William Howard Taft

“ The rule forbidding appeals from decrees for costs only is easily deducible from the discretion vested in the trial court in fixing them and the better opportunity of that court to exercise that discretion from its greater intimacy with details of the pleadings, hearings, and orders in the case. When the power of the court to assess costs against either party is not in dispute, or the mere amount to be fixed is in issue, appeals on such questions alone are not allowed. ”

“ On the one hand, the consumer profits by getting more than he could from the banks; on the other, the plaintiff profits by being relieved from high rates of interest. The rate at which the plaintiff has sold its bonds is 7 per cent. and on short financing the rates are much higher. I think that 7 per cent. should be the rate, even though the plaintiff must pay a premium to get the bond; it will recover back all that the consumers are not eventually entitled to.'
From the final decree of the District Court, fixing the costs, an appeal was taken to this court. ”

“ There is no doubt that, as a general rule, an appeal does not lie from a decree solely for costs, and, if an appeal on the merits be taken and affirmed, it will not be reversed on a question of costs. ”