New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-12-10

have been on hand to vote against it.
I But leaving all this aside, let US consider
what he says about his conduct hereto
fore as legislator and commissioner
He defines his position by informing
the Picayane that he was elected Speaker
too late in the session to introduce any
repeating or modifying act in reference
to the printing law. He was elected
Speaker on the thirty-frst of January,
and the General Assembly adjourned on
the second of March. There yet re-
manned fraction over half Of the session
unexpired. Surely this would give ample
time to so fluent a gentleman as the
honorable Speaker to prepare little bill
for that purpose. Besides, he had been
a member from the beginning, and as
such had more leisure to prepare bills
than he had after he assumed the more
engrossing duties of presiding officer
His pretense that he was in position too
late for any attack is very thin indeed,
and he must have smiled when he
wrote it.
But he found tie law in force. and no
possibility of repeating it. How be ever
found out the latter must remain mys-
tery, As he never made the attempt He
did not have time And as the law was
in force and odious, be took a singular
method of applying such corrective as
his official position enabled him to do
SO painfully convinced of the necessity
of reform were both Governor Dunn and
himself, that they Immediately extended
the provisions of the odious printing bill
to forty-seven country journals, against
about fifteen the year before. Some of
the papers thus favored were in esse. the
majority were Republican, but four or
five were and have continued to this day
to be, Democratic Here began the CO.
alitioL that eliminated the other day in
the attempt to elect an employe of the
Customhouse to the Office of Lieutenant
Governor Governor Warmoth had no
part or lot in this original work
of reform The grand idea came prob
ably from the fertile brain Of the Speaker.
The Lieutenant Governor, doubtless daz-
zled by the brilliancy of such genius,
closed his eyes to shut out the light. and
signed the contracts. Here We have a
sample of the reform that Speaker Car
ter then acted. He breaches the correct
doctrine once in while, but when it
comes to the application, he scarcely finds
papers enough in the State upon whom to
practice his patent style of reform. And
he and the late Lietenant Governor not
only stretched the bounty of the State to
include half a hundred papers, but he
gave them bit of advice. which, for
briefness of illustration, We call a muzzle.
He handed to each a contract, and at the
same time cautioned them not to say any
thing IN favor Of Governor Warmoth
Three or four editors, surprising this {.
piece of Pleasantly, disregarded the in
junction. Emerson Bentley, our friend |
Hartman, and Captain Francis, happen
ing to see pleasant little news items about |
the Governor in their exchanges, written
probably before Carter had begun his
great work Of reform, copied some of the
mildest into their respective papers, and |
We're astonished to receive, by return of
mail, notices that their contracts had
been annulled. Were it not that Mr.
Carter calls this reform. We should have
been under the impression that it was an
attempt to bride the press of Louisiana
and pay the bills out of the State treas
ury. And now, after limiting at these
well known facts. the Speaker, in his
letter to the Picay05e, submits to the
judgment of our citizens whether be has
acted wisely or not" We should say
more wisdom than honesty, and not much
of either were We to write the answer
But the Speaker makes one point which
We are compelled to concede. Finding
his house of cards falling around him,
under the vigorous attack of the Governor
and the Lieutenant Governor, he throws
out the knocking taunt as he retreats. eff
all said contracts We're revoked now, it
would save the State little. as
the laws and journals have long since
been printed. and the money collected
therefor. That is, Messrs. Warmoth and
Pinchback you may lock the stable door,
but the horse is not there at present. SO
has been thi, work of reform !
that forty-seven papers have already
printed the Laws at an expense to the
State of some three thousand dollars each;
three, if we are correctly informed, have
published the journals of both houses at a
further expense of about $4,000 each.
And the painful conviction that seized the
minds Of Messrs. Dunn and Carter that
Instant reform was necessary cost the State
$4,000 at the outset. And the arch {
'etormer now triImphantly informs his {
colleagues of the Printing Commission
hat they have applied their corrective
90 late This point We must concede. $
Mr.. Carriers supposition that the Gov
srnor would not consent to annul con
racts of any papers except those that
we're politically inimical to him was pre- a
nature The clean sweep made by the
shows that the Speaker erred, a
IS usual. I
AS for the State Printer, whose contract f
I