Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-11-04

and asked for instructions. The Sem
ate committee on railroads made care
full examination of the subject, both
sides appearing before it, and the COM
mittee reported the following resolu-
ton, which was unanimously adopted:
THAT the conclusion of the Governor, as stat.
ed in his annual message, to issue no further cor
tifcates TO the Wisconsin Central Railroad Com
pauy be approved. the Supreme Court, in the
opinion of the Legislature, being the only tribu-
nal competent to finally dispose OF and settle the
question at issue.
The Judiciary Committee of the As
sembly. of which Hon. FL. L. Palmer,
of Milwaukee, was member, reported
that they
Have carefully considered the same, have
heard the arguments OF counsel, and respectfully
report, that in the opinion of the committee, the
Wisconsin Central Railroad ompany has not SO
complied with the law to entitle il to the
ti6cate of the Governor"
This report was also unanimously
adopted.
Thus both branches of the Legisls-
ture had clearly indicated to Gov. Tay-
Ter his line of duty. which was not to
issue any certificates unless the Su-
preme Court should decide it to be his
duty to do so.
Mr.. Smith, you know tibet in add
ton to those reports and resolutions of
the Legislature, a ease had been made
up and was pending at the time IN the
Supreme Court of this State. which
when decided, would have definitely
dete rmined the law Of the case. That
case was on the calendar, the argu-
ments had been prepared on both
sides, and for weeks the Supreme Court
had been ready to hear it argued at any
moment the Company desired to call it
up. Why was not the opinion of the
Supreme Court taken?
Mr., Smith, you know that you had
been to the Governor yourself. as the
paid attorney of the Company. and
urged him to issue the certificates time
and again, and we have very vivid
recollection Of the disgust depicted on
your eountenance as you came into
room 's66' at the Park House, one
night after II clock, when you had
been laboring with the Governor, and
reported that he would issue the Ger
tlfcates. We will observe proprietY
by not reporting the very emphatic
ic and expressive language you used IN
conveying the intelligence.
: George B. Smith, you know, also,
that the Legislature Of the State was
engaged in very earnest consideration
of the question, and the Assembly had
with perfect unanimity, added section
to the bill, which was in the following
language
Section4. The Governor of this State shah
not grant or issue any other further certih-
Gates to the Wisconsin, Central Railroad CompA-
ny on account of the builiing or completing Of
any twenty miles of said railroad. etc.
Mr.. Smith. you may not know it,
but We tell You what we do know
Gov. Taylor had expressed desire
! that that very section should be incor-
porated in the bill to relieve him from
the opportunities of the Central Com
pany, and the bill containing it had
been ordered to third reading.
And thus the record had been made
up. Gov. Washburn, acting on his
own opinion, and sustained by the At
torney General, had reached the con-
clusion that he could not issue the Ger
tificates. The Senate Of the State had
unanimously approved his position
the Assem- bly, of the State had deliber-
ately expressed the opinion that the
company had not earned the certif-
Gates /; the subject was before the Su-
preme Court of the State, ready to DO
heard and decided any day attorneys
whose opinions Gov, Taylor had sought
had advised him he could not legally
issue the certificates; Gov. Taylor had
informed the attorneys Of the Central
Company that ne could not act in ad-
vance Of the opinion of the Supreme
Court; The Assembly of the State
had ordered bill to it's third reading
and was on the eve Of passing il, for
bidding the Governor in positive terms
from issuing any certificates.
Gen. Smith knows all these things as
well as we know them, and in the face
of them all-in defiance of the opinion
of the legislature in disregard of al
propriety by deciding for himself
most important question that was be-
fore the highest tribunal of the State,
at the time, for it's determination In
defiance of the PLAIN purpose of the leg
islature to forbid him from issuing any
certificates Gov. Taylor assumed to,
and did sign and deliver to the compa-
ny the certificates it had demanded at
his hands
THERE IS NOTHING so.
| DARK, SO BANNING, SO mex
| PLICABLE IN THE CONDUCTOF
ANY PUBLIC OFFICER OF
WHICH WE HAVE ANY KNOWL-
EDGE, ASTHIS ACTION OFGOV
+! TAYLOR. Gov. Bashford has been
roundly abused, and Justly so, for his
course in the old La Crosse land grant
corruption affair, but his course was
purity itself compared to Gov. Taylor's
course in the Central land grant af-
fair.
/ The historian who seeks for light in
the strange affair may obtain little
glimmer by inspecting the records of
n