Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1871-07-14

would be compromised by an appear
ance in the Martin & Conan suit by
the State Treasurer as trustee. I
shall not believe that this was the rea-
son why the recordof the III Court
was suffered to show that the trustee
con essed the charge in the bill that. the
Martin & Conan Mortgage had epre-
fcedence to and priority over'' his; un-
til [ have it from the attorney himself,
and even then | shall think that he
made a great mistake.
| prefer to adopt the sworn excuse
of the chairman himself, that he ssre-
garded the Mineral Point Railroad
Bonds as so muchwastepaper. This;
although it exhibited but little knowll
edge of the legal rights of the county,
which had@been entrusted to him !;
possesses at least the poor apology of
bold srecklessness, and may help to
sustain the nncharitable accusation
which was freely made against the
chairman at the time, that he was in
fuenced by the unworthy motive of
seeking to make capital for the remoV-
Ifal of the County Seat. I do not inn
lpute such motive, but that it was eur
rently charged is so notorious, that
not to mention it now would leave
the statement imperfect. 14 o55zasA !
Whatever We're the reasons either
for Ignoring my proposition or for not
yielding to the strenuous efforts of
'two citizens ofaMineral Point;" or
for turning a deaf ear to ''every argu-
ment that could be used" as well as to
the written opinion of an eminent
law firm in Milwaukee, stating that if
| che county did not assert it's rights in
this suit, it would by decree be for
ever barred from so doing;;'' the ter
rible damaging fact stands out in bold
relief, undisputed and indisputable,
that for some reason or for no reason,
the just and now acknowledged right
| Of the county to a perfect, adequate
and unimpeachable security for the
entire. claims against the county,
amounting to over $500, OOO,w was never
insisted upon. The place and the
time to have asserted these rights was
in the United States Courts, before
the order pro coa.tesso in the Martin &
Conan suit was entered. The party
in whose name they should have been
presented was the State Treasured,
who was defendant in that suit, but
in no sense q party to the suit upon
the county bonds, which could have
been in no manner predjudiced by
any action of. the State Treasurer in
the other suits. The golden opportu-
nifty was purposely and Intentionally
neglected, and a decree. was entered
ups that Samuel D. Hastings, Treas
urer of the State, and all persons
claiming under him abe forever barred
and foreclosed of and from all equity
or equities Of redemption and claim
Of in and to the said mortgaged prem:
Uses" From this decree no appeal was
ever taken or sought to be taken; no
| re-hearing ever had or asked. - Fatal
decree r. The destruction at once of
our securities the grave of our hopes,
| and the monument Of our stupidity.
And the only consolation for the
mourners is, that, we had the poor sat
isfaction of. setting up the fruitless
and unthruthful defence, that the
county bonds were fraudulently5 OBJ
tanned; which poor defence was de-
MED, even a hearing. 80. 80 80 !:
+: It would not be kind OF profitable
to now reproach any one for this great
misfortune. But / hope to be par
doned in concluding this necessarily
| lengthy statement of how the county
| lost its security, for Inducing in theseR-
graduation, that I nev Used an OPP
portunity to avert the csIamnity and
that if my counsc's had been needed
more than twelve years ago, the counl
| ty would have been relieved oof any
| claim upon the county bonds, 0for a
sum less than one-third of whatFit has
expended in fruitless efforts at repudi-
| ation.a .2mi3 8d3 3G m8df uo47 Eal
s:'a ELECTION ITSELF FRAUDULENT. .
That there were fraudulent votes
cast at the election--or more properly
speaking, votes by those who had mo
right to, vote--I shall not undertake
to. deny. How, many exciting, cleo
tons were. ever held in a Republican
country, without such a result? And
Eyet who .eyer, pretended that because
| there. were some illegal votes, the
whole. election was thereby Initiated?
| IT would be monstrous that the honest
and legal voters should be deprived
Of the legitimate and lawful results of
their s.uffrages, because some reckless
or dishonest persons had been per-
! united to vote who had no right to, or
had unlawfully abused their right of
suffrage by casting numerous votes
under N assumed names fe or il any other
All undertake to aa assert Is that no
such fraud in the conduct of this cleo
could have been: established, if the
utmost latitude of proof had been adj
mitted, as would have amounted to
an equitable defense in. a suit upon the
bonds, oriaforded considerable rea2
son for refusing to pay them l.7. ~ . :.
? With the exception of the polls
held at Dodgeyille and Mineral Point,
there was never any accusation that
there was any illegal voting worthy of
consideration. 80 At + Dodgeville, mthe
/ HOLLIS w orc opanad before fha hoii,. Fl "