF tn.
bonds, was never published in my paper
cor in the county, prior to the issuing OF
1.-The Bonds. The notice of the election
"was first published in my paper of the
date of June the ID, 1858. The motto,
''was duly published the 9th and 10th o
"the same month. The notice was broughi
"to me by Moses NJ. Strong, President Of
"the Mineral Point Rail Road Company
"The notice was charged, by direction o
Mr.. Strong, to the Company, and was at
forwards paid for 10y them. The only
"way can tell of the number of voters ii
"the town and village Of Mineral Point II
1883, is by the number of votes cast pre-
"vously and subsequently. have eX
CANNED the returns Of elections previou:
"and subsequent to 1853, and found tina
s4hc vote ranged from flee hundred to sece'
''hundred | acted as clerk of the election
ION the Rail Read Bonds There acere
"thousand and segen rOtss p0tted! | know
"of number of votes having been polleo
"by persons who stated afterwards tina
"they were not qualified voters. | hav'
"also heard persons say that under diff r
lent names they voted tire sic, Se0e~ OF
'teigIt times"
(Signcd) GEORGE W. BLISS.
The then Clerk of the County Board o
Supervisors also testified on the part o
the defendants, and among other thing
said:
81 have the returns of the election on thu
"Bonds, and elections since then. Th'
number of votes cast in the city and tow
"has been about SIC hundred and .ffty
"This is the highest number. resided II
Mineral Point in 1853. One thousand ont
Vt,eea scere east 1T thut election "
Here we have the editor of the Tribun
testifying on oath "that he was clerk ofth
election" and as such he was sworn t.
do his duty, which among other things wa
the refusa, Of Illegal votes. Can any one
FOR one moment believe that Mr., Bliss, at
ter his long residence at Mineral Point, die
not know all or nearly all the voters
Mineral Point? All the votes then cas-
were cast at the polls of which the VERT
able editor was cRrk. There were no
two polls at that election. You, Mr. Bliss
,,;tb Soma otbars ore notoriou<ly reSpon