Year: 1867

fecte0 anVtnlng. as 10 1nduCe thOSe G
gentlemen TO recommend the passage
of a law that amounted to nothing. as
proper and legitimate subject of
legislation


Does the learned gentleman cherish
the fond recollection of the immense
and overpowering influence which he
one year ago welded before the legis-
lative committees of Wisconsin in
inducing them to recommend the
I passage of a law which amounted to
nothing?


Do an Honorable ex-member of the
| Senate and an Honorable ex-member
of the Assembly of this State, from
/ the county of Iowa. come here to
solemnIy protest, lin the language OF
Mr.. Strong,) against the repeal Of a


law which it IS said they were instru-
mental in having enacted, because it
amounted 10 nothing and nobody


wanted it p


r Do the Chairman of the Board of
/ Supervisors and an Associate member


Of the Board and the Clerk of the
Board, and the District Attorney. and


the venerable and learned name-sake


of the gentleman, the County Judge
of Iowa county, (all of whom | am
! proud to rank among my personal


friends,) do they all come here to sol
emhly protest against the repeal Of a
/ law that I" does not confer any new
rights upon the County. nor any pow
er upon the Court, which it did not
already possess ?'' Or, did they come
here to be told by the learned and elo-
quent counsel of Iowa county, that
the law which they came in mass to
so solemnly protest against the repeal
of really amounting to nothing. Per
haps those worthy and estimable gen
tlemen come here to hear from the
eloquent lips of the counsel for their
County the strength of their case
against the Railroad.


j such was their object. thew have
been doubtless highly gratifed, as they
have certainly listened to an argument
unequaled for ingenuity, plausibiity,
and, if ] may be permitted to Judge.
for sophistry but, if they had waited
for an argument in the Court of their
County, they would have better learn
ed the true legal bearings of the case
by listening to an argument on both
sides Of the legal questions involved,
instead Of on only one side, ana that
to prove that law ought not to be
repealed which IN law amounts to
nothing.


Those gentlemen don't think that
this law which Is sought to be repealed
amounts to nothing They don t think
with the learned counsel, that ' 1t does
not confer any new right upon the
county, nor any powers upon the
Court, which 1t dld not already pos
sess.


They think that 1T IN some way con-
ters some substantial benefit upon the
County, or gives 1t some substantial
advantage over the party opposed to
the County.


1t they do not think so, Their oppo-
s1tIon to Its repeal IS lnexcusabIe; Tor
L know them all to be honorable men.


It is but natural to suppose that
when a person thinks that he has an
advantage he will cling to it, and sol
emmy protest against us Dcllg taken
from him, even though the advantage
only point to a more favorable com.
promise of an existing difficulty; but
to suppose that he viii oppose the
taking away from him what he thinks
amounts to nothing. places him IN the
position Of ignoring reason and com
mon sense.


The gentleman tells us that this Is
only a declaratorv statute. Black
stone gives a kind Of an idea about a
time in the history Of England when
LAWYERS and doctors Of the law didn't
know what the law was or ought to
be but their blind attachment to the
macinarv perfection of the English
government was such that it would
be humiliating to the sclflove Of an
Fnrlshman to admit that it was de.
fcient IN any respect. and this English
selElove and egotism produced the
necessity Of calling needed acts of
Parliament declaratorv of what the
common law was. 1t was a good deal
/ like the gentleman's idea Of this law +;
! it was declaratorv of the existence of


law that until the act no one knew
ANYTHING about and that amounted TO
nothing. And we all know that these
declaratorv acts as frequently estab-
Z