Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1883-11-03
THE MASS MEETING NEXT MONDAY

: IVeu ucre III 1870 anu IOr SOme Llu
previous to that, do not need to be to-
Of the trials and tribulstions throug
: which the county passed in regard
Its then immense county debt.
d Even at the risk of misconceptien an
Misrepresentation we have of late stree
uously endeavored to avoid q renew
. newal Of the old quarrels, elimination
and determinations growing out of tt
creation ofthat debt. We have done tn
because we do not think 1t is for tt
best interests of the county to keep aliv
, the bitterness of the past, and becauf
what remains to be done in regard I
, our public debt should be done united
ly, with the people acting as M man
We are not unmindful of the fact tbs
this same sort of consideration was e.
tended unavailingly in 1875 to person
who had defended the various issues
our bonds, by inviting them into tn
convention, still we r for peace an
harmonious action If it is possible t
secure them. We think this is the TEN
per of the cool, substantial citizens Q
the county. They do not wish t.
thresh over old straw. This desire
however, must not be construed into al
admission upon their part that the,
have been wrong In all they hsv'
done since 1874, In denouncini
the injuries inflicted upon then
and in protecting themselves. VIVA
they have done they did in con
vention, every neighborhood In tn,
county being represented, or At tn.
pol 8 every man Of lawful age in The
county having q right to vote.
A. the result of the conventions and
tho election on the subject the county
debt, which In principal and interest
amounted to nearly a million and a
quarter dollars, was compromised, and
that debt Is now reduc d to very little
more than seven hundred thousand
dollars.
This compromise was made in pur-
suance Of law, by an election of the
people, and was a deliberate, we'll con-
sidered action. The people therein
promised to pay so much, aud nc more,
on these county bonds. They instruct
cd their public servants to pay SO much
and no more. In pursuance of the
promises of the people more than nine.
tenths of the county bonds have been
compromised. Nova few mon who
are uncompromising, say that Lafay-
county must pay them more
than it has paid to men who were kind
ly disposed toward 1t. The people say,
''Nol we shall treat all alike. We will
not make fish of one aud flesh of anoth-
err"
Our county judges are in Jail, con-
struc'ively If not literally; they are at
all events deprived of their liberty; ar
bitrarily kept away from their homes
and their business for obedience to
their constituents, and also for obedi-
ence to state laws. This thing has
gone SO far that 1t is in many ways irk-
some and hard to be borne. It'll desired
to see If q remedy cannot be found.
This is one reason why next Mondays
meeting is called.
Secondly. There are three town
ships in Lafayette county which have
an outstanding Indebtedness, to-day,
Of over e5oo, 0O0. 1t is well understood
that this Is an amount Of indebtedness
not to be borne. The bondholders
concede that it Is not to be borne.
This concession led to q meeting Of
representatives of the bondholders and
of tie county at which q basis of com.
promise was agreed upon. Now the
bondholders, who were going on with
their compromise, have called a halt
because MI. Skinker thinks he cali
force the payment of his county
bonds; that that will break the
backbone of The county's resistance, and
hat then the entire township debt
can be collected dollar for dollar.
That would ruin three townships,
but MIR. Skinker does not care He
wants the last ounce of the pound of
flesh. 1t would destroy the value of
property in these townships and rele-
8 ito them to a condition of unrest and
turbulence such as existed from 1869
to 1874; but this does not disturb MI.
Skinker. These people are far off; he
DIES not care for their prosperity; he
dues not care for equities; for the mer-
Of the case; he thinks he has the
power and he means to use it.
United the county and the townships
can continue to defy Mr.. Skinker 40
they have done for years. Shall they
be united? When Davis and Freedom
were in the tolls, though
their ground for complaint was not .
1.-THE Of that which Lexington, Wash
and Sniabar have, every other
township in the county stood by them,
Clay and Dover which had no
township bonds at-all. Shall Mr..
S>inker be permitted to break down
line of defense by bsttering down
the united action of the entire county
on u county bonds? It is to ask this
question of the people themselves that
the mass meeting has been called for
next Monday.
Third. Never in any community, on
any public questson, have mon selected
act for the people done go more
periodically and faithfully,
than has been done in this instance,
They have spent their time and money
for the general welfare. Since they
were called on for active service time
has elapsed. When the county con-
vention adjourned sine die it created an
executive committee, to which it dele
gated its authority, and particularly
the power to call meetings in any emer-
gency. Hon. Joseph F. Smith is the
chairman of this committee. In view
OF the situation as to our county Judges,
and in view Of the totally changed oon-
dition of affairs regarding the township
bonds brought about by the ~tergiversa-
tons of the United States courts, it is
deemed very necessary to have an &C.