Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1872-03-01
Editorial Correspondence.

- DEAR CHRONICLE We have been here
awhole week, and are now unable to say
when we shall be home. There are now
six of Us here from Dodgeville. We are
Summoned here in the indictment against
Geo. A. .Thral. for perjury. A motion was
g 1nadethis morning to quash the indict-
ment which will be argued to morrow
morning. The court is now engaged in
trying Mr.. Latta, Of Monroe, for passing
. ycointerfeit money. One of the prisoners,
known as VIM. Fl. Watson, but who says
his name is Ballard, has turned states ev-
/: 'idshce, and if his testimony is reliable the
::tsvidencs against Mr.. Latta is very clear.
We were much interested in the debate
In the Assembly, on Friday last, between
Speaker, Hall, of WATERFOWL, and Gen.
Winkler, of Milwaukee, on the bill intro
duced by Speaker Hall, exenpting private
=; property from seizure or sale, to pay mu-
ct, nicipai debts.
.. Gen. Winkler was of the opinion
:: that the bill should not
pass. The bill was very
innocent in appearance, and if it's object
= was simply to prevent the seizure of pri-
yate property by execution, he would say
it was right, but it goes further, and ex
= ccpts private property from all sorts of
process for the collection of corporate debts,
especially from assessments, which some
maintained the courts had right to make.
1t is the substantial prevention of the COL
lection of any debts municipalities from
the ,,tax-payers thereof. 1t was said it
da pot do away with the writ of mGndGn,-
ga. but that had been found Intellectual in
: repeated instances. He was not in favor
6f,depriving courts of collecting debts in
an equitable manner on all the property of
municipality. 1t was claimed the
courts had no such power now. If not,
why this bill? II it is question, as he
thought, of law involved in cases now
pending, whether such power exists, it is
not for the counsel on one side; or the
Legislature, to pass on that question of
law, but for the courts, with whose decis-
ion he would be entirely satisfied. He
sympathized with loeilities situated like
Watertown Iowa county, and some others,
and il they could satisfy the Legislature
that they were entitled to such relief as
that proposed in this bill, he might con-
scht to giving it in the special cases of
these communities. But when it was
proposed to put in the hands Of every
municipality the power of reputation, he
must oppose it. 1t was of the same class
with these springing from sympathy for
the farm mortgagors, which had proved
OF no avail, to enable them to avoid the
payment Of the obligations they had assum-
ed. There were millions of bonds Of mum
cipalities in this state going into the mar
ket: He would like to know what would
be the effect of such a law as this
on the credit of those cities, of a
law taking away power to enforce the
payment of those debts. Many towns
in this State which had been heay-
" in debt, had succeeded in effecting
compromises with their creditors, and he
thought the remainder would be able to-
without such law as this, which would
put the blight of reputation on the State.
IT had been said unless this bill passed,
the soil of Wisconsin would be Redeemed
with the blood Of its sons. Such intima-
tions. of coming bloodshed were not new.
They had no terror for him. He had too
much confidence in the good sense and
patriotism of the people of this State to
believe they would thus resort to revou-
tior. Threats of that nature should not
influence vote on that subject. All the
more we should stand up and vindicate the
majesty of the law. He had no particu-
lar interest in opposing the bill, and if it
apnlied alone to the localities referred to-,
he would sit quietly and see it pass, as he
had other measures for their relief
sAfr.hHall. of Watertown, said large por-
eiofs Of the state were deeply interested
in the passage of this BILL When it was
ordered to third reading he had said
that unless the rule laid down in this bill
was observed by the courts, the soil Of
WISCONSIN would be Redeemed with the
blood OF her citizens, not as threat, but
as a consequence that must inevitably
follow.
The man who believes that tens Of
thousands of people can be stripped of all
their property to pay municipal judgments,
merely because it has been voted away by
their nsighborS who had little or no prop
crty-has not given much attention to his
tory, especially to Anglo Saxon history.
A tax of twenty shillings ship money
against John Hampden led to resistance
when the courts decided it to be legal
tag, That decision cost the King. bis
crown apd life Well was it for England
fields of Naseby and Mariton Moor, at the
onset of Cromwells terrible lronsides.
Else her government might have become
centralized despotism under the treach-
erous Charles. A triiing tax on tea led
to the American Revolution.
Whoever thinks that from so, 900 to 100
600 of the people of Wisconsin can be
stripped without resistance of their all
or nearly all their means of support,to salts
fy the avarice of the men who bought up the
farm mortgages at trfing cost, and have
now combined to use wealth they wrung
form the sweat and blood Of. the farmers
ofsWisconsin, to buy up these railroad
bonds against cities, towns, counties, and
villages, at small fraction of their par
value, in order to build their fortunes up
on the ruins of so many, will find himself
grievously mistaken. The experiment
had better not be tried The people are
all good loyal citizens as long as the law
protects them. But rob them and any
ems 3s+s-t-p