Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1878-01-05
TOWNSHIP BONDS.

=, iucic tthIl ue nh pIllt''ls ON III.
question. Every paper i'll L~.af.yett
county. supported as they must bo h
lc- the taxpayers, should. so far n is right
II aud Just and proper. be with the peopl
in their fight against this Illegal an,
:. oppressive debt, until it is finally settle.
to their satisfaction. We want no con
trovcrsy with the Register. For week:
we permitted its venomous little attack:
lr 10 pass unnoticed until it made ,hi.
Ia statement:
The township bonds wei. voted since The war,
but by - majority "T IN qualified uud u,qnal
III Ifed rofrs Of the to,cnships."
Is Thinking such a declai alton inimIcal
to the interests oi the people OF the
county. We printed an editorial contain
ing the facts in the case. taken from the
records. thoroughly disproving it. A
correspondent of that paper. i'll II letter
which it printed, disprovcd it; but even
d then it persisted in occupying that stand
point. by publishing an old speech 10
that effect, made by its former editor.
We should like 10 see every paper bat
ting ior the people in this fight. but
what conclusion must we come to from
\ such words rs these, contained in tho
! last issue of the Register. over an edito-
: rial article quoted from the Boonville
Advertiser:
transfer the %io!iowing editorial from the
boonvilie Advertiser 10 our columns. Col.
Stephens takes "A srnsIhIe unJ LOGICAL yi.w M
tue subject. and the advice he gives IN the ar,i-
cle should be Followed
Col. Stephens is an exceedingly clever
gentleman. HIS genIality and hospi-
tally are proverbiai. His tinancia!
acumen is undoubtedly it he has ac-
cumulated L very handsome fortune.
but do these things constitute him u
good adviser to the taxpayers afflicted
! with this load OF debt? Col. Stephens is
the manager OF 7 national bank; he is 4
h'ndh"iter. and the natural bent of his ,
m!nd must be with those who desire to
collect. rather than with those who desire (,
L" resist the payment OF bonds. TheReg- |
lister says. Col. Stephens takes n sem
>!hie and logical view OF the subject"
Let us see what that view is. We quote
from the Advertisers article:
Inc main point in the BAi-s county cs.e ON
winch the court agreed. and upon which their
opinion was founded, WIS that the bonds in itia;
sat "ei. utigiuali. I>,iiei 10 4 railroad corro-
:ai'.iir TEosc charter WAS 'iea,I ~ ;h. time the
t''n'is were transferred ir smother CORPORATION
"ni sold +" purchasers. HIS WIS., unIuest,on-
EDly Eruukl IN psflhi.Sl ,h.tr val=, n.,
key we're township h"Els; an! JUG. BrlrlIcy,
~ WrI'inS tile opinion u: tho court. further de-
r'+rri 'h.i AL 'uwn-:i'j, hNrt;s, mario under tho
e'S"!inS &C; oI i>h> OF the legislature ". re- ,orI
J. t.rt. "si! An"wn I" judges anil lawyers,
''''' a'thoi'ss 'i eh.iTe court may sgrcs 20 the
i'>h'' CT i decision. yst All the judges arc tot
c'ii>id"ici responsible for tn" reasoning an.
0"'t"r3'"'0 OF the Judy" wBu wrIic- the opinion.
l. w. Tor s'iie time i mater up. ~ winch good
i"TeI> IiNtrcf greatly, whether the cas-. ci
Bates county VS.. liarshmsri really meant TO dr.
Clare township UULcs Unconstitutional AID void. !,
l'Hs has. however, been completely sat ST rest
Is Inc eInptatir announcement III the last case
from til" court. i"4t IN. '-risi0n IN The Bates
county rn--, 50 lar u II declares township
h"nhS unconstitutional. i, ''uvrrrule -" SO
s':"tS wa- the conviction OF many OF the bee,
lawyers IN Missouri. that the decision III the ,
Bates county case WAS wrong. ami Inconsider-
ae rendered, and in cuahl CT with the rulings
oil cur own stale supreme court. III 1, a new case i
Vas presented as soon As possible TO get Z full ;
argument and 'ie!iberation on the point-with
ihs vel! known result that followed. Chief
Justice Wales opinion 4. exhaustive and .!ab.
"rstc, and directed To the single poin, Of the
c"nstitntionaiity of township bonds. The de- :
r.-IUn IS pain and uLanbI guous. Their. Is but .
one ''u'y i.it to the good citizen H. long as this ~
de'r-I"n Is unres:set. au,l that tufy l.. to res c
r.. I ani obey II :,
II his does not take strong ground ..
Tor the boudholders. what does i, mean I.
+ 'rSt comes an apology for the change of i
opinion; then Il doubt i, cast upon the
decision in these words:
WAS tor sometime 4 matter upon
which good lawyers differed greatly.
the case OF Bates county IS.
really meant to declare town
snip bonds unconstitutional" This is
a new idet. The b~ondholders
certainly thought that it decided their
bonds to be void. and many of them
We're unloaded upon the market tor a Al
Then comes the very cold com r.
"IhiS has horerer been rom u
set at rest by the emphatic an 5.
louncenent in the last case from the
court, that the decision in the Bates
case, 50 far as il declares town
'hip bonds unconstitutional. is over =,
'uled.' And TO conclude our review
oi this part OF the editorial. what could
he bondholders say for themselves
stronger than this: There is but one
,rty left to good citizens as long az this
lecisIoR e unrevised, and thnt duty is ,
. respect and JGeH IT.. These are the
continents which the keGi5ter saws are
sensible and logical" and this the
which should be followed.r !
taxpayers Of Lafayette county in
convention assembled declared but a few
lays ago that they would resist t. :he tn,
litter end the collection of judgments on a.
ountv bonds. except as they had fixed 4
price tor them in renewal funding
'onds. The citizens Of Washington
Dwnship. q short time before. declared
hat they would resist the collection Of pr
he bonds issued in beh9.t OF that town. re-
hip. 1t is logically certain tnst the pco- va
lie OF Lafayette county are wrong. or WI
nat the Ad~ertiser is wrong. The ~
says: Col. Stephens takes q
ensible and logical view OF the subject, .
nj the advice he gives in the article n.'
inuld he followed" Now We submit. fay
!lhoc, any censorious spirit. but in all Der
,nd"r. if this Is fighting the peoples lie
attic. 1t is scarcely necessary tor us Nj"
, state our views in the premises. We u
oJieve that the people are doing right IIrrhI
t.ieir resistance. and we shall en- Ma
FAVOR to make the Iutelligencer u Ap,
.ntinel upon the vatch tower. guarding .imn
!eir interests and keeping them advised J"I
every movement made again. them. S.Ip'
~ Oct
While we do i,1i feel entitled to all the s",
'aise contained in the following para
'aph from the Saline County Progress, iin%",,
e thank that paper for this evidence .,