The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1869-05-19
A Rich Exposure Of a Swindle.
fFrom the No. picayune.l

fFrom the n. Q. Picayune.l
In the Fifth District Court on tuesday
Mr.. Roselius concluded his argument, be,
gun on Monday, in the proceedings so Dust
the Board of Drainage Commissioners for
the benefit of the Ship Island Company
through its next friend. But BloomGeld
so-called Drainage Commissioner, under an
act passed at the late session of the Legis-
lature. After recapitulating the points
made by him in his opening. the lenrned
counsel proceeded to show that the PIE
tended law was simply designed to take
away from one set IF men, who had contFi-
hutcd uoney through taxation for the ac-
complShed of certain purpose, the funds
thus TAI, ed, aud to make gratuitous do
nation of them to another party, and with
out the slightest consideration--fnr the
act of incorporation Of the Ship Island
Canal Company did not anywhere provide
for the drainage of the lands upon which
this fund had been ASSESS. and collect ed.
Nearly Two millions of dollars, already col
lected, or assessed and to be collected. was
to be donated at the expense of The con-
trihutors, to a mere set of adventures,
styling themselves corporation. and with
out any obligation On their part to do any
drainage for the district in which the prop,
erty assessed was situated. The opposite
counsel had cited to the c urt portion of
the act of incorporation. which they pre-
tended provided for drainage, but it only
provided for the construction Of levee to
protect their proposed canal. and would
exclude all idea of drainage works for the
larger portion Of the territory on which
the tax had been levied All that was
provided 10y the act was. that parties might
drain into the proposed canal on terms to
be fixed with it's proprietors. The whole
proceedng was an act of spoliation of one
party for tihe benefit ofapother-a divesti-
tute ofrights, and their surrender to another
without any compensation. The Legisla-
ture had attempted to get around the con-
stitution by this machinery of a Commits
sioner of Drainage to take possession of the
sum already raised, or to be raised, and
turn it over to the State Treasury, and
once there, it could only be drawn out by
special acts of legislation. Such a thing
could not be done in Russia or Turkey. or
anywhere else, except by "A set of pillagers.
Before closing, he wished to say few
words about this thing which called itself u
corporation, the attempt to do which was
an abuse of that term. Who and what
was this pretended corporation, which was
to receive this enormous donation at the
expense of our people? A mere set of adj
venturers who had succeeded in getting
law passed by the Legislature in 1863 en-
towering them to eycavale ship canal
between certain points, with a capital
stock ofsix millions. How much of that
capital has been paid in? Not cent, as
was in evidence on the record before the
court. based on the testimony of the secre-
tary. Yet it also appeared that stock scrip
asserting that two millions had been paid
in full, was now floating in the market,
which had been issGed. about which the
secretary had said he knew nothing, though
he had himself taken FIVE hundred shares,
and paid thereon but tlnr.y-five dollars.
A distinguished friend of his, an ex- Gov
er, or Of The State-Gov Hahn-had also
been q subscriber in his own name and tina!
of others, to tie stock, and had, he believ.
ed, contributed voluntarily about thirty.
FIVE dollars. The whole amount of volnn-
tary contributions was about thirty-oue
hundred dollars for he could not misuse
terms by calling these contributions "assess.
ments." And how had this voluntary
fund been used? When the bill making
this proposed doration to the humbug
company had been presented to Gov.
Warmoth, he at once saw its unconstitu-
tionality, and applied his veto power to
check ii. The pi!lagers resolved to pass it
over his head, and it was in evidence that
hppIpn1 lrlt.r- and arl-
expended in giving supper to the MEN,
against the veto. Fifty dollars had also,
it appeared, been expended to get some
one to write an article in defence of the
scheme, and get it published in DeBow's
Review, and thu President, Mr.. Brott, was
paid one hundred and forty dollars for
travelling expenses, probably for going to
Washington to influence Congress to sane
ton their project. 1t was ridiculous to
say that the conditions of the charter had
been fulfilled, as the proposed capital had
never been paid in so as to form the cor
poration, and never would be unless the
parties in charge of the scheme should steal
it. His remarks on this part Of tie case
were extremely satirical aud humorous.
and frequently convulsed Bench, Bar and
spectators with roars of laughter. He
thought there could be no difference be-
tween any two fair minds as to the cha'ac.
ter of this pretended corporation, and as he
did not fancy dwelling on so disgusting q
subject, he would leave it to the decision
of the court whether their attemps at
pillagng should receive judicial sanction.
HoRRIBLE DEATH FROM HYDRopHoBIA.-