The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1884-04-10

The Times accuses this paper of being
the active agent of Reputation. it re-
pudiation to take legal means to deter
| mine whether an alleged debt is due or
not? Chief Justice Ryan in dissenting
opinion in case in which it was sought to
declare bonds void, thus speaks of the
howl about reputation:
That (repudiation) is the key-word of
the cant of spectators in questionable
public securities. 1t YVES hurled at this
court when it rendered just Judgment
upon sound principles in-(here fallous
citation of cases)-and perhaps other
cases. That word of reproach any such
word of reproach, can have no influence
on the mind OF any judge fit to hold his
office. 1t is as much the duty of courts
to avoid illegal, as to enforce legal con-
tracts. Far better that these bondhold-
ers should lose their money invested in
these bonds than that principles of judi
cial decision should lose their control of
the Judgment of the court. 1t
would be far better and more honorable
to this court to encounter the slang of
reputation than earn the reputation, as
may have happened to other courts, of
being court of claims for spectators in
abortiye evidences of public debt III Wall
street or elsewhere. Such threat,-it
sounds like one-can have no influence
on me to swerve me line from what be-
heve to be the law or my duty to declare
it at all hazard. Unfortunate the court
wanting in courage to declare unpalatable
right. against pretentious, plausible
wrong,
Such is the language of Wisconsin's
greatest Judge. How does The Times
like it2
THERE is no reputation in contesting
the validity of these bonds. There is not
a purchaser of bonds issued by corpor-
alton in aid of railroad company who is
not consciously assuming a risk and to
whom the doctrine of caUeat emptor
does not apply. The cases in which
bonds are voted legally, and willingly by
the people are exceptions. The election
held In this county to vote on the ques.
ton of bonding the county was fraud
upon the people. There was no argu-
ment, device or chicanory known to the
people of the city of Manitowoc that
they did not employ in that election to
defeat the wishes of the people of the
county generally, and they succeeded.
These facts were notorious. The con-
test pending the issuance of the bonds
should have put the purchasers on their
guard and did without doubt. The
Times says the board which issued the
bond was an illegal body. Was this
fact known to men who invested money
in bonds? Without question, and it no
doubt deprecated the value of the bonds
in the market.
The Pilot does not know whether a
railroad man owns a bond or not, nor
does 1t care. How does The Times
know? Is it in collision with the bond
holders that it knows just where the
bonds arei
The Pilot does not know who holds
these bonds, with single exception
a n. Y. gentleman who lately addr essed
it, demonstrating against its course in
counseling this contest. He acknowl-
edged his ownership of some bonds
The gentlemans letter is not published
for the reason it is not known whether its
notification uas desirad VVbap tbat foot
is known some further comment will be
made on the morality of the contest which
The Pilot advocates and The Times rep.
rebates; and perhaps then space will per-
NIT a fuller reply to the remarks of The
Times in its last issue or any further
comments which it may choose to offer.