Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1890-10-15
From the National Demo craft
An 0Dinion of Hume.


himself before the people of his district,
and soIicits their votes, is fsir sutject foI
discussion. II is the duty, indeed, OF these
who oppose his election to inform the voters
of ali established facts in his career, bnsl
ness or personal, which soould govern them
in making choice of the candidates "ho have
entered into the contest. In the cess OF Mr..
Hume who has, regardless of the fact that
General Lee bad received the nouination
from the properly constituted authority, the
Democratic Congressional Convention, thrust
himself before the voters OF the Elghth De
trict Is an independent" democrat, snd s.
anxious are our republican sdVersares to
defeat the truly recogn ii nominee OF the
demo cratic party tnat they decline to MAKE
a nomination and are supporting Hume, enn
Mr.. Hume'a democracy is OF that quesliof
able kind which allows him TO consent TO be
used by our opponents to distract and dis
rupt those party friends from whom In the
INST he bad secured favorable recognition.
Mr.. Hume and his friends, under has inspl-
ration, charge that the nomination was
made By some mode of legerdenain W.
known to any but themselves. Genera
Lees past throughout his whole lie, has
been go upsuliied that charge like that Is
deemed an impossibility. How 10 1t With
Mr.. Hume's pas will 1t bear comparison
with the regular nominee of the democratic
party q reference to the proceedings o.
the Court of Claims reveals TRANSACTION
which Is laid before the voters OF the Eighth
District for their confederation. Mr.. Hume
had obtained q contract 10 supply the Gov
eminent Hospital for the Insane With GER
tain articles under en- advertisement inVli-
inc Droposais for the same. Among the Rr
;ices advertised for were "shucss," and Dy
clerical error the word pounds, for hnn-
dred weigh, was substituted, and MIR Hume
claimed be mad bid 60 csnts per pound il
stead of per hundred weight. and rendered
% account for 6 92o pounds for ehucks ct
GO cents per pound, amounting TO sl,032. vi
@ ,urse 1t WIS not paid, aud he bought suit
Justice Richardson, OF the Court OF Claims,
in rtnderiog be decision, said An agree
ment to pay 81 200 ton for shucks actually
worth not more than $50 ton, Is an uncoE-
scionable bargain, defined In BouVier'a Law
Directory to be d contract which no uan In
his senses, not upder delusion, would make
en- the one hanf, AID which no fair aud
honest man wcu d accept CT the other
Nobt DIV can doubt such contract. whether
founded Gu fraud, accident, mistake. folly
or ignorance, is void at common law. Courts
of law will slWays refuse 10 enforce such
bargain 90 against the pubic policy OF
honesty. fair dealing and good morals
n It would be fraud against the
Uoited States to enforce euch contract"
Not content with this scathiog decision
Hume carried the case to the Supre mt
Court OF the Uoited States, esd here Is wnnt
Chief Justice Fuller says of the man woo
presents himself to the voters Of the Eighth
District asking their euf ages. Chief justice
Fuller, in giving the opinion of the court,
save Fraud is recognized in four classes. .
| Mr.. Hume's fraud comes under the eeconc
olss,. sit may be apparent from the ID
lrpsc nature and subject OF the bargain
i:selT, such as no man in MS senses, and act
| under dsfJsion, would make on the one
one hand, snd a 20 honest and fair man
wou d accept on The other" and the Chlei
Justice says: The facts were such as be
(Hume) must be held to have known cj
their (the Government agents. action, II
| understandingly takeD, would be IN pa
pabIe dereliction OF their duty to their prin-
| cipa (the Uai,ed States snd sought to PFC
by IL, the character OF the fraud is SUI"
| ained."
80 far as The Claimant (Hume is cor-
ce,ned "Tne Cha malt (Rumel by his
replication, insists that the price OF sixty
cents per pound for sbucks worth ! cents
was the price at which he intended to BID
and there was go mistake Gu bis part In
| making out the bid" He therefore sdUi,7
repeatedly that ne designed 10 comtoiS the
Government 10 g CONTRACT mo man IN
his senses and not under delusion, woutd
make on the one hand and no honest or far
man mould accept on the other" Mr.. Hume
places himself 10 the position Of attempting
to com itt fraud CT the Government aud go
We leave him. sustained in our view OF the
case by the dsciaion of two of the highee:
judicial tribunals ia the lhnd Is such q
man likely to exercise much ir llneDee In
he halls of Congress, when coy opponent
can silence him by reference to the su-
preme Court report for October term, 1889
.ges 4O6 to 415.-AdU a VoTEE.