130 ESSENTIALS OF VETERINARY LAW 



liabilities to which he exposes himself. An error 

 of the representative of a city government may 

 possibly involve the city in a liability ; for the city 

 is a coiporation which may be sued. Exactly the 

 same kind of an error by one employed by the 

 state or nation would not involve the liability of 

 either state or nation, for they are supposed to 

 do no wrong, and therefore they cannot be sued. 

 But if a man occupying the position of an officer 

 or employee of the state or nation does an act 

 which is wrong, in so far he is really a private 

 wrongdoer, just like any other, and his official 

 position does not protect him from suffering the 

 penalty. If any one has been injured by his un- 

 lawful act, civil suit may be brought against him. 

 It does not matter that he acted in good faith, 

 that he supposed that he was within his authority, 

 or that he thought his act for the common good. 

 Relying upon the purity of his motives, he finds 

 that good intentions pave the way to — trouble. 



It is the duty of a public officer or employee to 

 know what he is doing, and that his act is within 

 his legal power. Intentions don't count. Impres- 

 sions are misleading. Knowledge is important. 

 This knowledge is not difficult to obtain. It is 

 within easy reach, but the trouble is that too 

 frequently the officer is content witli certain gen- 

 eral ideas, very loosely comprehended, until he 

 is suddenly brought into court to suffer for his 

 well intentioned misdeeds. Very frequently it is 

 more the manner in which a thing has been done, 

 than the thing itself, which is objectionable. 



96. Liability of Officers. Whatever is required 

 of an officer by law should be done, and if he fails 



