New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-02-04
THE RIsE AID FALL OF THE LOBBY

brought forward now as at any other
time, if not for the improvement OF the
community, then for the enlightenment OF
the investigating committee at present
taking notes of our condition. When
Governor Warmoth was first elected to
Office, new and very incompetent body
of men was chosen to assist him in the adj
ministration Of public affairs. How this
result came about has been explained SO
often in these columns, and is so well
understood, that it is useless to recall the
circumstances that led to its existence.
Prejudice, pride and stubborness on the
one apprehension, instinct and am
bition on the other.
For the first two years matters moved
forward tolerably well, as the newly ele-
waited legislators had not then felt or
dreamed of the vast power and patronage
that had SO strangely fallen into their pos
session; and the Democrats detested the
party in power SO intensely that they re-
fused to go near the 'Buzzards Roost'
on Royal street, as the Legislature was
then called, to seek its corruption. Gov
ernor Warmoth had no difficulty in re-
pressing evil legislation, for the lobby was
a very weak affair at that time. AT the
third session of the Legislature, however,
certain parties who are now very violent
reformers, and who were then mounting
hatred at every man who dared to call
himself Republican, concluded to cast
aside their personal dignity in order to
p roft by the ignorance and credulity
which they abused in the members of the
Legislature. They approached the Cap
itol, and besought the passage Of laws
which they represented to be for the inter-
est of the people. To these applications
they added condescension Of style that
imposed upon the members who had been
abused and discountenanced in every pos
sible way This was done in a very small
way at first, but when the Democrats dis
covered that they could parade their
responsibility on Carondelet street, even
after they had stolen visit to the State
House, there was an absolute stampede in
that direction by men who thought to
pick up something in the way of plumber
quietly. These visits were very sly; in
fact, they were really stolen. A reference
to the journals of the Legislature will show
that but little speculative work was done
before the year 1870, two years after the
State government had been organized. In
the beginning Governor Warmoth was
secuted as carpet-bagger and Radical
too vile to associate with: but there was
nothing said about his honesty except this,
that as all Republicans We're accounted as
thieves, he was accused as one in the gen.
eral aspersion.
In 1870 the great raid commenced. The
Democrats, who lad secured favors by
begging for them from men they con-
stantly reviled went back again to renew
their applications Unfortunately they
led others with them, and competition in
beggary began. Members were presented
with little testimonials; then they were
admitted as partners in gigantic monopo-
lies, with the understanding that their i'll
terests were to be purchased from them;
and next few offered themselves for sale,
all the time being persuaded by the Demo-
Gratis that these things were right, because
they had been done in old times. Some
of the colored members had never been
taught better, and they succumbed to the
temptation, while many Of the white men,
bers forgot that they were ever taught any
honest precept ct all, or that they ought to
set better example; so they fell, too.
This originated the lobby, which consisted
of Democratic corruptionists, and men,
bers of the Legislature as agents, with the
people as then victims. The two first
elements, thus constituted into a power,
formed ring that threatened the State
with devastation. Governor Warmoth
early forsaw the decentralization that was
taking place, ana by a mastery stroke of
political policy he secured the passage of
an amendment to the constitution limiting
the debt of the State to $4,000, OOO-a
point which it had almost reached under
the wretched administration of the De-
mocracy.
The ring of lobbyists and legislators
came to perfect understanding. What
the one suggested the other enacted. And
the great misfortune was that the colored
members were imposed upon and cheated
on account of their former condition of
slavery. Unused TO legislation, they &C
cepted plausible stories told by polished
white men or well-paid negroes as the
truth. and when their minds were once set
and their promises given in favor of
measure. it was difficult to turn them, for
they We're secretly and constantly eau
toned that the Governor would order
them to do something else. The
sedulous endeavor was to weaken the in
fuence of Governor Warmoth by repre-
senting him as master and despot,
against whom it was right and proper for
free men to present spirited resistance.
Every art was used to break the only in
fiuence that held the lobby in check And
the Democratic press, instead of combat
ing this coalition by lessons and warnings
to the colored members, facilitated the
evil by irritating tho legislators whom they
should have instructed, with all unmeas-