New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-03-15

then show US the law. II you are sitting
here to Try misdemeanors, then snow US
the penal law. What is o misdemeanor IN
law And if it be not violation OF the
penal law what are you sitting here for
Are you to turn man out OF office tor
what he has done or omitted to do, which,
according to your opinion, he should not
or should have done If that is the case,,
law requiring the Auditor to cut up war
rants, and, in doing so, the parties found
it to their own advantage to pay for having
it done. But these most liberal gentle
men, who have shch great sensibility to
discover TIE wrong perpesrated on the
officers OF the Charity Hospital, assume
that it was an illegal act and a
great outrage to pay warrant to an insti-
tuition kept by the Sisters of Charity in
the City Of Jefferson. know more about
that institution than they do; I have
known something about the management
of it since its commencement almost, and
| am proud to say that they have nobly
performed their work of charity. Who
are the Sisters of Charity? Who does not
love them? What stranger has ever been
here in sickness and misfortune who does
not love them? For the purposes OF this
institution, during the war, there was issued
warrant for these orphan children. The
gentleman's charity seems very severe
when he comes and makes that charge
against Mr. Wickliffe. TO have issued
other warrants in exchange for that. 1t
is not pretended that that warrant was
issued for war purposes, for what had the
poor orphans to do with the war? And
yet. they come here and say that he COM
mitted an offense in Issuing this warrant.
But the learned managers say that it was
war, civil war, at the time, rebellion.
Was all government to cease because
men were in rebellion, because the
State asterward went out of the Union ?
I never saw any of them in the swamp.
Does that affect the validity of the war;
rant? It is true that our constitution de-
c!ares. and think it a very unjust provl-
vion-I think it ought to be left to our
own sense Of justice and generosity, and
vet the constitution declares that warrants
issued for war purposes are not valid. Is
not war helplessness? Or do you mean to
say that because the State of Louisiana was
in rebellion that all charity in life must
cease? l pretend to say that when the
learned manager appealed so eloquently
in behalf of the Charity Hospital, he
ought to have remembered this institution
too. The Sisters of Charity had that war
rant and some kind and liberal gentle
man perhaps advanced the money, and
presume that that institution had some
value for it, and that they traded it away
Now, it is said that Mr.. Wickliffe is guilty
of another offense; that he employed two
extra clerks to enforce the provisions Of
the gambling act But he is not response.
, BILE for the passage OF that act, and while
, admire the gentlemen tor voting
/ against that lay, | do not admire
their course pursued in reference
to it Mr. Wickliffe was, by that act re-
quired to close up all gambling houses,
which did not pay the license. 1t was
: made his duty, and how could he do this
without employing persons who were IA
miiiar with the management of these
houses? We know very well that it has
been extremely difficult to prevent frauds
in the collection of revenues. 1t has been
, almost impossible to collect the revenues,
and how could he collect this from these
| houses without having men whose duty il
should be to 90 round to inspect them
, Should he abandon his own Office for this
| purpose? He found COMPETENT men tc
perform this work, and yet, for doing 6
| duty imposed on him by the Legislature
he ia now sent before this court to bt
. turned out of Office.
t Again, it is charged that he employed sc
+ many clerks not authorized by law. Trad
t from the acts of 1885 aud the act of 1869
No. III.
5 Then, that section of this law compel
A the Auditor to supervise the collection o
e this tax CT gambling, and, If that De so, Ii
e it not the collection Of revenue? It is in
| serted in the revenue law. And yet, 10
| discharging TIE duty imposed upon hin
1 By this law, you seek to punish him. Sup
3 pose he had not done it, and employed NJ
). agents, what would have been said? Hen
V you are charged with misdemeanor, here
+ you are not guilty of any misdemeanor
l but you are guilty OF dereliction of duty
y You have not done that which the law re
g ouires, and you are not competent to holt
e office. The whole object here seems to b
r to convict us, right or wrong. II we hat
f not done this We would be guilty; if W.
K have done it we are still guilty. How
: this Is this man to be dispossessed of hi
e office on snch grounds as this? If SO,
G hope that this will be the last politica
= court that | ever will see. Then Nh
9 Wicklffe employed these clerks, and. IN
|. der the law, he says it was bis duty to d
Ut it. Under the law all revenue officers ar
e authorized to draw their warrants on tn
}. treasury for their salaries. Is this a
V offense to issue.Such warrant?
= Then we come to the testimony Of thi
g man, Osborn, a gentleman well ciassltie
e by my colleague, a resident OF Nicksburg
I sort of hybrid between Mississippi an
d Louisiana, man not like the one of tn
n poet, without local habitation and
IS name, for | suppose he has name, thong
V | doubt very much what it is. This ma
n of many places prints paper half i
Il Vicksburg and half in this city, publishe
r it in the parish of Madison, and then sud
e denly turns up as a member OF the Mis-
I sissippi Legislature from the county (
is jackson. What a wonderful man tbs
Y must be. What immense powers of loco
e. motion he must have! Jack th@ Clam
IS killer is said to have had seven-leagu
n boots, and think that in some unaccoun
/. able manner he must have got possessio
b of those boots. What right has this maj
n member of the Legislature Of mississippi
h to come here and be contractor for publ
is printing in Louisiana, and live III Slck'
Y burg, and claim to publish a paper in th
IS parish of Madison, and print ha
v of it in New Orleans, and the othe
u halt in Vicksburg? May it please Ii
j. court, we think we have right to CLAN
{, that if abuses must be corrected, that
t; this thing is to be tried according to
# shirt of morality if eyely omission of dIlt