The south-western., 1870-10-19
The Governors Speech.

Governor to visit a parts of the State and to discuss
all questions of public interest," presume, no right
thinking ever questioned or denied. For oGr
part we are glad he came to Shreveport and we are
happy to say he addressed large and respectable
meeting composed in the main, of white citizens, not
one man in every hundred of the auditors who was
not politically opposed to him, and yet he was heard
with the greatest respect. He seemed to pride himself
upon the privilege of speaking in Shreveport, as
though it had ever been denied him any member OF
his party. We have right to thank him for a
speech he made in the daylight, for the custom of his
party here is to do that of work at night, and as
We have complained of this So now that the Governor
has given his issues, we propose answer them,
from time to time, as our space will permit.
In answer to the charges of corruption and pecula-
ton preferred against the last Legislature, preferred
all over the land and by hundreds of papers from the
New York Tribune down to its namesake of New Or
Ieans-the colored mans organ of the Sate-solemnly
charged TOO i'll courts of justice the speaker took
strange and curious grounds In the first place, he
said with amazing bonhomme, if he had stolen any
thing he had taken no more than he could carry Is
this an honest answer made this grave charge!
Did it satisfy single hearer of his speech? and VIII
it satisfy the people of Louisiana? If SO, we are
mistaken, considering the charge merely personal
to the Governor but this fectous dodge was srate-
gc move, to divert public attention from the real
charges, Of reckless and profigate use OF the puoc
moneys and acceptance of bribes by members OF MS
party in the Legislature. Did he give this even q
straight forward denial? No, verify, for he had not
forgotten nor had the intelligent of his audience
forgotten the fact, that Judge Campbell on the trial
of the saughterhouse case, produced the witnesses
and offered show the paid and the parties to
whom they were paid the passage of the bill
And his right to this refused MN in both the us
trict and Supreme Courts With what practical effect
NAV be briefly stated The courts will interfere to an
nu anv petty contract tainted with fraud between in.
divduals but inquire into the colossal frauds
of the Legislature because its dishonest members are
protected by official position. No. this grave charge
was not denied, but it was gracefully answered.
that if brbes accepted by Radical legislators
they were paid by Democrats! Why has this charge
not been proven! Were the Slaughter,house and
Chattanooga bills Democratic measures?
In this connection, the speaker claimed great credit
for detecting and mpeaching Auditor Wickiitfe, and
be is entitled credit for it, but has no right to re-
feet on Judge Abel, as Democrat, for Wicklities
acquittal unless be interpose defense for the
judicial protection of legislative turpitude by court
of his own appointment. Nor Wicklife's roguery
the result at all lin the opinion of the speaker of his
Radical associates and opportunities, but because he
was an exDemocrat. Here the question are you not
an ex-Democrat yoursef?" led to confession that he
was and rather prosy account of how he came to
be one but with no satisfactory reasons for the change
but the war. The nomination of Lincoln, we were in
formed first opened his eyes, and his Excellency said
that when he heard it, he shouted Bully !"-and this
very pertinent and appropriate comment, and uamis-
takeable proof Of early contrtion was received with
considerable applause by certain portion of his audi
ence. Next, the speaker, in effort to meet the
charge of excessive expenditure owned up TO the four
and a half mons-whch is about one and a half less
than was charged by the Parish Committee of New
Orleans in their tabular exhibit. Taking his estimate
as correct ask, where has that money gone? Forty
miles of evees and the protection of eleven sugar
parishes is the Governors answerand it received,
we will remark, en- pdsSa7t, with the applause OF the
same portion of the audience that had previously ap-
plauded and to whom the fact that this leVee OF forty
miles had been built nearly in its entire length before
the speaker born was wholly unknown-and that
its repair necessary because OF its useless, unnec
essary and malignant destruction, for the most part,
by the Federal armies Then, assuming the offensive,
the speaker charged all manner Of sins on the Demo
cratic party being very careful to onfound the present
opposition party with the old Democratic party before
the war (of which he.was member) and, becoming
prophetica loretold that in less than two years the
"fon and the lamb would lie down in peace together
but whether they would sleep in the same bed
matter of "pubc right" he did not give us TO under
stand-but evidently Pinchback is of that opinion.
These charges our speakers can easily refute.
We have endeavored, in a summary way, to give
our readers the salient points of the Speech and which
we wish they all could have heard. For, with all its
objectionable matter the tone conciatoTy and the
temper of the meeting eonciliaory. While, as we
said in the outset recognize the duty of the Gov
ernor to address public assemblies, his appearance
partisan stump orator. dealing in the clap-trap of the
husngs, is a new precedent in the State, and one
which we venture to hope will hereafter be " honored
IN the breach" 1t certainly will be, nnless this lying
down of the " lion and the lamb should result in
litter of mongrel prod gies
Wo la.rp that Govarnor Warmoth and hanchmpn