New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-03-12
and the dead, are awaiting the relief and
kindly offices which this money can alone
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@AS ASAooOo w wv ~ uAICoo LII. IllAt Will
pay him certain sum of money as con-
sideration for this official act. Let the
hands of charity be stayed until the heart
less officer is paid!
DR.. Hire appears before you, Senators,
and testifes that Mr.. Wickliffe did extort
from him three hundred dollars for this
official service, and that he DR.. Hire, did
pay out of the treasury of the Charity Hos
pital to Mr.. Wickliffe, three hundred dol
lars for the subdivision of this large war
rant into smaller ones. DR.. Hire, in an
Swer to question which l remember l
asked, stated distinctly that he gave this
three hundred dollars out Of the treasury OF
the hospital, thereby depriving the Charity
Hospital of that much money for the pur-
pose Of putting it in his own pocket; and
I say, Senators, if there were no other
charge against George NJ, Wickliffe than
this and if there were no other evidence
than that which has been presented to
substantiate this charge, it would be your
duty to find him guilty and eject him from
his Office. l say, furthermore, that any
man, L do not care who he is, or what he
has been, who will accept of high trust
of this kind from the people of the State,
and consent to rob the charities of this
State for private gain and personal ends, is
unworthy to exercise any trust in the name
and on behalf of the people of this State,
and it is your duty sitting here, as Court
of Impeachment, so to declare.
Articles sixteen, seventeen, eighteen and
ninteen are somewhat similar in their ma
ture. They charge that Mr. Wickliffe did
demand, extort and take from various
parties, acting as treasl1rers for certain
charitable institutions, viz : the Lunatic
Asylum at jackson, Louisiana, the State
Insane Asylum at jackson, Louisiana, and
the Deaf and Dumb Asylum at Baton
Rouge-other great and noble charities
Of this State, did eXtort, demand and take
from parties acting in their official capacl-
ties a., treasurers of these institutions GER
tain moneys, in consideration for his OIL
cial action in cutting up warrants for these
parties These charges are OF the same
class with that of article fifteen, and they
rest upon the evidence Of the parties who
themselves went to Mr.. Wickliffe and had
this work performed, and paid him the
money, and the testimony upon which these
charges rest has not been impeached,
and presume is not impeachable.
There are further charges III articles
twenty and twenty-one of extortion III
office by Mr.. Wickliffe in the case of
certain tax collectors. These actions,
complained of by the House OF
Representatives, are much the same IN
character as those in regard to printing ac-
counts-demanding compensation either
for the issuing of warrants in payment OF
claims against the State, or per centaSe
of the claim.
Article twenty-five charges that he was
dereLct in duty in not reporting to the
Governor. / presume the facts IN this
charge are admitted by every one. No one
pretends to say that George M. Wickliffe
has made reports to the Governor and the
General Assembly, as he is required to do
by law.
appeal to you, as Senators, to know
whether you are familiar with the tinan-
cial condition of the State, or can legislate
inteIIigently for the benefit of the tax pay
ers of the State? If you can, you have
some secret sources of information which
are not at the command of the House Of
Representatives; and say that not only
in neglecting this requirement OF the
Governor, but in the failure to report tt
the General Assembly of the State, il
violation of his sworn duty as an officer
has the defendant been derelict in the dis
charge of his duty.
Article twenty-three stands out boldly
by itself !; it is a charge that George 81
Wickliffe, Auditor of Public Accounts o
the Stae of Louisiana, did receive VIVA
purpotted to be a warrant drawn by for
mer Auditor Of Public Accounts, against
the Treasury of the State when, in fact,
it was no such warrant at all. 1t was no.
worth the paper upon which it was writ
ten. for the simple reason that the party
who drew the warrant was not Auditor o
Public Accounts, and the State OF Louis
lana had no treasury at the time agains
which to draw warrant; there was NJ
government for the State of Louisiana
when this pretended warrant was drawn
Louisiana was in rebellion in 1862 and al
the acts of the pretended government o.
the State of Louisiana, in the year 1862
whether before the Federal government
had any control over any part of the State
of Louisiana, or not-whether the people
of the State of Louisiana recognized this
pretended State government as de .fdctt
government, or not-all obligations of
that government are, in my opinion
null and void, and should moi
and can not be recognized by the real
and recognized government of this State.
do not care for what purpose this war.
want was drawn. do not care whether
1t was for charitable or other purposes.
1t was drawn at a time when the people
were in rebellion against the general
government. and in armed array and hos
tility against the national authority. They
had stolen the legitimate authority of the
State of Louisiana and carried it of to
God knows where-into the swamps OF
Red river-and there pretended to ad-
minister it in behalf of the people, the
outraged, the slaughtered people of the
State of Louisiana. Such thing is pre-
posterous, and [ say that this warrant
recoe lied by George M. Wickliffe, Audi
tor G. Public Accounts, did not accrue to
the benefit of the Orphan Asylum, in favor
of which it was drawn. 1t was taken to
Mr.. Wicklifie by a money changer
from Carondelet street, who was the
proprietor of this warrant at the time
it was recognized and redeemed-verifed,
ifyou please, by the Auditor of Public
Accounts for the regenerated State of Lou
isiana. Obligations of the rebel govern
ment of 1852, be recognized by us? As
we'll taIk'of reviving the rebel war debt Of
five millions which was issued by the same
General Assembly-as well manufacture
legal obligations against the present State
government out Of debts contracted in aid
of the very rebellion which overthrow the
legitimate and proper government of this
State. 1t is not the province of the Audi.
tor of Public Accounts to determine
whether such warrants or such paper a;
this is valid obligation against
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