The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1869-03-10
An Imnortant Daeision.

Some few DAYS since the telegraph made mention of
tie Judgment Of the Supreme Court Of the United
States on gold coin contracts in the case of Frederick
Brunson, executor of Arthur Brunson, deceased, vs.
Peter Rhodes The decision is altogether too long Tor
our columns, but owing to its great Importance, we
make room for the following points as complied by an
exchange .sContraets are to be saleable according
the understanding of the parties, either as presn
ed from statutory laws or defined by themselves Con
tracts made before the passage of the legal tender law
are to be presumed to be made in contemplation OF
payment in the money which was lawful money when
thev we're made-that is in coin. Contracts that were
made since the passage Of the legal tender ia" are pre-
sumed to be made in contemplation OF the existence
Of the law. and nav be- therefore, paid in greenbacks
or gold as either might be preferred by the Debtor
that is in greenbacks, the legal ncney most pFo'
able to the payer 1t has beea always eampetens 10
dealers TO make contracts en- the gold basis Coin be-
inc named as the condition of the bargain, can be COL
lected The Court reasoned that contract fora gwen
amount Of gold according the standard weight ana
purity is as lawful as for any other specllc afcie Vi
commerce The Court held, in very distinct TERMS
that coin contracts made now will be valid This makes
superfuous the Introduction of the specific law Tor re-
ceivno them, which are pending before Congress, and
made portions of the several finance blls'tha6 are u
der discussion These decision are on the CONSTRUCTOR
Of the legal tender law as statute, not on TIE qHes
ton Of the constitutlonality of that law itself Inc
Court expressly stated that ia these decisions 1t au
not found it necessary at all TO examine the qheSto
whether the clUses of the currency act make United
States notes legal tender are warranted by the Con-
stitution The case in which this Judgment was rem
dered j. we beiieyc the same wherein 1t has been so
often stated that the constutionality Of the legal ten
ders was to be decided blythe Court. 1t now appears
that that point was considered at al. Judge la
Wis in asserting to the conclusion, took pains to say
for greater precautiou that it be interpreted as
the construc ion of the statute, and Judge Swayne,
also concurrng said that the question OF Constltu-
tional power not part of the case"
TIE NAVIGATION OF LocCY BAyoU-We find the
following in the proceedings of the House on the 2oth
ult. We must say that Speaker Lowalls speech on
the occasion was everything that the friends of the en-
terprise could ask: ...
An act approprating the sum of $50 900 to improve
the navigation of Loggy Bayou aud other places IN
Bossier parish, taken up.
Mr. GRAY, Of St. James, thought the appropriation
ought certainly TO be made as on recent occasion,
at an election 52 coored men and voters lost their
lives in attending said election and he had no doubt
TINT if the navigation of this bayou had been improved,
in all probability these voters would have been saved
Mr. Pratt of Claiborne, urged the favorable con
sideraton of the BILL the improvement o! this bayon
would accrue the commercial interests OF the State
and city OF New Orleans
nf I,fT1,rS Will Ia ftvn tIb I'M
provement of the bayou, tluusht that such work be-
loneed to the Board of Public Works, and that Sto
600 was TOO much: that he thought $4,000 was suf
cient and moved to amend to that effect.
/ Mr. Ieidenhain favored the bill also, Mr.. Faulk
ner OF Caldwell, and Mr.. Wren, OF Bosscr Mr.. Mur
reIl of Lafourche was violently opposed to the bill
on the ground that the passage OF the bill would re
doand to the interest OF "thieves and murderers -
the deadly enemies of Union men i'll the parish OF Cla
borne Mr.. Mune subsequently withdrew his obIec
/ tons to the bill and favored its adoption.
Sneaker Lowell spoke in advocacy Of the bill anC
said that it was entirely mistake that the lives OF Re
publicans endangered i'll the parish OF Claiborne
aud the parishes adjacent thereto. He thought thai
any man who would vote against measures for the ma
terial benefit of the commerce of the State pnfi
to be a representative of the people. He said tina
politics had nothing whatever to do with matters o
internal improvement. He spoke of the memory o
Henry Clay as being vcvered principally by the peop
of America, because he was patriotic and constant Il
the expnnent of the great principle Of internal improve
ment This principle adhered to and practically Car
ried into effect, had made the States of the Mort
great powerful and overflowing with wealth Thn
the idea that nothing should be done for the paris
OF Claiborne or another section of the State, in tn
way Of State aid for the benefit of commerce, slmpl
because that parish section did not cast their Vot
in favor of the Republican party, was monstroslty
and the man who entertained such an idea was unwo
thy to be Eclabcg of the great Republican party,
to represent free, progressive, and liberal minde
people.
The bill was finally amended by inserting $1,000
instead Of $50 OO0 aud recommended to the House &c
adoption The bill was also amended that the work
improvement be intrusted to the Board of Publ
| Works.