Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1908-01-06
AN OPEN LETTER
To CITY ATTORNEY
G.. w. Galloway Makes
Some Interesting State
ments Relative to the I'm
pounding of Stock.
LAW ON QUESTION
PrOpounds Il Few Questions for City
Attorney Coleman's Consideration
Says City Cannot Ovcrstep State
Rights in Making Laws.
Editor Graphic

Editor Graphic
AS d. subscriber to your paper
suppose you will. as a matter OF cour-
tesy, allow me space to express my
views on non-political subject.
City attorney Coleman has express
ed himself as believing that Galloway
is man Of very mean disposition,
who seems to find pleasure in working
against the city. OF course, l don't
wish to be considered by the public
as being a very mean man, therefore
l ask at your hands chance to tell
the public what I have done. Certain
city officials acting under Mr.. Cole
mans advice. formed a habit Of i'm
pounding my stock and demanding
tribute Of me for their release, which.
in some cases, amounted to confisca-
ton of the property in question. Be
ing satisfied that there was no law
for such procedure, l formed a habit
Of refusing to stand for the "hold-up."
udd icIituS W dSolu USluS
l"skinned, which ! proceeded to use.
| preferred to pay five dollars and
| twenty-five cents for an order of de-
livery in replevin with a chance Of
recovery, than pay the same Or
less, as unlawful tribute, with no
chance to recover In Mr.. ColemaD's
q &c vi Of
mean man for a citizen to use a legal
remedy against unlawful procedure.
It seems that if a citizen wishes 20
| be favorably estimated by Mr.. Cole
man he must shell out" the cash
when ordered TO do so by those who
are acting under his advice. whether
| it be legal or illegal. Mr.. Coleman
finds fault with me for writing two
articles, one OF which was published
in the Graphic, TO let interested par
ties understand that the operation OF
the ordinance under which non-c;ty
residents had formerly been unlaw-
fully forced TO shell out when their
stock We're impounded, had been Oh
Mr.. Coleman's own motion suspend
ed. What was Mr.. Coleman oDiec-
ton to the publication of that article:
Did he want to keep the people n
ignorance OF what had been done
upon his own motion and continue to
eXtort money from those who did not
understand the matter and release
stock without charge to those who did
understand. Mr.. Coleman had been
formerly requested by Mr.. Gates, at
torney for plaintiff, to suspend the op-
GRAFTON of the ordinance. pending a
decision by Judge Grace in former
case, which request Mr.. Coleman
abruptly refused to consider. Why,
! then, did he on his own motion on
December 10, do what he had refused
to do two weeks prior? The solution
is easy. Mr.. Coleman was up
against four cases which he knew
would go to judgment against the
city and make him, as city attorney
and advisor, look like ten dollar
mule under a forty dollar saddle for
not knowing more about constitu-
tional law Does Mr.. Coleman mean
to say that the city of Pine Bluff real
ly wants to rob somebody? 1t would
seem that he does, for he said Gallo
way seemed to find pleasure in work
ing against the city, and all that Gal
loway has done is to use legal rem
edy to prevent city officials extorting
money from him without legal author
ity. Mr.. Coleman has said that he
would have an ordinance passed at
the next council meeting which will
fix it. He must have very exalted
opinion of powers possessed by the
Pine Bluff City Council to expect
them to override State law, together
with circuit court decision con-
Ifirmed by the Supreme Court. Does
he not know that city council must
be authorized by State legislative act
before they can pass laws to govern
even city residents, and the State leg
islafure is lacking in constitutional
power to go further. They can au-
thorize city councils TO enact laws to
govern those who reside in their re-
spective cities. but they cannot en-
power them to enact laws to govern
any one outside Of their corporate
limits.
Is Mr.. Coleman trying to run bluff
or is he crippled under the hat?
City officials have been impounding
stock and exacting tribute for their
release for: at least six weeks after
they must have known that they had