Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1879-02-22
COUNTY COURT AND THE TOWNSHIP
BOND SUITS.

EDITOR ISTE~LLIGESCER:-I discover by tho
Lexington papers that the county court has
employed Messrs. Young and Graves to look af-
ter u case now before the supreme court OF the
United States, taken up from a county that is
making no defense, and not likely to make any;
involving the validity OF all the township bonds
in the state. This is the substance of the Intel
ligencer's statement. 1 find In the Sentinel.
(havs not at this writing seen the Register). that
the court has agreed to give Young and Graves
$500 in Cash, besides a contingent fee Of 2h per
cent. on all township bonds compromised, to
defend a suit that needs no defense, &c. Either
OF these is very important, II
true. But both statements certainly cannot be
true. Both papers agree that attorneys have
been employed, and agree as to the amount, and
kind OF cOmpensatIon-but the divergence OF
opinion as to the policy of the court in the prem
Uses Is very great.
Both papers must admit that they are address
sing . very critical and discriminating audience
In such matters. Sophistry, vituperntion and
detraction will not weigh a feather in rendering
their verdict In the case. The people are not dis
cussing in their minds US to who owns the coun-
ty court, or US to who is the proprietor OF the
county clerk. of Judge Young, Oh of the county
physician. This conundrum, II conundrum
1t be 2 has been propounded on divers occasions
before, and the people answered it-last fall In
regard to all those who We're before them 1or
office, by a strong and emphatic Reimbursement
for the positions they sought. for the good and
sufficient reason that they had been true where
others had been false, and faithful to the inter-
ests of The people where others had been re-
creant. So. then the cry Of fraud and swindle,''
falls on leaden ears. Premit me to ask, what
stretch OF benevolence could induce the
county court to give Messrs. Young and
Graves s9Oe of the peoples money to 90 to
Washington, $50 have q big spree at public
EXPENSE" or ''bum around Washington, and
squander the public money in riotous living?''
The statement is absurd, not to say Infamous.
The Sentinel. in this matter. is proving entirely
too much. The public like to see a candid wit
| ness, but not q '.swift'' one. There seems to
| be something-I know not what-that has slim
| ulated the zeal of that journal IN the matter.
Its zeal seems to be of the hery and venomous
kind, that may act as u boomerang in regard to
this matter. and ''the large advance list OF pay
ing subscribers" article placed conspicuously
in the same column with its .'Iesson IL. NATURAL
history"
Mr.. Blackwell is represented as being of the
opinion that the suit should be defended, bul
that the fund used was NOT the proper one. Mr..
B. lie q gentleman, an honest man, and a gooo
lawyer. Other attorneys, equal in all respects
to Mr.. Blackwell, have been represented to the
| writer as holding II different opinion. Now,
what was the dilemma OF the court, and what Is
their position toward the people, who's so to speak
| placed them on the watch-to wer to look aftel
just such matters as the one under discussion
Here Is q township bond case to come very soor
before the U. S. supreme court, with no enor
being made to defend it; and this being the frs
/ coa> or tba Blvd vipSo tb. nYjnyop doll vprp1 h,
Judge Norton, involving the validity Of $500, 0O
in bonds, owed by the townships in Lafayette
county, was it proper Tor the court to take any
action? Cases are very often decided by de
FAULT, when, if a proper defense had been made
the verdict might have been reversed. If
mistake not there was no proper defense made
when the supreme court reversed the Bate
county case. The bond lawyers seem in tn
pending case to be trying one where no detens
Is TO be made. hoping by er- parte tactics to get
reclamation by the supreme court OF the las
case OF the kind tried by that court, fresh upol
. decision by our own state supreme court
which if adverse to said decision, would fastel
twenty or thirty millions on the various town
ships in the state. The court. IN my Judgment
would have been recreant to its duty ii 1t ha,
not used every means In its power to defen'
the suit now pending, as it is oil the most vita
Importance to defend now if ever.
Some slurs and innuendoes have been INDUCED
in toward the attorneys. which require no motto
further than to say that both of them understand
this bond question, and can furnish as goo
briefs on the subject us almost any lawyer i
the state, and if an argument has to be mad
before the supreme court they will employ, 8
their own expense, u lawyer that fully under
stands the business. JUSTICE.