Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1888-01-27

or desi' to learn whether it was
truthful or not, and it has been
repeated parrot-like in Congress,
on the stump and in every free
trade journal steadily since that
time. Globe-Democrat.
HESS AND THE RAILROAD BONDS.
Last week We published a letter
from Macon county signed LA
Plata" in which the correspondent
called in question our statement
of Jan. 9th in regard to the POSI-
ton of Judge Hess on the railroad
bond question, and the great in
justice done him. Our correspond
ent stated that he had not "taken
pains" to inform himself, which
was very apparent from the tone
and tenor of the letter. But it is a
characteristic of the American
people to pitch in before they
have taken the precaution to forti-
fy themselves with necessary and
needed information; and this
pitching in is often the source
of lasting regret. But we will
cease moralizing and get to the
matter in hand. If our CORES
pondent had taken any "pains" he
would have found that the first
subscription to the NJ. & NJ. r. R.,
Of s175,000 was made in April
1867. The county court making
the order was composed of A. @.
Atterbery, J. r. Alderman and ".
d. Roberts. Judge Hess was at
this time almost stranger in Ma
con county, just out of the army,
and a young man not yet out of
the twenties, and was not elected
as member of the county court
till November 1878, nearly two
years after the first subscription
to the M. & NJ. Railroad. 1t was
aftefward found that the first sub
scription of s175,0O0 was not sufi-
cient to complete the road through
Macon county and the company
asked $4,000 additional subscrip-
ton. The motion was made by J.
A. Clark in February 1870, Alder
man Roberts and Hess then being
the county court. Judge Hess op-
posed the proposition and succeed
ed in delaying it for several
months but was finally voted down
by Alderman and Roberts, Judge
Hess not only opposed the second
subscription in his official capaci-
ty but published an article in one
OF the Macon papers asking the
people to attend court and help
him defeat the movement. The
people along the line of the new
road were very urgentin their de-
mands for the subscription, and
accused judge Hess of trying to
rob the county Of S175,0OO, be-
cause, they said, if enough is not
voted to complete the rood, the
county will loose the S175,OOO al
ready subscribed. 1t might furth-
er be stated that just before
the second subscription to COM
plete the NJ. & NJ. Road was asked
for, new line sprung up, the
Omaha Railroad, and that Macon
City and Hudson and Liberty
township voted 100000 in bonds
for this new line, Judge Hess
again opposed, and after the peo-
pie had voted fhe bonds refused to
issue them. Afterward when the
SCENE proved swindle, as he told
the people it would, he saved Ma
con City and Hudson and Liberty
townships $4,000 by recovering
and cancelling the bonds to that
amount.
Before the party convention to
nominate candidate ior the Office
of Circuit Judge took place in
1856, we made a thorough exam.
ination of the Macon county r. R.
bonds and have given "LaPlata"
the plain facts, such as any one
may know by a little honest inves-
tigation; and if "LaPlata" has
made any effort since writing his
letter, to know the truth, he al
ready has the light" asked for in
his communi cation.