The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-12-17
IOWA.
The Bondholders Rebellion.
Lively Convention at Musoatina.)
ASSERTION OF STATES RIGHTS.

CHICAGO, December 16. The Railroad
Bond Convention, composed ct dele
gates from counties in Iowa having
bonded Indebtedness, assem- bled at Mus-
.catine, Iowa, yesterday. Some sixty to
seventy delegates were present, repre-
senting the counties Of Washington,
Johnson, Louisa, Iowa, Desmoine, Lee,
Cedar and Poweshiek. ~
Hon. j. B. Grinpell was made Presi-
dent. He thought it an honor to be
called upon TO preside over the so-called
rebels of Iowa. He was not o repudi-
ator, but a person whoiwant his rights.
The committee on Resolutions,
through Governor Kirkwood, reported
a series of resolutions. The leading
features are as follows:
WHEREAS, The recent decisions Of
the Federal Court, involving corpora
tions and railroad bonds in this state,
seem to us subversive of the authority
and dignity of our State Courts and
dangerous to the rights and privileges
of the citizens of the State, if not posi-.
tive and unwarrauted encroachments
upon the jurisdictions of the State
Courts; therefore,
Resolred, That we respectfully and
earnestly protest against the exercise of
such authority by the Federal Courts,
and hereby pledge our sympathy and
support to the State Courts in the
maintenance of their rightful authority;
that the Convention earnestly call upon
the General Assembly of Iowa to take
notice of the late decision of the Fed
eral Supreme Court and appy to Con-
gress and the other States to protect our
citizens against similar encroachments
of their rights; that this Convention
recommends to the citizens of the sew
eral counties and cities interested in
this railroad bond question to pay all
their taxes except their bond tax, and
to refuse to pay that until all legal and
practical remedies are exhausted.
The debate on these resolutions was
long and animated.
Governor Kirkwood insisted that the
people of the State had right through
the Legislature to enact such laws as
they please, provided they do not
trench on the Constitution of the
United States, and had a right to say
that their Courts should interpret the
law as it read. He advised the delay in
the payment of the tax. Delay would
work no harm.
Mr.. Cloud said, let US pay all other
taxes but this, and for it tarn over our
property, and then when offered at auc-
ton, let no man buy.
Senator Bennett, Mr.. McNott and
others said the resolutions were not
strong enough.
Mr.. Lusk, from Lee county, wished to
inform the convention that so far it had
been fooling its time away; the only
resort for us is to use force; men of this
day cannot be coaxed; we must force or
buy them; we must give up lawyers
aud do our own dirty work; we must
not depend on judges, for there is not
one of them on Federal or State benches
who cannot be bought, we must force
our Legislature to tax railroads
and give US money; no more
lawyers and judges; we have already
paid the lawyers as much the debt
amounts to. We could have compro-
missed at thirty cents on the dollar but
for them. Now, every dollar has come
to be ten.
The resolutions were finally unani-
mously adopted.
Mr.. Lusks afterwards said that if he
had spoken falsely against the Judges
of the Supreme Court, he took it all
back.
The Convention then adjourned sine
die.
The total amount involved in all the
counties is about $40 100000, Lee county
owing the laagest, say S500,O00.