, 1889-01-29
GENTLY SAT UPON.
The Attorney General Defeated in
His Mandamus Suit.
History of the Celebrated Case Con-
ciseIy ChroniCIed.
A Decision Rendered. by the
Supreme Court.

In the cultured Language Of the times,
Wyoming's deep voiced attorney general
is in the consomme.
Some months since the territory's legal
adviser presented the auditor with a bill
for the rental of offices in the Commercial
block occupied by the attorney. Mr..
Grant coYly inquired if there was anything
the matter with the apartments in the
capitol building reserved for the use of
the high and mighty legal light. No YER
batim report was made of this interview,
but it is only natural to presume that the
general, who is famous at repartee, re-
piled that they were perhaps all right, but
that he could not render opinions unless
frequently interrupted by the whirring of
the wheels of commerce and preferred a
down town studio. Mr.. Grant is a prac-
teal and economical man If he is a Re.
publican. As a matter of fact it is re-
corded that one of the auditors remote
ancestors was SO penny wise hat he took
the precaution of dying on his birthday
in order to avoid the expense of having
the extra months, weeks and days CHS
eled on his tombstone. Under these cir.
cumstances Mr.. Grant felt it his solemn
duty to himself, the people and his bonds
men to retort that he could not SEQ his
way clear to issuing an order upon the
custodian of the territory's funds for the
amount of the rent bill.
Thereupon the governors prime minister
waxed wrcth and declared that he would
sue the territorial book keeper. Now it
happens that that the auditors Cheyenne
agent is an attorney who is surnamed
Stewart, and when he heard these things
from his superior he consulted Blackstone,
magma charta, the organic act, the com
piled laws, the Revised Statutes, and even
the erudite and ramifed work called the
Session Laws of 1888. Then he advised
his chief to intimate that a suit with the
general was just what he had hankered at
ter ever since the receipt of a request to
quit work from his e~xccllency.
1t is thought hat the attorney general
has always had an idea that he had the
inside track on anyone on the territorial
job. HIS confidence in this position made
him courageous and he instituted suit
without delay. Issue was Joined and the
clerk of court wrote this imposing title
across the papers in the case; Territory
of Wyoming in re Con the relation Of
Hugo Donzelman, Attorney General, VS..
Mortimer N. Grant. territorial auditor"
After not a little delay the cause came
up for hearing before Chief Justice Mag
gennis, who referred it to the supreme
court for good and valid reasons stated at
the time.
Yesterday the supreme bench tackled
the case. Stripped OF manifold details,
including a history of the suit, an opinion
rendered by Associate Justice Sautiy
~recites, being reduced to every day Ian
guage, that the territory has provided an
office for its attorney general at the CAPT
tol building; that if he does not care to
hold forth at the state house he cannot
compel the taxpayers to liquidate his
office rent.
Thus endeth what might be termed a
$4,000 row over a paltry s75. The
people, being treated fairly, are satisfied;
being vindicated, the auditor is iubilant;
being reflective and given to Illuminating,
The LEADER says, without uGlice, that
the result places the attorney general in a
rather awkward position. AS Professor
Canada Bill would say: ''In an attempt
to work the people the exalted legal sharp
made a misdeal and gave himself the
four kings and the taxpayers the quartotte
of bullets"