Mexico weekly ledger., 1894-02-01
BOND INJUNCTION DENIED.
The knights of Labor Case Quickly
Decided Adversely.

from issuing 80 million dollars worth
new bonds az proposed in his recent
bond circular.
The decision was arrived at in a
shorter time than had been expect
ed, for the arguments we're made
only yesterday and were not COM
pleted until late in the evening.
Judge Jere Wilson, who spoke first,
held that the act of 1875 did not give
the Secretary the authority to issue
bonds. He discussed at length the
meaning of the acts of congress
bearing on the bond question and
held that the court had ample power
to act. J. w. Mills of Denver read
the application for the injunction
and Senator Allen Of Nebraska re-
ferred to the reserve fund as a mere
caprice of the Secretary, who, he
said, was without authority and
absolutely powerless to issue obliga-
tions of the government.
The application of the Knights Of
Labor asserts that the members of
the order as citizens and taxpayers
have a right to the injunction, as
should the bonds be issued The inter
est will practically amount to a tax
of about 81 a head in the country,
thereby resulting in an outlay of
$500: 900 for the Knights of Labor.
Now, there never was a per capita
tax in this country. No law row in
force requires the payment of a direct
tax, though there was one in 1916
and another in 1861. Should such
a tax exist, the complainants have
not shown that they are property
holders. They have no standing in
the court as tax payers and no legal
right in the question as to a bond
issue.
The claim that the interests of the
organization are different from the
general public and would suffer more
than any other class (referring to the
claim that many Knights were
miners) by the issue is a grievance
in the discrimination, but it gives
no standings in judicial proceedings.
Consequently, as taxpayers and
miners, the complainants have no
standing in court.
Judge Cox then reviewed the laws
bearing on the question and declared
that it was unnecessary to enter into
a discussion of the rights of the
Secretary to make the issue. The
Secretary, he said, had legal author
ity to redeem notes when presented
and 10 issue and sell bonds when
necessary.
TO GO TO THE SUPREME COURT.
General Secretary Mcguire of the
Knights will appeal from the decis-
ion to the district court of appeals
and from there eventually the case
may go to the supreme court of The
United States.
Judge Cox in his decision declar-
ed that the Knights of Labor as an
organization had no standing in
court to maintain the Injunction,
and his opinion also sustained very
fully Secretary Carlisle's right 70
issue gold bonds. "On general
principles" he said. mo person
can legally begin action against an
officer of the government unless the
rights of property of complainant
or compliments are involved"
Secretary Carlisle was at his.desk
in the Treasury department to-day,
but as it was cabinet day be did not
see any visitors, but devoted his
time exclusively to the consideration
OF department business. He de-
clined to make for publication any
statement of the results of his trip
to New York. II was officially
stated at the department that the
statement attributed to the Secretary
while in New York, that if the SUBJ
scriptions should run up to 70 mil
lion dollars he intended to sell that
many bonds, was incorsect.