New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-10-07
NOT VERY PRECISE.

Daniel bennett, the present editor Of
the Planters Banner, and the prospective
editor of the daily Fogy which is to
appear soon as the organ of the Citizens
Association, is not very happy in his state
ments. He is ready enough to make
charges against better men than he is,
and to accuse responsible corporations
with bankruptcy and bad practices with
out having a very clear idea of what he is
talking about. When the Selma and
Chattanooga Railroad Company, Of the
State of Alabama, became involved in
financial embarrassment, bennett at
once originated the idea that everything
that bears the name of Chattanooga, or
that had ever borne it in whole or in
part, is stricken with hopeless impecuni-
osity, and therefore swindle. And when
he was rather pointedly corrected by the
New Orleans Times and REPUBLICAN he
sullenly persisted in his biunder, because,
it is supposed, he lacks the magnanimity
to confess himself in the wrong. A man
who is generally wrong rarely likes to
admit his errors, while one who is q
seeker after truth is usually correct,
and always prompt to rectify any errors
he may commit
Not long ago this chronic blunderer,
who has earned the souJriquet of ''Chat-
tanooga" bennett, stated that the incor-
porators of ''the Lake Charles Sulphur
Mining Company" had paid Governor
Warmoth a heavy bride to approve their
act of incorporation. And now, when he
is told that no such company ever existed,
and that the Governor, consequently,
never had such bill before him, he lodges
the point by asserting that it was some
other company, and calls up masked
witness, whose reliability he vouches for.
This anonymous deponent is credited with
having stated, on a day not named, in
the Office of Thomas B. Bodley & Co., on
Perdido street, to Mr.. Clough, editor of
the Sorgo Journal, and himself, that the
Governor had been offered liberal sum
to sign the bill, but that his price was too
high. Mr.. bennett, unfortunately does
not remember whether it was petroleum
and coal oil company, sulphur company,
q company by an old name, or a new
name, or pavement or a railroad COM
pany." Nothing definite is remembered.
He does not inform us who made the
offer, nor for what particular service the
bride was designed to pay. He carefully
conceals the name of his witness; does
not even recollect whether Mr.. Bodley
was present. He only retains a vivid inn
preston that the gentleman with whom
he has chad a slight acquaintance for
years, and thinks respectable merchant"
was slandering Governor Warmoth. The
subject matter is declared by bennett to
make no difference" Whether it was
murder, theft, bribery, forgery, assault |
and battery, or what not, was question |
to the exhilarating fact that |
ga respectable merchant" was blackening |
the Governors character on general prin- |
ciples, and bennett was delighted lis
tener.
To reduce the matter down to its gist,
Mr.. Dement'S charge amounts to this:
He once heard gentleman, whose name
be withholds, say that Governor Warmoth
had been offered bribe, amount not
stated, by some parties unknown, to do
which he did learn the specific
nature Of And when he is called upon
for proof, all he has to offer is his own
certificate to the character of his witness
for credibility! Let US have all the case,
MIR. bennett Surely, the Governor is
entitled to the right to be confronted
with witnesses against him. The charges
against him should be specific, and the
scene laid SO clearly that the public may
be able to judge from the circumstances
there is any probable cause for
suspicion. Unless Mr.. bennett conforms
10 the elementary rules Of evidence his
case will fail, as it in truth already has,
md he will be deemed by an intelligent
public to be retailer of unfounded and
calumnies against Governor
VarmOth.