New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-07-15
alel, Orleans Republican.
nfFlCIAL JOURNAL OF THE UNITED STATES
OFFICIAL JOURNAL Of NEW ORLEANS
JUDCE ABELL TO GRAND JURY.
An Extraordinary Charge.

was delivered yesterday morning In the
First District Court, by Judge E. Abel:
Gentlemen of the Grand Jury:
Under the law as it now stands, am re-
ouired to hold court for the trial of causes
during the entire year, and perhaps no
court on this continent has more work TO
perform. This | do with patience and
fidelity to the State, and justice and hui
manity TO the people, to the best OF my
Judgment. | ask only the salary due me
by the constitution and laws OF the State
That can not get | have received not d
cent this year, and the Treasurer says there
is no prospect. Mr.. DubucIet does no'
realize Homer's words, who, in the "Odys-
sey," says:
Necessity demands our daily bread;
Hunger is insoIent, and will be fed
In March called on the Treasurer.
called in June, and the echo was can
again." | did call in July, and mo pros
Meet was the re-echo. Gentlemen, others
s+andino i'm the same relation to the obhga-
lions of the Treasurer that do, have been
paid-one, and | believe othefs-Doth quar-
tiers of the present year,
hundred dollars of warrants (which, by the
way. are .'spouted" to keep off insOlent
hunger), will, think, justify me In making
some inquiries and to speak few PLAN
words of truth and soberness. Why is II
that a great State with bOundless resources
has to view with shame her warrants IN her
treasury hawked and peddled at only Il
little over half called for on their face! BE,
fore answering this, gentlemen OF the Grahd
Jury, we should be reminded that there Is a
constitutional limit of State debt not to eX-
coed TWENTY-FIVE millions of dollars, sum
not sufficient to cripple, much less to destroy
the credit of the State. Why then are State
warrants peddled about as sea-damaged
goods, without any fixed value, stunned by
every respectable purchaser:
The solution is to be found either III the
inefficency or corruption OF the servants OF
the people. and especially those who con-
troll the revenues of the State.
Gentlemen, notwithstanding many extra
VACANT appropriations have been made by
the Legislature, by fair and impartial ad-
ministration of the revenues OF the State,
warrants would at once assume liked
value, according to their class and nature
of appropriation to meet them, and would
become a stable and reliable basis OF fair
and legitimate transaction between cllzens.
I contend that any able financler, IN whom
the whole people have confidence, could so
marshal the revenues under the special
concentrations made for the different
branches of the service, as TO give war
rants fixed value, more than twenty per
cent above what they now are. But, gen
tlemen, how stands the matter now! Bad
enough. Warrants, large, ffty-three to
fitty-seven, (see price current.) Why is
this, gentlemen! In answering this 1t be-
comes me TO be plain. Do not suppose that
preiudices exist against the Treasurer be-
cause he is colored man. When Auditor
Wickliffe, white man, threatened the
ruin of the credit of the State, called the
attention of the Grand Jury to the sub
iect They looked into the affairs OF the
Office, and found it in a condition anything
but advantageous to the people, or credit
able to the State. He was, by extortion,
forcing creditors of the State to divide with
him. and increased the Indebtedness of the
State by corruptly issuing warrants on the
treasury, based upon the grossest frauds.
know nothing of the Treasurer or his adj
ministration. do know that while other
Judges have been paid, some one, and
others two quarters OF the current year,
through the agency of a broker, have re-
ceived not a cent, and from which feel
warranted in interring that real and bona
fide holders of warrants have but little
access to the treasury. 1t is apparent to
all that warrants are selling at but little
more than half their face. These warrants,
| repeat. are all based upon appropriations
made by the Legislature. Most of them
have ample means to meet them. In many
instances the money is already in the hands
of the Treasurer or tax collectors of the
State. Keeping warrants at the low rates
at which they are hawked, justities the gen,
orally entertained conclusion that there is
one of the most powerful combinations
against the interest of the people and credit
OF the State that ever yet existed
This combination, consisting as 1t does OF
the financial agents of your State, com
bined with others, who by taking advantage
of the phraseology of an act of the Legis-
latlIre prohibiting tax collectors from re-
ceiving warrants from the people, and the
Treasurer from receiving them from the
tax collectors, gives them complete con-
troll over State warrants. The large sums
of money collected by them, and in their
hands, enable them either directly or indi-
reetly to purchase State warrants at their
own price, which they have fixed at an
average of fifty cents on the dollar. They
have by common consent allowed the peo-
pie about four cents more than half their
money the balance they put In their own
pockets.
And the most remarkable feature of these
transactions is, that no broker, unless he is
confederated with your servants-tax col
lectors and Treasurer-can compete with
q them.
First. gentlemen, they can purchase war
rants with the peoples money in their
hands collected by them.
Secondly, they sit as one of the most
potent OF courts to enforce their claims.
For illustration: / have $500 of warrants,
which in fairness are known to be as good
as cash Suppose | had been alarmed at
their cries against the credit of the State,
and had been sufficiently weakened to
sell these warrants at tifty-four cents on
the dollar to tax collector who had set
Element to make with the Treasurer.
This tax collector goes to the Treasurer
and demands settlement. In payment he
offers this $500 of warrants.
The Treasurer says no. That is contrary
to law. | am not authorized to receive
warrants i'll settlement with collectors.
Very well. responds the collector. These
warrants call for twenty-five hundred dol
lars if YOU do not wish to take them, pay
me the money for them, and | will settle
with YOU. Very well answers the Treasurer.
with blandness peculiar to himself, | will
pay you the money aud then you can settle
according to law. This colloquy ended, and
the transaction completed, the tax collector,
as will be seen, has made the sum Of eleven
hundred and fifty dollars, without having
advanced one dollar of his own money or
rendered any service to the State or me.
He dignifies the warrants, that are as trash
to the bona fide owners, to be equal to the
faxes or money collected by him, and then
forces the weak hand of the Treasurer to
receive it as such. Again suppose Peter
Markey, Patrick Irwin, or any other citi-
zen or banking institution, who pay taxes
TO the amount OF ten thousand dollars,
passes it over to the tax collector, the next
day he arms himself with ten thousand dol
lars of warrants at fifty-four cents on the
dollar. and goes to the Treasurer and de-
mands settlement, and tenders the war
rants. which he insists are as good as cash.
After the usual ceremonies have been gone
through with, the warrants find their way
49, s. 4aaar,rr Ry which onerotiou as