Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1883-05-26
MR.. THOMAS <. sKINKER.

The Intelligencer believes in fai
play. 1t has attacked Mr.. Thos. r
Skinker regarding his course tower
this county in bond cases; other rows
papers have conceded with it, and t
charges made by the Sedalia Hemocrs
Mr.. Skinker replies at some length
We print his card, with pleasure, Il
another column, but we must say tbs
the gentleman in his labored defens
evades the issues made with him b
Lafayette county. While he was re
plying he should have been compre
hensive in his statement and shout
have defended himself from the objec
tons to his conduct as made by tn
persons whom he has aggrieved.
Mr.. Skinker claims that he has tn,
right under the law to practice in tn
courts, and that hehas not suffered hi
practice to interfere with his duties q
official reporter of the supreme court
Granted. We will even say more fol
him. Mr.. Skinker is = gentleman O
education; he is a lawyer of ability; he
is thoroughly competent for the posi-
ton which he occupies n an employe
of our highest state court. Personally
we are inclined to like Mr.. Skinker and
to do him service rather than injury,
but representing . people who have
been harassed to death with unjust
debts it is our duty to speak plainly in
their behalf. { =.
Mr.. Skinker has done wrong in this:
a. He has urged his clients to refuse
to compromise their bonds at 80 cents
on the dollar, q price which under the
equities and rights in the case is an
exceedingly liberal one, acknowledged
to be SO by almost everybody but him
self, among others by distinguished
members of the bar, and business men,
such n Messrs. Henderson 6 Shields,
Judge Jas. ]. Lindley, Joseph Shipper,
Geo. G.. Vest, John b. Overall, Geo. C.
Preston,C D. Blossom, II. Clay Ewing,
j. L. Smith, Thos.- Bayley, Jno. D..
Clayton, F. A. Crook, Donaell, Law
son & Co., Donaldson & Fraley, Dodd,
Brown & Co., Isaac Dubeis,- Contin-,
entail Bank, St. Louis; Central Nation
al Bank, BoonyiIle; Ewing 6 Pope,
Savings Institution, First Ma
tional Bank, Madison, Indiana; Joseph
First National Bank, Litchfeld,
Fleming & Sears, H. B. Hamil-
lon, g. B. Harrison, ]. j. Henderson,
Grant & Grant, Thos. Hunton, J.. O.
Thos. G. Jenkins, Charles
Keleher & Co., Elmore A..
Kent, E. c. Lakeland & Co., Macy &
Sweeney, j. 3. Moulton, First Nation
i Bank, Sedalia; w. Newkirk, j. W.
)wings, .Prichard Institute, Jas. H.
David D. Stewart, Sam'l.
smith, Jno. G. Tarsney, Union Nation
Bank, st. Louis; Washington Uni
'ersity, Chas. Virgins, Ninth National
tank. New York; w. G Little & Co.
1t is generally understood to be the
MY Of an attorney where equities are
. question, and where a fair compro-
,ise is offered, to recommend his client
, accept it. Mr.. Skinker reverses this
ale and says, not, "My client requires
ollar for dollar" but, 81 will get the
vt dollar" 81 will collect dollar for
ollar;;" and he speaks Of the people of
lafayette county as dishonest, and re-
udiators of just debts. We consider
to be ungenerous and ~unprofes-
lonal, and, no matter how much Mr..
may deprecate such u judg-
lent Of his purposes the public will look
pom them as melted more by anxiety
.garding his fees and by personal
que than by that love of justice which
the ornament of his profession. Mr.. +.
tinker is mistaken. He has to deal
18th an intelligent community, which
united, and he will not collect one =,
mt above the compromise. !,
So much for the county bonds. Now
as to the townships. Mr.. Skinker !
an officer of'the supreme court of 9
9 state. He processes to be a demo- ,
at. If he is sincere he must oppose y
9 assumption Of jurisdiction by the =
nited States courts, which overrides 6
9 time -honored practice up to within
[ew years, in setting aside well conf
Tered and fairly rendered judgments 2
state supreme courts as to the laws q
and of their respective states. The a
court of the state of Missouri a
Ids the township aid act, under Il
hich the bonds in question were is r
ed, to be unconstitutional and void.
r. Skinker is an officer of that court,
d yet he does all in his power, in an
her court, to bring contempt upon its c
cisions, and to tear down the prin- Il
'les of tho political party to which he tt
attached. ri
More than this, Mr.. Skinker was in a
convention, composed of creditor e,
d debtor, which met in St.Louis to eft. c
It the compromise Of township bonds. OIL
'spoke and acted in that convention, tf
. is morally as much concluded by
action as if every proposition he o,
de therein had been agreed to. In al
,se township bond cases tho equities til
all with the people. Many of them Ell
NIX the rates of the compromise were d.
ed too high, but they agreed to the q.
lven'ion, their representatives took ar
therein, and we have yet to hear A
. man on their part who desires to be
'udiate their action. In either case Sc
:. Skinker cannot claim that his
have no faith in new Lafayette ~
lnty bonds because the old ones, to
ich were tainted with fraud, have tn
N litigated, because he knows, as to
the world does, that new LAFAYETTE N
lnty SKIES are worth a premium. e
IN w