Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 15.pdf/623

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The Green Bag.

turning towards right and left, as if the si lent benches were peopled by listening peers, thus pronounces, without pause or hesita tion: "My Lords, the motion before your Lordships' House is that the appeal be dis missed. Contents? Non contents? The contents have it. The judgment of the House is that this appeal be dismissed, and that the appellant do pay to the respondent the costs of this appeal." And all is over; nothing remains for the appellant but to pay, as ordered. This pro

ceeding is final, and the unfortunate litigant has only the consolation of reflecting that the highest legal luminaries in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland have—in a most impartial manner, after con sidering the case in the light of strict law, and on principles of pure justice, decided that the lower court had arrived at a correct de cision. To take a case to the House of Lords is a costly experience, but finality is seldom to be bought cheaply.

WRONG WITHOUT REMEDY: A LEGAL SATIRE. VIII. THE NOMINAL DIRECTOR'S MISFORTUNE. BY WALLACE MCCAMANT. THE good times were over; a panic had On a visit to the mines he stopped in Port swept through the country; banks had land and bethought him of his few shares of failed by the score, railroads were passing stock in the Banks-Elverson Company. He called at the company's place of business into the hands of receivers, the price of real estate had dropped until it had become un and asked for some information about the saleable and the money market was tight. business. He learned that two years before, Hamilton Anderson was one of the few who but after Anderson had become a stock could afford to be philosophical. He had holder, the house had purchased from David his Oregon mine, on which development Allison for one hundred thousand dollars the work had been freely done till now there property which it then occupied. He also was ore enough in sight to run the mill for learned that Allison had been a director in the Banks-Elverson Company at that time; twenty years. Its dividends brought in any where from fifty thousand to seventy-five Allison owned no stock in the company, ex thousand dollars a year, and gold was a com cept the one share necessary to qualify him modity which found a ready market even in to serve as a director, and he had accepted such '.'nies as these. Besides the mine, An the position merely to fill out the board as a personal favor to his friend and neighbor. derson had other resources, cash and securi Mr. Banks. ties easily convertible into cash, amounting to at least two hundred and fifty thousand Next day each member of the board of dollars. As he had turned to account the ' directors in the Banks-Elverson Company fever for consolidation which marked the received a demand signed by Hamilton An good times, he was alive to the financial op derson that the corporation rescind its at portunities offered by the panic to a man of tempted contract of purchase from Allison | and bring suit against the latter to recover his resources.