Opinion ID: 1473139
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Intervention of the Hawley Committee.

Text: This committee represents holders of bonds under the refunding and extension mortgage. The committee did not participate in the trial of the suit, but came into this court by intervention, after the case had been set down for oral argument. It is the contention of this committee that the deposit of $2,495,000 of bonds issued under this same mortgage to secure loans from the government was invalid, because of the alleged failure of the mortgagor railway company to secure an authorization for the issuance thereof under section 20a of the Interstate Commerce Act (section 439, Transportation Act 1920 [49 USCA § 20a]). The issue is one of fact, which was not presented to the trial court. By final decree the court adjudged that these deposited bonds were existing obligations of the mortgagor secured by this mortgage. The decree is presumed to be sustained by the evidence. The issue, not having been raised in the trial court, cannot properly be urged in this court on appeal. These parties, having sat idly by during the trial, and until after all the appeals were perfected and the time for appeal had expired, are not now entitled to urge this question in this court. They are not appellants, they have filed no assignments of error in the lower court, and the time for appeal had expired before they applied for leave to intervene in this court. To permit questions of such grave importance to be so raised would demoralize and make impossible the orderly conduct of litigation. The intervention should be dismissed.