The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-05-07
THE COURT HOUSE INJUNCTION

Through lawyer Cray, the opposition
to the action of the County Commits
sioners have applied to Judge Severance
for Il perpetual injunction, enjoining the
Commissioners from building a court
house, and ask for temporary injunc.
ton pending the action. In compliance
with the request, Judge Severance issued
an order to the County Commissioners
to show cause why temporary injunc.
ton should not be granted, and the
hearing will take place on the l4th.
1t has been implicitly understood that
some outside judge would be engaged to
hear this case, and in the nature of
things this should have been done. Not
that Judge Severance's superior can be
found, nor even that he will use any
partiality in his rulings or decision, but
for other reasons the propriety of leav-
ing him out ofthe controversy is too ap-
parent to demand discussion. In the
first place Mr.. Severance resides i'm Man
kato, where the sentiment in favor of
court house is unanimous. If his decI-
sion should be such as to dissolve the
injunction, those opposed to the court
house will Immediately raise the cry
that his prejudices IN favor of the city
were stronger than his convictions of
law and evidence. If, on the other
hand, he should decide that the grounds
for permanent injunction were well
taken, and render his verdict according
ly, then the city would say that he was
afraid to decide against the farmers for
fear they would punish him IN the cleo
ton this fall. While neither of these
positions are tenable, dissatisfaction on
one side or the other is almost newt
able, and because of this it is not diff
cult to see why judge from another
district should have been called in.
MIR. Severance, it is well understood
will be candidate for reelection to the
position he has so admirably flied for
the past four or five years. But this fact
will have no terror over his conviction |
as TO the rights involved in the court |
house controversy. His decision will be |
rendered according to law and facts as
he sees them, it matters not which side |
he is forced to take, and there will be
no qulbbling nor craw-fshing. He will
not stultify himself to make friends with |
one side or the other, neither will he
to shirk any of the RESPONSE
bilities devolving upon him in the settle
ment of this matter. From the high |
reputation for justice and equity that the
Judge bears, it is safe to deduce the con-
clusion that he will be guided in this
matter, rs in others, by strict sense of
duty, and the people on both sides of
the controversy should feel that he has
done justice to the case, and gracefully
submit to his verdict.
Probably the real reason why the
County Commissioners insist upon the
case being tried before Judge Severance
is because of the fact that j. G. Wise in
his usual officiousness, notified Mr.. Cray
that the matter would be left to the de-
,Ision of an outside judge, and If this as
'ertion be true, there Is no reason to
question the position of the Commits
;ioners. No man has any right to fore
stall the action of the Commissioners,
md had Wise known his place, and
kept it, there is very little
loubt but the Commissioners would have
been willing to call in some other Judge.
some men can't keep their nose out of
,ther peoples business until they have
been kicked, and Wise has received Il
iubbing that ought to temporarily bring
him to his senses.