The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-04-17
Lawyers and Magistrates
Against TaX.FayerS.

To The Editors Of the Herald and Mail:
We saw in your paper of the Sd inst.
under the head of Around Town. par
agraph stating that it was currently re-
ported on the streets last Saturday, that
the Grand Jury had indicted every JUS
tice in the county, except one, for voting
an appropriation of $500 to the sick and
destitute of Memphis during the preva-
lence of yellow fever there last year A
large number of the Columbia Bar, to
their praise be it said, on hearing the re-
port, voluntarily offered their services to
the Justices, free of charge"
Is it anything surprising that the law
yers should volunteer to defend the Mag
istrates free of charge, for committing an
unlawful act? That is a part of their
profession-always TO defend the office
holders, who have access to the public
treasury. They perhaps induced them to
commit the act, giving them a liberal con-
struction of the law, and it is but natural
they should endeavor to extricate them
from the difficulty, and make it look plau-
sible to the taxpayer, in order that they
might not lose their influence hereafter in
inducing the magistrates to make appro-
priatious to suit their clients.
The County Court of Maury County
is power, and holds the purse-strings OF
the people, and self interest (which be-
longs to human nature alike) prompts
the attorney, with his unyielding tenaci-
ty, to rush to the rescue of this power and
relieve it from the penalties of their acts,
committed without the authority of law OF
precedent. This is a new combination in
injury County-lawyers and magistrates
Now, taxpayers, your greatest enemies
are the lawyers and otfice-holders-the
last to appropriate your hard earnings,
and the other to defend them. When the
purseholders and the brains of county
are united, look out for your taxes to flow
freely, and if the money artery of the
body polite is not we'll fed, it certainly
will not have life in it enough to stand
against even the April winds.
Have you ever reflected, for one mo-
ment, Of the millions that are annually
appropriated, contrary to law, in all the
departments of our government, national,
state and county, and that the taxpayer
has no redress, either from the defect of
the law or the intrigues of the lawyer, he
being both the compiler and eXpounder
of the law? Did you ever know of any
great scheme that was intended to swim
die the taxpayer out of his taxes, that
was not concOcted by some attorney, or
that he did not endeavor to make plausi-
bic, and convince the tax payers that they
were directly interested in 1t peCuniauly ?
If the act of voting $500 to Memphis
was in accordance with the law, why so
much excitement with the bar of Column
bia at the news that the Justices of Maury
County were indicted by the Grand Jury?
Why the lawy ers volunteering to defend
them? Certainly the lawyers Of Columbia
must have been very nervous that morn
ing! We have no doubt the people OF
New York City were aStonished, yea, even
highly excited, when the taxpayers Of
that city had Boss TWEED indicted by a
Grand jury of the people for squandering
twenty millions Of their mOney-a man
of unbOundCd influence, whose power had
swaycd and controlled the city as if by
magic. 1t required great effort on the
part Of the people to accomplish it, for
the reason that they had to contend
against the ring of OtiicC-hOlders, backed
up by the lawyers. If the magistrates
had done: their duty, why so much clans
orig, Huiterng, and trying to Sustaih
them? Is IT because they do not wish the
taxpayers to know what they are doing
with their money! Do you suppose for !
one moment that if the guardians of |
minor, in this county, was TO find an Oh |
iect of charity equal to Lazarus lying at |
the rich mans gate, and were to donate !
five dollars OF his ward S money to him,
that the Magistrates of Maury County
would allow him credit for it, on settle
ment with the Clerk? They would say,
peremptorily. You had no right by law
to appropriate your ward S money to
charity; but pay it out of your own purse.
So do the taxpayers say to the Magis !
trates, "If you wish TO donate money TO |
Memphis, take it out of your own peck
cts, and noue will object The idea of |
the Justices giving aims and have to com
NIT an act that is unlawful to effect it. |
and then attempt to hide it under the /
cloak of charity 1t does seem to US it |
cannot sustained by any code of morals |
recognized by the civilized world, either
human or divine OtempOra Omores
What was doue with the warrant for
the money? Sent to Memphis? What
Ten? Returned to the Magistrates 1t
seems that the credit of Maury County
was under par-no purchaser, Why no
purchaser? Because any dealer in mon
av, with ordinary shrewdness, knew that
Tie warrant could not he collected by
law, if any opposition were made. The
idea of the justices Of Maury County APP
money for charity, when there
was not dollar in the county treasury,
and when their warrants were from i've
o fifteen per cent below par in the mar