Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1885-02-07
a-bar township bonds have been COM
nr0misad

promised.
But in order to satisfy some who are
displeased, and refuse to be eomfOrted,
the three last named townships are
asked to again lake up the matter and
to give these gentlemen more money,
some Of whom have given all their
energy and abb tiles and have exhaust
ed all remedies known to law, even
following our county judges to the Jail
door, insisting that they be incarcerat-
ed with horse thieves and murderers in
order to enforce their demands and
satisfy their greed, forgetting that to
strike at the liberty of the county
judges of Lafayette county was through
the hearts Of her people. In ten years
of active warfare in which our people
have appealed for justice and an equira-
BILE settlement of a debt all covered
with fraud and corruption, we have
been met with the cold argument that
the law must prevail, that the bonds
have been declared legal and must be
paid, sti after all OF their eloquence
and display they have fallen fat on their
backs, and are no nearer the collection
of their debt now than they were ten
years ago.
When the courts decided that United
States marshals could not be sent into
q county to collect debt it was fatal
blow to the enforcement of judgment
against an unwilling people. The Inn
prisOnment of late officers by the ted
eral courts does not collect the debt
as has been demonstrated in more coun-
ties than Lafayette.
In my opinion the only hope that the
holders of these bonds have is to get
our people divided upon the question
Of compromise. They expect the two
townships that have no debt, and those
who have settled, to desert the three
townships whose bonds are not all
compromised. In this they will be sad
ly disappointed for all through the
bond troubles Clay and Dover town.
ships have been as firm as any, and all
are true to their original compact and
resolutions. At the last convention
held at the courthouse IN Lexington
November 5, 1888, the following among
other proceedings were had:
"ResOlved, That il is the sense of
this meeting that the people of Lafay-
ette county are determinedly and unal-
| terably opposed to making any con-
missed bonds, county or township, other
than those agreed upon and promised
by the people i'll the elections of 1875
and 1882.
Resolved, further. That the citizens
Of all the townships pledge themselves
to stand by the still-indebted townships
until all their financial difficulties are
settled"
These resolutions were unanimously
adopted"
If the citizens of our county will
continue united, we need have no fears
! but what all the outstanding bonds will
/ finally be compromised at the rates we
have paid those who have funded their
debt. Some OF the creditors of the
| townships may be able to figure out
how the townships could pay them
more than the compromise vote. do
not believe that any dislnterested man
/ would change the terms.
! l was last fall at the county seat oi
Saline county, aid while admiring
their fine courthouse in company with
several farmers of that county, one oil
them remarked that, "The building OF
that courthouse placed very heavy
debt upon his county-fifty thousand
dollars, and that the interest on bond:
that would ensue would make theil
taxes burdensome." l remarked thai
the county ought to pay the debt the
first year, it being large county with
al assessed valuation of nearly ter
/ millions; that to levy a tax of fifty
cents on the one hundred dollars would
pay the debt. l further remarked ths!
ty cents on the one hundred dollars to
pay interest on public debt; in other
words we were taxed each year enough
to build courthouse as fine as that.
do not believe 10 this day that that ole
gentleman believed what l told him
Yours truly. w. B. 8.