The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-12-03
The HagerIa Case.

$ statements OF the OttumWa special In
regard to the Hagerla cases, which
special we are sure was written by the 4
salaried press agent of the Power
company. What we may say as to
court matters can be verified bv the
records.
We have not been rebuffed four
times or any other times In our eff
forts to GUST the power company from
the Mississippi river. We have been
defending suit which the water
rover brought to get Hagerlas land
at what he and his neighbors thought
was about half value. He employed
us and we took such steps in the
courts which we thought would best
subserve his interests and with the
least expense and delay. We started
a suit at Carthage at cost OF eight
dollars. We appealed from the as
about two and half dollars expense.
about to and half dollars expense.
The power people hired about all the
lawyers on both sides Of the pool"
They would not try the case on this
side before Judge Bank Or Hamilton,
but removed 1t to the United States
courts and this they did with the
case at Carthage. We set our case
here down on the law and pleadings
alone without dollar of witnesses or
jury expenses and there it rests with
Judge Mcpherson and here if We are
defeated the case will be taken to the
United States court of last resort and
at a very little expense, so, instead of
the costs running up into the thous-
ands as the press agent says, fifty
dollars will cover all the costs out
side the lawyers fees so far in all the
cases. The law permits the county
attorney to bring suit like the one
at Ottumwa and if he "neglects or re-
fuses" any Citizen interested may
bring such suit in the name of the
state on his, relation provided a judge
or court gives him leave. We thought
since Hagerla was especially interes-
ed he ought to prosecute and not the
county attorney SO we notified Mr.
Craig here and stated our position and
that we were willing he should de-
cline and he did. We then appealed
to Judge Hamilton for the leave and
he preferred not to act and said he
was interested in the Green Bay
lands. We then applied to Judge
Bank, who said, the power peoples
attorneys had asked to be heard and
preferred to set a time in the future
and let the power attorneys appear
and there the whole thing ended. No
county attorney or judge investigated
and turned down the proposition. We
Ishowed our faith in our judges by first
applying to them but when we, saw
that the power people were making a
fight on this application, thing not
provided for in the law, we did not
feel like putting these judges to the
test and as we did not have to, ap-
piled elsewhere. The law does not
require notice of the application to
the judge but does if the suit is
filed and if there is nothing in the
case as the power people claim they
can demur and end the case on a dol
lar court expense. The power people
have fought Hagerla SO hard and long
that if in the meantime he discovered
the true condition as to the title of
this property they must not complain
liz he is willing as a citizen of the
state to aid it in obtaining the rights
of the people. We believe that ma
ture and the constitution of the Unit
ed States and of Iowa gave these lands
and the power in the water flowing
over the same to the people of Iowa
and it belongs to them and that it is
worth millions of dollars and since this
foreign corporation seeks to take and
use the same for it's own private
benefit they should pay the people of
Iowa something like the reasonable
value of this great power and that in
the sale and distribution of this pow
er Iowa people should have say and
ia benefit over and above foreign cities
and state and if the court SO DEGREES
Keokuk FIT. Madison, Burlington, even
Des Moines and all cities which may
be reached by this power will be great
ly, benefited and we will be in much
better shape than We are to compete
with Quincy and other foreign cities
for factories and up-building of our
own city and these things may account
to some extent for our motives and
efforts in the steps we have taken.
And we believe that if the power com
pany must they will comply with such
decree and not get out of the river.
They may not make SO much money
but still enough to pay several times
over interest in their investment. AS
to the press agents slur that once
gave an opinion on the water power
side and afterwards was not employed,
will say that served those people
several years afterwards and it may be
that some one wanted the place and
had such influential friends in or out
of this city who could and did procure
1t and it may be that this great array
of lawyers, press agents, etc, make
up the price charged the company for
the influence.
Respectfully,
f. T. HUGHES.