Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1871-07-13

signed Henry & Smith, Attorney;
for Iowa County. appeared in The
\ ATIoNAL DEMOCRAT, Of MAY oath
to say nothing Of the insult to ths
Judge, which it contains, there is. one
paragraph which is so full Of the
same inYectiye. that peryades the
foregoing quotations, that the attor.
lneys may not nniustly be suspected
OF plagiarism from the anonymous
tauthor of the article from which they
are taken. The following is the par
agfaph referred to:
We cannot but believe that your letter Of the Isl
instant to Geo W. Cobb was persuaded from you by
Misrepresentation, If not fraud that in other way
could sou have been induced in important laatter
and to lend the influence of your high cia position
promote the infamous objects Of few who Judas
like, have for money ungracefully taken sides against
through the courts trying to enforce the people
robbery-no less infamous because through neglect Of
attorneys, and mistaken advice county officers it is
temporarily decided to be legal
Ny object in presenting these quo
tations at such length is to show.
that the Board Of Supervisors and
others who have attempted to Justify
reputation, have done so, as already
stated, upon the assumption that the
officers OF the Railroad Company
procured the bonds by fraud and
Misrepresentation; as also to correct
some errors which the quotations con
tain.
If it is true that the officers Of the
Railroad Company are justly obnox-
ious to the imputation Of obtaining
these bonds by any improper means,
then do | acknowledge that | am the
chief offender | was the chief Off
cer-President of the Company. Up
on medeyolyed the duty Of suggesting
ways and means to effects the objects
Of the organization-the building of
the road. Although the President
possessed no powers, except such as
were conferred by the Directors, yet
it was his duty to execute all such as
were conferred; a duty from which
| never shrank. The Directors did
determine 10 make an effort to pro-
cure Iowa County Bonds, to aid in
constructing the Railroad. and it be-
came my duty to give effect TO that
determination. / performed that
duty. 1t is now said and has been
for twelve years past, that / SO per-
formed it, as TO procure the bonds by
fraud and corruption
YlNDICATloN, AND REASONS FOR IT.
| have hitherto quietly-not to say
patiently --rested under this imputa-
ton. Ny reasons for not sooner
making a public exposition of the
facts connected with the issue Of the
County bonds. and thus indicating
my character from the charges Of I'M
proper conduct which have so often
and So frequently been made, and 50
long rested upon it are two4old;
FIRST, The County authorities were
attempting to defend suits upon the
County Bonds, under the plea that
they were obtained by traud and mis-
representation. If | had succeeded
i'll an. attempt to eXonerate myself
from these charges. it must necessar-
lily hayu reouitod, tirsrt the plea OF
fraud and misrepresentation set up
by the County would have failed.
If | was innocent, there was no fraud
or misrepresentation. If there was
no fraud or misrepresentation. then
this plea must fail The alternative
presented for my choice, was to vim
dicate my character at the price OF
the destruction Of the defense set up
by the County. or to quietly submit
TO the imputations: SO long as an eff
fort to show that they were baSeless,
could work any possible injury to the
County. | chose the latter.
SECOND, The charges against me
were private grievance, and the
vindication Of my private character,
even as connected with public af-
fairs, was not 4 matter of such public
Government, as to Justify my troub-
ling the public with any exposition
Of the facts.
Recent events. however. have again
given an Importance and interest TO
the questions of fraud and misrepre-
sentation which il has been said at
fected the issue OF the County Bonds,
and the truth can now be stated with
out danger Of iniuriously affecting
the interests of the County. Other
wise, | might have been content to
maintain my self-imposed silence, and
have gone down TO my grave, which
in the ordinary coarse Of nature can
not be far in the distance. without
any further explanation or vindica-
ton than such as would naturally re-
suit from the quiet and sure operation
of time and events, and with a con
/ scientious self-satisfaction that be
ing void of otfense towards God, /
could afford to endure the condem-
nation of man, whether founded in
i ignorant prejudice, or more ignnhle
Willingness to do an injury.
TUB RAILROAD EXTENSION.
/ The events referred t.. relate Il