New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-03-12

They furthermore testified that there
was an understanding between them and
Mr.. Wickliffe, and if he (Mr. Wicklife)
should have any trouble about the matter
they were to refund the amount to him for
the purpose. I have no doubt, of enabling
Mr.. Wickliffe to refund the money to the
State. If the court Of Impeachment were
not limited in its powers, would ask you.
Senators, on behalf Of the House OF Rep
reseutatives, that you carry with your YER
dict the decree that the Auditor of Public
Accounts be required to refund these sums
of money so dispensed as charity to GER
tain parties, to the State of Louisiana. But
1 know that you csa not do that. know
that your Judgment is limited. l know
that you can not punish the offender. l
know well that you can only say, in the
name of the people of the State, to Mr..
Wicklife, depart from me, ye cursed.
It appears from article twenty-five that
we, some time or other, had a gambling
law in this State-I can not now refer to
it-and that the Auditor of Public Ae-
counts had something to do with gam
bling, and when we take into considera-
ton the vast sums which he seems to
have accumulated from various sources
charitable Institutions, printers and citi-
zens; when we think of the immense
numbers of the veterans OF the war OF
18l4-15 which have sprung up. as If by
magic, and the large sums OF money drawn
from The treasury for their support; when
we take into consideration all the charges
of peculation brought by the House of
Representatives against this unworthy
s. rvant of the people, must say that
| think it was necessary that Mr.. Wick
life Ishould have had something to do
with gambling institutions, for l can not
see what other dispos ton he could have
made of this boarded treasure, unless 1t
has through these Institutions taken unto
itself wings and flown away.
1t appears, then, by article twenty-five
that Mr.. Wickliffe had something to do
with gambling Institutions under law
said to have been passed by this General
Assembly. If that be true so much The
worse for this General Assembly; 1t Is one
of those things for which they will have to
give an account, both in the body and out
of the body; and advise you all to get
your accounts up, for if you and have
been guilty of enacting any law which
would give MI. Wickliffe any authority to
interfere as regulator with the gambling
institutions of this State, we are no longer
worthy, in my Judgment OF occupying the
positions we now adorn. daughter
It seems that in the prosecution OF these
arduous and extra official duties OF regu-
lating and looking after the gambling bells
of this city, he deemed it necessary to
employ detectives without authority OF
law. and paid them, not oat of his own
pocket. not out of the revenues derived
from the Charity Hospital, the Deaf
and Dumb Asylum, the Lunatic
Asylum; not out of any of these
extortions levied upon the public
printers-that numerous and prosecuted
class of citizens eking out miserable ex-
istence under the limited and insufficient
provisions of the printing law Qaughter);
| not out of any of these resources did ne
pay his detectives, but reaching out bus
hand and plucking again the rapidly dis
| appearing pin feathers of the old pelican
| Qaughter), we find these worthy servants
| of the State compensated. l know thai
Senators will join with me in the prayer
that this unworthy servant may be ex'
cluded from office in order that those
feathers may have an opportunity again tc
sprout, so that the old pelican ray AGAR
be able to soar aloft in all her ancient
majesty and glory Qaughter).
In 1915, a person, we'll known in his
tory, by the name of General jackson
came down here to the neighborhood o
New Orleans and fought the great battl'
which redeemed and disseminated Louisi
ana, and saved the Union from the grasl
of the British lion. Eighteen hundred
and fifteen-that is half century ago
and vet we find that under this change
larticle twenty-six) as late as the year 1869
nearly fifty years after this sanguinary con
flict on the confines of our great city. Their
is perfect cloud of Witnesses
relics in that struggle, to testify to th
heroism and generalship of their chief
We find that under a small appropria
ton made by this General Assem-
bly,, I believe, for the sup
port of the few remaining and decrepi
participants in that conflict. MIR. Wick
life, Auditor of Public Accounts, througl
some of his clerks and through the manip
ulations of certain justices of the peace
and upon vouchers which are not In con
formity with law, drew warrants agains
the State treasury of Louisiana during tn
past year, for the immense sum of Sgt ,67O
These ara not pin feathers, but they ar
from the wings of the honored pelics'
laughter), and it would be Gripping hin
forever if such misdeed in Office were tt
go unnoticed and unpublished.
Under veteran law, passed by this Gen.
eral Assembly, intended to give meagrt
support to the remaining veterans whe
were participants in the war Of 1S14-15
| the Auditor of Public Accounts found 6
sufficient number of claims to justify him
| in his opinion, in drawing his warrants
on the State Treasury for S227,670. I DE-
not remember the provisions of that law,
| but it is to the effect that each veteran Of
the years 1914 and 1915, residing in the
State Of Louisiana, or their widows, shall
be entitled to an annual pension of $3.50
| That is all the money appropriated. Ihi;
| law does not say that every veteran Of
1914 and 1916 shall be entitled to this
pension, because, if my memory
serves me correctly, they. were sol.
diers from other States of thi;
Union who came here with General
Jackson, and partook in that struggle, bu
the law expressly says that for every vet
eran of the war Of 1914 and 1915, residing
in Louisiana, and every widow of such
veteran then, shall be paid out Of thu
treasury an annual sum Of one hundred
and fifty dollars. How many of those
veterans do you suppose there are resi-
| dents of the State of Louisiana? Call in
if you please, the real veterans of the wal
of 1914 and 1915, put them upon tht
stand, and they will testify, I presume
that there are not over one hundred ant
twenty five or one hundred and fifty sucl
people within the borders of our State