New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-02-08
sleu, Orleans 8ep1lbliea'1.
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE UNITED STATES
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS
OEBATES OF THE HOUSE.
MONDAY, February 6, lS1 |

The House having resolved uscll mo
committee of the whole, to consider House
bill n. 20, an act tor the Tcllel Oh Jaco3
Strauss and other bills
Mr. Kenner. of Orleans, in the chair.
Mr. ThOmpson, of st. Tammany: Mr..
chairman. / have been unable so far to
come to the merits of this bill. have been
unable to tiEd parties who are the parties
in possession of these warrants, but the
manner in which this comes before Ms shows
me that it is not a very just bill. Ii Mr..
Strauss or any other gentleman has "A just
and legal claim against the state, let us
authorize him to sue the State and recover
his claim in proper magner-by an action,
hut don't dom, let us here, without inves-
.ieatip. the matter, without being &C.
cuainted MS to who is to come III pos
session Of the warrants, ltSislate INN a
a certain sum of money, without his max
ing proof that it is justly due. 1t rs adj
mitted that the warrants are Illegal that
the State is not justly bound for them; ana
l can't understand why we should protect
him-an innocent third holder as he claims
10 he-why we should be called upon to
protect him any more than any OF her lndl'
yidual who has been defrauded by a sharper.
Nv a hank check which Is forged or any
thing of the kind. We would never nave
the State pay forged bank check. nor 40
think the citizens of this state shenid DC
called upon to pay this illegal debt, SIMPLY
because the injured party Gid not olsplaS
In which it is attempted 70 force
through this House this bill granting
him This claim instead of bill au-
tboriz;ng him to sue the State, is sufficient
proof that there is something wrong IN it.
Therefore am in favor of, as substitute
for that bill, to allow the gentleman 10 instl-
tute suit against the State for that amount:
but am opposed to the bill, and 1 hope that
every member here will vote against It,
hone YOU all will reflect calmly over this and
not vote away this large sum OF money to-
this individual who is in possession OF
fraudulent warrants: and l call upon the
members of this House to support NE IN
that position. call upon them to act with
some discretion in this matter. Let this
party sue the State and prove his clam,
and then let it be paid; but don't let 1t pass
through in the shape OF this bill without IN,
vestigating the circumstances connected
with 1t.
Mr.. p Harper, Of St. Charles: Mr..
Chairman: l have a few remarks to
make upon this bill in the committee
of the whole, and l hope that / shall
do no person an injustice III this mat
ter; but l do propose in this connection to
give my reasons for opposing this bill, not
because have anything against the parties
personally. but because l believe ii is our
duty to protect the State from what CON
slider to be one Of the most wholesale rob-
berries that has ever been attempted to be
pcrpetrated upon the Legislature OF the
State of Louisiana. Now, | want to state
what understand to be the features of this
bill, as it is supported by the friends of the
bill. Now, in the first place. it is taken as
a basis for their operations that
Mr.. Strauss is an innocent. an m
9,0ceat, an INNOCENT holder. being swindled
out OF certain warrants; and, furthermore,
that in his innocency he invested II certain
amount of money in State securities, cX-
pecting thereby not to lose large amount
of money: but that he would gain a small
profit and add a little more to his stock OF
wealth, and thereby help the State that, in
consequence of his being imposed upon by
Mr.. Wicklifte, the Auditor of Public Ac-
counts, he lost money by buying forged
warrants, and now the Legislature OF the
State is asked to reimburse Mr.. Strauss for
the amount which he paid cash i'll hand to
George NJ. Wicklifte, late Auditor of Public
Accounts. | understand that these are
some of the reasons why the friends OF this
bill propose TO vote for this Infamous
arran cement. l want to state in this mat
Ter that it is my candid opinion. from
certain facts that have come TO nay mind,
that Mr.. Strauss is very far from being
Sucn an uuOccut party, SUCH al IHuoteHo
licensed pawn broker, pursuing his usual
avocations, as he is represented 20 have
been in the bin, by the friends OF the bill.
! say that it is my candid opinion that Mr..
Strauss and those parties with whom he has
egotiated-whether he has the money
himself or not, whether he is the repre-.
sentative of other parties who have the
money or not, l firmly believe that these
very parties are the ones that made the
s. -,t-h 1n Nv oil .1y-.,C
in Office. that the very minds that engi
Aeered those operations OF Mr.. Wicklitfe
are to-day before this Legislature again
irving to swindle the State OF Louisiana on,
Of thousands OF dollars.
didn't believe then that Mr.. Wicllitfe
was the real guilty party, but men standing
up in broad daylight, in the city Of New
Orleans, the men who furnished Mr.. Wick
life the money, were the real parties guilty
Of swindling the State of Louisiana. |. say
that if certain claims were brought before
this Legislature that a very great many
members believe that there is sufficient
evidence to arrest Mr.. Strauss as accessory
to this forgery; and l believe that, in jus.
tice to US, he would be arrested. | say that
1t can be proved that if Mr.. Strauss Dough!
these warrants they We're bought under
very suspicious circumstances. They were
bought, in the first place. after Mr.. Wick
me was suSptuucu from ulttUN
of these warrants We're written GU:
in Mr. Wicklitfe's own handwriting
and those warrants were sealed with a sea
that WAS not in the Auditors office. None
OF these warrants bear the evidences OF in
debtedness that is usually found on State
warrants And now, in support OF my state
ments, shall refer to the answer of de
PENDANTS in the court where the sui: in
reference to this matter has been with
i cln hat $Car- ' III
money from the State instead of spending
their money for lawyers. I believe The
whole thing is hoax and a swindle: thai
they only brought the thing into court un
der pretext, that they might make some
people believe there was shadow of /;
claim Hcfe is the answer o! Ncssrs. Hay.
& New, attorneys for the Board of Stat.
Liquidation, composed VI Governor War
moth, John G. Gaines and Auditor Graham
Respondents specially deny that the piece
of paper called warrants in REALTORS petition
are warrants Of the State OF Louisiana the,
deny that said warrants represent an,
claim against the State; they deny tina
there was any appropriation by the Legis!a
sure to meet any such apparent claims.
They assert that g. NJ. Wicklitte wa
Auditor of the State OF Louisiana unit! hi
infamous and nefarious conduct az an on
cer-his cheating and rObbing the treasur.
Of the State led to his impeachment by tn
Legislature and removal from Office.
That previous to said impeachment IN
eaid Wicklitfe was suspended from ctiic
by the Governor, who removed him iron
the building wherein the Auditors ofic
was held.
That having access to the blanks CT sail
Office the said Wichlitie stole certain mum
her of forms of warrants before he left. an,
filed them mp az his ingenuity suggested
with names OF parties who might probatl,