The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-08-09
Judge Seymour's Defence oil the Loan
SWimdler.

SWIliOICra
We print in our news columns To-Day d
long letter from ex-Judge Roderlck t..
seymour. counsel for the %swindIing man,
Roper. of the Mutua Land and Building
Syndicate. and a trustee or director OF
the queer concern itself. We print TINS
letter in accordance with our fixed potcy
of giving everyone fair and fun oppor-
tunity to defend himself when attacked
We allow the asperities of the judge
language to appear just as he wrote
them. because we know no better way
of showing our utter contempt for such
foolish and reckless accusations as he in
dulges in.
1t is almost needless for US TO say
that ..The News has not one particle OF
malice or anger in this crusade, or AMI
nus of any sort, save the impulse to
do its duty by laying bare the spera7
lions of a man or a concern when Is
proving upon the weaker part OF the
public. We have no antipathy to the
man, Roper. apart from his acts anu
for Judge Seymour we have SO much
friendship as to sincerely lament that
he is embarked in so bad a cause.
Neither is there the remotest ground
for the allegation that 1.-THE News has
been mislead, misinformed, misdirected,
or deceived in any way. THE News
fully knows what it is doing, and it has
down to date, the decisions of compe-
tent courts, in at least half a dozen
cases. TO back up its allegations.
The Judges entertaining lecture on the
general principles of the Building and
Lean system is as sound as it is lucid.
Ii has no bearing, whatever, on the
case. The question is not how the Syn
dictate ought TO do business; it is how
the Syndicate did do business. There is on
this point an enormous mass of concur
rent testimony. There are, at the low
est calculation. a score of victims ready
TO prove that Roper or other agents OF
the =concern-whether with or without
HELllOi VIZ III y PANhNN0
make fraudulent representations to per-
sons to induce them to subscribe,
promising them the very things which
Judge Seymour today points out, could
not possibly be promised with honesty.
The case decided, in first instance, by.
Justice Potts yesterday, a report of
which appears in connection with Mr..
SeyInour's letter, may well serve as an
epitome of ALL 1t fully illustrates the
swind1ing system carried on by Roper,
and the business methods by which he,
if not the Syndicate, have aeeced simple
people.
We refrain from making more than
passing comment on the notorious char
acter of Roper himself. He is an ex-
convict, with a thoroughly bad record.
His employment is a disgrace to the
syndicate, if honest business is its aim.
T. would be a crime to pass over in
silence the infamous outrage on justice
perpetrated yesterday in the arrest on a
warrant ISSUED by y uSlite VI 1uc SdGS
Weed of the victim and accuser of Ro-
per. The charge was perjury, and it
was based on affidavits in which Justice
Potts had just expressed his belief by
placing Roper under bail for the Grand
Jury. This shameful insult to Justice
Potts, and outrage on an innocent citi-
zen of another State was one IF those
acts which make the people cry out for
the abolition of the Justice of the Peace
system.
Admit that Weed acted in good faith,
admit that he had no option but to issue
the warrant was laid before him, still is
it not an a~bomination that one magistrate
should be thus permitted to interfere
With and complicate the proceedings be.
fore another of higher rank.
If the charge was bona ide, why did
not Roper and his attorney lay it before
Justice Potts? There is only one answer:
Because Justice Potts was too honest
fnr Them.