Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-04-11

confidence and respect. The seceders
would very quickly get to lighting among
Themselves and break up. II the split IS
to come, Mr.. Powderly could not vel
come better time than the present. lie
should take the bull by the horns and in
sist that Irons shall obey him or get out
and let whoever win follow him.
----------saaa--.------
A RELIC or RECONS FRICTION.
During the reconstruction period the
Inconsistencies Of the Republican poll
tlcians were the ridiculc Of the country,
but having all needed power an neon
slstency was never allowed to stand IN the
way OF their dealing with Southern states.
Under the leadership oil Thad Stevens
they proclaimed that the South had never
been out Of the Union; but when they
found this theory incompatible with their
practices In oyerturning the state gov
ornments and appointing creatures OF
their own 10 be governors and rulers OF
tho unhappy states, they never baked at
the abyurdity Of their position, but went
ahead to treat sovereign states, 80 held
by them, rs subiugated provinces. Few
Republicans of sense can be found now
adays who will defend the course OF their
party in the reconstruction mania. AS
relic of those days an important lawsuit
is now being argued before the supreme
court, which involves nice point of law
as TO the relation of the states 20 the
general government during reconstruc-
tion.
While Bullock, one Of the reconstruc.
tlon governors OF Georgia, appointed by
President Grant, was in power, bonds
were laylshly issued for every conceivable
purpose, amounting to many millions OF
dollars. They were sold and the money
squandored or stolen by the thievng
officials OF that state When the
carpet-bag government was displaced and
the people Of Georgia came TO the con-
troloi their own affairs, large part Of
these bonds were repudiated because
they were iraudueuty issued. Holders
Of the bonds, citizens OF New Hamp-
shire, cndeayored to compel payment Of
the dishonored obligations by assigning
them to their state government, which
began a suit IN the supreme court OF
the nation to compel the payment Of the
bonds This transfer of ownership was,
of course, fictitious, and was done
because the individual holders OF the
bonds could not sue state, while
another state could. The decision of the
supreme court declared that the owners
of bonds or coupons of state, who are
precluded from prosecuting these suits
in their own names, cannot, by fic-
titlous transfer of possession, conduct
the suit in the name OF any state One
state cannot create controversy with
another state by assuming the prosecu-
ton of debts owing by the other state to
its citizens. This decision settled the
question. Now another and more i'm
| portant one has arisen.
Among the purchasers of the Georgia
bonds were citizens of Franktort-ou-th
Main Being citizens of foreign couu.
try, the decision in the New Hampshire
test case did not affect them They
propose to enforce the collection of thu
debts due them, not from the
state of Georgia, but from the
United States, The argument OF
their counsel is an ingenious and
plausible one, He contends that The
state of Georgia was, at the time thu
bonds were issued, province under The
control OF the United States, and not ar
independent state In full possession OF
the functions Of self-governmeut The
federal government had appointed the
governor OF that state, and he was acting
as It's agent. AS such, 1t WAS not III,
state Of Georgia that issued the bonds
but the agent Of the United States, actinl
without the support OF the people o
Georgia, Being the agent OF the fedora
authority, the general government is re
sponslble for his acts; aud among thes,
acts being the issuing of the alleged
fraudulent bonds, 1t is urged that tn,
federal government, standing in the rela
ton Of principal to him, is responsible,
for the payment of the bonds The PEG
/ pie OF Georgia, who had nothing to d,
with appointing the governor, certainly &
not, or should not be, responsible for tn,
effects OF his acts,
The case will assume phase entlrell
new in tho history OF American iuns
prudence, 1t win bring up again, IoI
judicial determination, the once.yexec
but long,iorgotten controversy about tn,
relation OF the seeded states 10 tn,
Union after the wsr. II the case shall h,
decided against The government, it vii
take from The treasury more than hun
dred million dollars, for the creditors d
other states whose bonds were Issued anC
iepudiated under the same conditions
win come forward With their claims fol-
payment,
Fort worth at the Front.
MeNia Ledger.
He is reckless hettar who siakes M.