Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1879-02-22

and found that 1t would absolutely require $500
10 bear my expenses, and as 1t was not necessary
for both Of us to go to Washington the first time.
and as it was decided that l should go. MIR.
Graves could, of course. afford to take less than
myself, by the expense of one trip which WAS
stimated at el0O; consequently l received $500.
and Mr. Graves $500, making the $500. To OIL
set the extra $500 the court struck of from the
contingent fee n per cent, leaving 1t at ~ per
cent. And thus 1t WAS that the court employed
Mr.. Graves and myself jointly to defend these
suits, at a retaining fee OF $500, and \ contin-
gent fee of ~ per cent. upon the amount of
township debt defeated by US. At the time the
court entered into the contract with us there was
other proposition before the court than the
one they accepted.
Mr.. Graves offer Of $500 and . per cent. was
not made because Mr.. G. thought 1t was enough,
but it was only made to defeat me, while
Mr.. G. was under the impression that
1 had not treated him right; at least
that Il my understanding Of the matter.
Now. then it seems to mt that the only questions
which remain are: Ought the court to defend
the suits in the U. 8. court? And, has the en-
ployment of attorneys been made upon reason
able termsP 1t appears to me that the very ar
yuments used by our critics are unanswerably
to the effect that the suits should be defended.
But the conclusions they draw from their WI
arguments are ludicrous In the extreme. They
state that the bonds will certainly be declared
void by the court, therefore they should not be
defended. Or, to arrive at the gist of their po-
sitlon: If you have q good case, don't pay .
lawyer to defend it; but if you have a hopeless
one. fight it-spend money In Its defense.
As to the RESPONSIVENESS of the fee, = simple
illustration will su1dce. Say that you are as
Isessed with %. 900, real estate; you live IN Lex
inGton'township, where the burden 10 heaviest;
your part OF this township debt will then be
$500, principal and interest. 1t is bearing interest
at the rate Of 9+5 every year. Now the county
court has made q contract to have your debt de-
Tended. 1t gives ninety cents Of your money to
pay expenses. II the case Is lost, ninety cents
OF your money Is gone sure enough; but il the
case Ii won you hsve only to pay sl2 80 for
having the whole debt deteated-less than one
third of one years. interest. Did you ever em-
ploy an attorney upon such reasonable terms 2
Did you ever hear of any body else that did ? Is
ton Of all the false statements and red-mouthed
criticisms contained in the two papers aforesaid
They woul make you believe you had been
robbedl What nonsense l have been In
positions where. with the cooperation Of the
men now accused ofstealing. 1 could have taken
thousands, and you would never have been any
the wiser.
A man who has always been . friend oil
mine. but whose name I shall not give. was
SO exercised by an innsmmstory article which
appeared In one OF the papers. that he got on his
horse and rode thirteen miles to see about this
robbery-lost Q whole day's work paid fifty cents
for his dinner, twenty-five cents for beer. and
went lone in q high state of excitement. l
heard OF It, and went to the tsx-books, and by
calculation found that his proportion Of the debt
Of his township 10 ten dollars. So that his pre-
portion Of the $500 given for expenses, is one and
four-afths OF . cent, and if the bonds are de-
feated his part will be twenty-five cents. SO be
lost = days work, spent seventy five cents, got
mad. and all for not quite two cents. and q pros
pect Of having to pay an additional quarter,
upon being relieved OF the payment of ten dol
lars. 1t must be apparent that the action OF
these papers is not because even they believe the
court to have done any wrong, but because i,
affords an opportunity to vent . little personal
spiret. 49,
As to the Register, 1t would like the return of
the palmy days ofls7s, and anterior years, when
1t was the especial champion OF q court that
levied upon this county THE ENORMOUS SUN OF
TWO AND EtNErr-sIx THOUSAND. s1z
HUNDRED N W DOLLARS IN A SINGLE YEAR.
AND STILL INCREASED TIE DEBT. A fine watch
man and defender OF the peoples rights
AS for the Sentinel, l approach 1t with fear and
trembling; for who can hope to cope with thai
stupendious combination ofintellectual powers,
whose dual exertions have been equal to tn,
task of running a weekly country paper with nc
other help than q patent inside and contributed
editorials.
have deemed the above due to the people O
the county, that they may know the truth of THU
matter, and l feel 1t proper for me to make tn
communication. as I am more pa rticularl.
sought to be implicated Ii In q transaction charged
to be dishonest. I can say to the people Of La
fayetts county that a case will be decided in tn,
u. S. supreme court. some time In April O
October. which will forever settle the status o
our township debt. I have strong hope that tina
decision will lifs from our shoulders the urjus
burden known as the township railroad bonde'
debt.
In the hope Of whish, I still remain.
-FOUR obedient servant,
WILLIAM Young.