by John Marshall Harlan

“ While the courts of the United States accept and apply the construction of a state constitution or of a local statute, upon which the rights of parties depend, which has been fixed by the course of decisions in the state court, it is the settled doctrine of this court that rights accruing under one construction will not be lost merely by a change of opinion in the state court ”

“ As the constitution of the state did not provide any particular mode in which the corporate authorities of a township should manifest their willingness or desire to incur a municipal debt for railroad purposes, we perceive no reason why the action of the majority of legal voters, at an election held in advance of legislative action, might not be recognized by the legislature, and constitute the basis of its subsequent assent to the creation of such indebtedness, and its ratification of what had been done. ”

“ Long, 15 Ill. 202, it appears that a statute of Illinois authorized the legal voters of any school-district to meet together at a certain time in any year, and determine by vote whether a tax should be levied for the support of common schools, for building and repairing school-houses, or for other school purposes. The inhabitants of a district held an election and voted a tax for the purpose of erecting a school-house. ”