Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1892-07-20
The Bridge Question.


The question at issue is, "Was the
order of purchase legally and justly
nader"
The order of purchase was made con-
trary to the advice and counsel of the
county attorney. His advice to the
board was substantially as follows:
First-That they could not pay for
the bridges more than their true value.
Second-That they could not purchase
bridges that were not on legally laid
out highways.
Third-That they could only pay for
the bridges in bonds, or the proceeds of
bonds sold at par.
Fourth-T'hat they could not issue
these bonds without vote by the duly
qualified electors of the county author
izing them to do so.
Fifth-That they could not issue bonds
arove five per cent.o the taxable wealth
of the county; and the taxable wealth
of the county is now 50, $3.50, 14O.ss. The
recorded bonded Indebtedness is 1854. :.
200, or lI.69 per cent.
Therefore, under the law, no bonds
could be issued for that purpose.
In utter disregard of this advice, the
order of purchase was made. Mr.. Rea-
gin, the "non-entity" of the Cresset
proposed that they proceed legally, by
calling for a vote of the people on the
question, which, of course, was disre-
garded by the Stranathan-P Pierce emit.
ty. He then proposed that they appoint
board OF competent appraisers, like
Ed. Winters, D. j. Aber and Mr.. Brown,
to appraise the bridges. This, too, was
ignored by the Professionalism en-
tity.
Mr.. Pierce then produced the order,
already prepared, presumably by some
one of the able attorneys with whom he
had been 80 constantly cheek-by- towl
for some time past, such as Jones OF
Cameron, and it was passed, with the
concurrence of Stranathan, who had
come i'll some twenty minutes before
and seemed to understand the job with.
out any extensive investigation.
MIR. r. l.. Carter told Mr.. Geo. Hen.
Erickson and Mr.. McCray that Mr.. Jas
Nurse, the contractor and builder, told
him, just as he was laying the last few
planks, that the bridge cost about ST :.
900. Mr.. w. IL. Cook, of Lake City
says it did not cost cent more: and
Pierce himself says, according to the
Cresset, that he paid more than it wa:
worth, thereby acknowledging that he
violated the law. Then, in defiance OF
the order of the court, Mr.. Pierce pro
ceeded to sign up the script ordered by
the board, and even interrupted the
county clerk and ordered him to get the
blank prepared for the amount allowed
Mr.. Lake. as he had an order for it
This was Immediately signed and sealed
and Mr.. Pierce took it and left the room
The other nine pieces were not signed
for some time after along with Other
script.
Now, few facts are evident in al
this proceeding.
The bridges are not worth, and the
commissioners knew they were moi
worth, what they proposed to pay.
They were not willing to appoint 9
board of appraisers to ascertain the
real value of the bridges.
They were not willing to submit the
matter to the people.
Uncle Dan. Pierce had no respect fol
the order of the court. The excuse thai
! it vas q clerical act. was hollow anC
thin. He rested under an injunction
and knew that unless this act OF sign
ing were enjoined, nothing was enioln
ed. True, this injunction did not in
| clude Mr.. Frank Lewis, the county
clerk, or prohibit his preparing and
signing the script, but it did prohibit
Mr.. Dan Pierce, and without the sigma
ture Of Mr.. Pierce the script could moi
have issued.
The plea that Mr.. Pierce was igno
rant of the extent of the Injunction i.
fiimsy for another reason. In case Of
doubt he could have secured counsel
and the opinion of the court could east
ly have been obtained. Besides, infants
idiots, lunatlcs and fools are held civil
ly liable for their acts, and therefore
the plea of ignorance is not good ont
for sensible men. The plea that ne in
tended to buy the Medicine Lodge
bridges is flimsy again. If it was right
to pay more than the true value of the
bridges, it should have been done over
Mr.. Reagln's objection. Mr.. Pierce
ought to lie commissioner for Barber
county, not the third district alone
And whether the Medicine Lodge
bridges be purchased or not, it does moi
change the true value of the bridges al
ready purchased, or legalize acts alrea
dy committed. Besides this, Mr.. Stran
athan asserted to Mr.. Robert Smith, In
the bearing of A. J. TrOtter, and also tc
Mr.. William Springer, that he would
never buy the Medicine Lodge bridges
And considering that the PIerce-Stran
athan, demo-republican entity have
two hearts that beat as one; two
minds with single thought, in poIit
ical aspirations and schemes, and in al
county work that may have polltica
bearing, it is fair to presume that this
is we'll understood between them.
The rumOr, the truth of which nj hodl
seems to question moment, that Mr.
Jack Jones was displaying his part Of
the Doodle in the drug store, we are moi
prepared to affirm or deny. Boys, how
many more got slice? Don't all speab
at once. We may have to call the roll
yet.
The assertion that this matter ha:
been settled by the supreme court be-
fore, is a mistake. The supreme court