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

L
the courts of the State, ON behalf OF the
State I take issue with him upon the
broad ground that it is the duty OF every
officer of the State of Louisiana to do
everything in his power, prescribed by
law or not prescribed by law, to promote
| the interests OF the State, and to protect
her in every particular. 1t Is your outy, as
| citizens to do that, and rising to the hlgheI
| level of agents OF the State, entrusted
particularly with the protection OF the
treasury Of the State. undertake 10 say
that it is their duty to appear before any
of the courts OF the State, either person
ally or through counsel, and protect, as Tar
as may be in the power OF man, the IN
terests of the State Of Louisiana. 90
not believe, Senators, that it IS necessary
to 90 beyond the first three articles to con-
Wet the accused of such misdemeanors IN
| Office as to render him unworthy longer
to fill the high Office which he now holds.
| The next article number four-eharges
that George NJ Wickliffe, Auditor Of Pub
lie Accounts, did, on or about the thlrtleth
| day of December, 1868, unmindful OF the
| high duties Of his Office, and III violation OF
| the constitution and the laws Of this State,
issue his official negotiable warrant num-
| Der 7071 upon the State treasury tor the
sum of $3.50, in favor Of one }. b. R1ch-
arGson, DR., etc, Tor the use and pen
eft of him, the said George NJ. Wlcklltfe,
said warrant being for thirty-three cou-
pons numered one, and thirty-three coupons
numered two, detached from bonds issued
1 by virtue OF the provisions OF act number
lis, etc., approved in March, 1866, he the
said George NJ. Wickliffe, well knowing
that none Of the bonds authorized by SAID
act numbered lis, of 1857, were issued
until all coupons numbered one and two
were past due, and not issuable; all Of this
| to the injury of the State and in violation
| of the law, whereby the said George NJ.
| Wicklihe, Auditor of Public Accounts for
the State of Louisiana, then and there did
commit and was guilty OF a high crime IN
office.
If this be true, it seems to me that there
can be no hesitation whatever on the part
of the Senate in voting to convict George
NJ Wicklife, and declaring to the world
that he is no longer worthy of holding the
high Office which he now prostitutes for
personal gain. We rely, Senators, for the
truth Of this charge, upon the testimony of
one of your members-a Senator who, for
truthfulness, rigid honesty, and q high
devotion to official and personal trusts, is
without superior in this or any other State.
l refer to enator Lynch, Of Carroll parish.
His testimony was given from his place as
q Senator in your.midst, and is perhaps as
fresh in your memory as it is III mine.
have it before me, and could read it in de-
tail, but deem it unnecessary. The fol-
lowing is the important part. Senator
| Lynch says:
81 could not tell, but on or about the
ninth of january Ihad conversation with
| the Auditor Of Public Accounts in regard to
certain warrants issued against the Auditor
of Public Accounts on the Treasurer to pay
certain coupons, to which warrants the
| Treasurer called my attention Then had
a conversation with the Auditor of Public
Accounts, and asked to know the vouchers
upon which the warrants were issued. On
taking them to the party, / asked him for
! the vouchers; he produced coupons attach
ed to the bonds of the issue OF 1867. From
my knowledge of the bonds, knew that
none Of these coupons, which were num-
bered lone" and two" should properly
be out as debts Of the State, as but ten
bonds had been issuedin the year after the
date Of these bonds; each coupon repre-
senting the semi-annual interest on the
bond. I said to the Auditor that these
warrants or these coupons were not prop
| erly out against the State, that there was
something wrong, and that there was some
one stealing; and having ascertalned the
name of the party, / said, as near as re-
| member, that this man Richardson must be
attended to first. l could not give the
words particularly but the substance of
what I said was that he must be attended
to first; | supposed him to be the guilty
| party. The Auditor then said to me in sub
stance that this Richardson was not respon-
| sible; that he himself was responsible, and
that for the sake of making few cents he
| had done it himself That was the sub
stance Of what he said, using perhaps, not
| the exact language; and he said that, rather
than have any trouble he would pay the
money back into the treasury"
| We charge that George NJ. Wicklifie, Au-
| ditor of Public Accounts, in drawing this
warrant against the treasury IN payment
Of these coupons, detached from bonds
before their issue, has been guilty Of q
crime in Office, in violation of law, thereby
defrauding the State, and for this we ask
| his removal. We have proven this allega-
ton distinctly and clearly by the testi-
mony of Senator of the State. This
| Senator states that Mr.. Wickliffe said to
him that the party in whose name the
warrant was drawn was not responsible,
but that he (Mr Wicklife) was respon-
sible, and that he issued the warrant for
the sake Of making a few cents, and that
rather than have any further trouble he
would refund the money ; and we produce
a witness, clerk in the Treasurer's Office,
by the name of Campbell, who swore in
your presence that he did carry back these
| identical warrants to Mr.. Wickliffe, who,
| in an angry and perturbed manner, NUT
| tering to himself as man whose con-
science was disturbed, refunded the money
| to Mr.. Campbell, and Mr.. Campbell
| placed it in the treasury of the State. Can
evidence be clearer or more definite than
this? Is anything further necessary to
establish the truth Of this charge, which
is made by the House of Representatives {?
And I desire to call the attention of the
Senate to the fact that this evidence stands
before you to-day unimpeached, and, / be-
lieve, unimpeachable that in the cross
examination which was made by the
learned and distinguished counsel for the
detenSe-a crosse examination which, in
my Judgment, would have better become
a recorders court than the high political
tribunal before which we are proceeding
to-day-that in that cross-examination the
witness on our part, Colonel Lynch, re-
peatedly and repeatedly stated the same
thing, and by 10 evidence produced by the
accused has his testimony been impeached,
nor has any effort been made to impeach
it. We, therefore, claim, Senators, that
the rrOofs we have adS1oa5 IN c,,,,,oor4 o4