The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1869-12-01
The Legislature and the Gamblers,

It is well known to the readers of the newspapers
published in this State that in the month Of October
Gov Warmoth had made up his mind to call an extra
cember. About the first of November, when it be-
came known that the Governor had changed bis mind
and would not issue his proclamation calling extra
session, not only the metropolitan but the country
press profuse in their fusome praise of the Gov
ernor for what they termed great saving to the
payers of the State We thought at the time that the
sly old carpetbagger had something in view better
than an extra session of the Legislature, he would
never have heen guilty of deed that would call for
the enconiums of the press Of this State The sly old
dog had bis reasonsand good they were too for
him, pecunarily The press of the city failed to see
it at the time but correspondent of of the New
York papers was about land for what We know took
hand in the game,) and tells the following tale:
:" The annual licenses of these gambling institutions
will expire on December 3lst, and must be renewed
for the coming year without delay. And if on JAN
uary LIST the licenses paid for the year 1870 into
the hands of the Auditor of Public Accounts as the
law provides, their existence for another year thus
guaranteed. No matter what subsequent action the
Legislature may take, the payment and receipt of the
money would stand in the light of contract between
the State the hand and the licensed parties on
the other. But If an extra session of the Legislature
should be held in December and the law repealed be-
fore the payment of the licenses for the next year,
there would be an end to public gambling in New Or
leans.
The fearful effects of this debasiug practice on the
minds Of the community and the melancholy conse-
quences which have resulted from it cannot be esti-
mated. And so great was the odium which the in
auguraton OF such custom brought on the Republican
party, that many of the leading members of that
organization have declared their intention of cooperat-
ing with the few Democratic members of the Legisa-
ture to expunge it from the statute book Its fate
was therefore settled the repeal of the act to
have been one of the first of the extra session.
After wping off such disgrace, the party of moral
ideas felt they could proceed the reformation of the
municipal government .i.y of New orieaus
decorum
"However, the gamblers did not wish to have their
little game broken up in this manner. Their employ
ment was too lucrative to be relinquished so easily
And not many days ago meeting of the fraternity
was held and 900 contributed to be used for the
purpose of stalng off the proposed extra session of
the Legislature, and thus give them another year to
add to the number of their victims
but what has Governor Warmoth to do with all
this? Nothing There is no proof that this action is
IN any manner predicated on theirs. don't for one
moment hint or insinuate that Governor Warmoth' S
sudden change OF mind has been induced by any but
the most patriotic motives. But is it not a singular
coincidence that after having decided on calling an
extra session of the Legislature he should so quickly
conclude not to do in resistance to the strong
pressure of his party few days after the gamblers
had so literally and substantially produced their argu-
ments in opposition to it?"