Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1874-02-05
Reputation,
For the Fayetteville Observer.

WI IiiS iAC'A - AAA'A' - SAASAN
the population, Of State and
other corporation bonds issued
in aid of railroads and railroad
construction, ] beg to COM
mend to them and all the good
people Of the State, the follow
ing remarks Of the late Justice
Green of the Supreme Court
Of the United States, sound
democrat, appointed by James
X. Polk to his high Office, con-
tanned III the opinion OF the
Court delivered by him in the
case of Wood Us. Allegheny
county "a county in Pennsylva-
MIA that had issued bonds in aid
! of railroad construction in that
State) as being sound, sensible
and honest, and quite as appli-
cable to the condition of affairs
in Tennessee as to the Pennsyl-
vania case.
The doctrine that the principal
il bound by the act Of his duly
appointed agent is sound and
equitable both as applied to in
dividuals or States. We're this
not so State would be a SOFT
of "body polite" Or union of
many-with power to wrong a
few by their combined strength,
instead Of being as it =, "a null
titudc of people united togeth-
er by communion Of interest
and by common laws, to 2Uhich
they submit aUith one accord. -
Thus the people take but little
or no interest in the selection
Of their political or law-making
agents cannot affect the qucs-
ton to their advantage, bat the
contrary. Let them exercise
the same care and thought in
selecting their political as they
ordinarily exercise in selecting
private or individual agents to
transact business for them, and
they will have but little if any
accession for complaint, otherwise
they .ssoW the wind" and Ouqht
to "reap &c whirIWind:"
! "If the light Of a municipal
corporation TO subscribe, even
when authorized by the legisIa-
ture, to purposes 50 alien to its
general purposes, in the con-
struction of works Of improve
ment, and which, in the largest
part, are i'll distant counties and
other States, were open to me
for consideration as Il new point,
| cannot say that [ would hold
such subscription other than
simply void. The strongest ar
guments at law have been made
against such subscriptions, and
they are worth recurring to, rs
containing true and lawycr-like
views Of the extent and charac-
ter Of municipal powers. But
the matter is not open in this
court. The Legislature Of Penn,
sylvania has authorized coun-
ties to make such subscriptions,
and the supreme court Of the
State has decided, though by Il
bare majority, that the act is
constitutional.
"In spite, then, Of all rcsis-
lance by the county to pay these
bonds, here are the bonds, up
on which the county promises
to pay. The county said to the
railroad companies: We want
to help you; we have rot the
money, but we will lend you our
credit, our promise to pay
That promise is, or ought to be,
sacred. Doubtless many inn
proper things have been done
The whole business of making
cities and counties to subscribe
to railroads, was unwise. This
will be admitted now; though
/ the counselS Of the able and
conservative men who took
ground against it, were not heed
cd when given. Mercantile and
popular cIamor demanded sub
scription;' traders, politicians
and all kinds Of interested job
bers, urged and drove the mat
ter, while commissioners, grand
jurors and legislators have been
led in the train. 1t is TO be Ia
mented that such things should
be done, but they have been
done. If the electors Of our
cities choose to hand over the
great concerns Of our public
offices to Ignorant and unprin-
cipled administrators, they
must suffer by it. They must,
themselves, bear the burdens
which they put it in the power
OF knaves to pile upon them
Whatsoever a man soweth, that
he shall reap, and when he sows
the wind, he is apt to reap the