The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1872-08-31
Gov. Warmoth's Speech Before
tho Liberal Convention.


Gov. Warmoth was invited to address
that body, and Responded as follows
Mr.. President, gentkmen of the
Convention and felloE citizens
thank ydu for this f1atteIng reception
at your hands. 1t is gratifying to me,
not only as the representative of Il
| great political power in this State, but
personally so, al:d as evidence to me
that YOU do not believe the lies and
slanders that have been circulated
against me. | have too much respect
for your intelligence and the virtue of
the people whom you represent to
think that you could entertain the be-
lief that L am guilty of all these char
ges, for certainly if you did believe
them, | could not expect you would
have accorded me this reception.
do nd appear before You now to
make Tindication of myself, for you
have higher consA Alerations to discuss
than the truthf ness or falsity of
what has been saE about me. | will
hereafter have the opportunity and
the pleas hre to Meet you and the peo-
pie OF this State i'll the coming cam
pa;gn, and then / win convince you,
one and fll, that these accusations are
as malicious as they are false. Con-
sidering myself in connection with
this great movement, find that |
have been made the bugbear to fright
en- the people from it. am prepared
to declaih the faisehood, to vindicate
myself and to vim hlicate the people.
The Liberal md gement was instiga
ted by the necess sfty for another party
than that which Mas to this dag failed
to redeem the PEOPLE from the eorrup
tion which has ruled them. We do
not organ ize parties for glory, nor go
to the la9or of getting up new par
ty for the mere name; but this move
ment was begun because the Demo-
cratic and Republican parties have
been unable to relieve the people. In
view of this state of things, it is nee
essary that honest men should come
together On an intermediate platform
and organize q new party to make a
common fight untt5r a common ban
ner, to elect a conmon ticket. Thou
sands would vote for the Republican
candidates simp& because they are
Republicans, and thousands of Demo-
Gratis would vote For their candidates
because they are Democrats. BY re-
moving the prejhdices and feelings
which haF Fe separated them, you give
them common platform, and ON that
they form a unity of the honest ele-
ments for the purposes of honest gov
ernment. believe that this senti-
ment beats strong within your breasts,
and finds a quick response from the
people of the Stag, who want these
principles TO endl re. | believe that
now there is pres tnted an opportunity
to reconcile the cbnflicting elements,
and as firmly believe such an oppor-
tunity for reconciliation will never oc-
cur again, believe this Convention
has the wisdom, the courage and the
patriotislh to see the exigency, and to
use all means at their command to
bring abput the accomplishment of
the desired end.
Let us indulge in no words of re-
proach or acrimony; let us not say
that these gentlemen who are denoun-
cling and abusing yoLand me and the
party are what they say we are. Let
us ratherIsay that they are mistaken
They will soon see their mistake, and
feel more heartily ashamed of what
they have said than though we de-
nounced them.
For every man. in this State | have
but feelings of kindness. l
am young, and | we'll know how east
ly the young are led away by their
and enthusiasm to do much
which eventually their better judg-
ment condemns. tell you it is easier
to denounce man out of existence
than to prove hiTe out of it.
However, we Epect these gentle
men will soon gef off their high hor-
ses of Indignation, and then they will
come down to facts. Then it will not
be enough for them to indulge in de-
but they must not accuse
us unless they have clean hands them
selves. | may be responsible for much
BAD Legislation, but how about the
Democratic members of the Legisla-
ture?
They say that under my admins
tration the debt sf the State and tax
alton have been &rgely increased, but
[ will ask them Bas it not done by a
large majority o1Demoeratic votes in
both houses? I challenge them to
show a single instance of increase in
taxation that was not put in force by
a vote of both pa ties. Every monop-
Dly they cry out lgainst was created
by the sotid vot.hof both Democrats
and Republicans | do not charge the
with Fny crime. I simply
say, eve havd done badly in the
past; let us profit by our experience,
md do better in the future All /
lsll of the Democrats is that they will
10 me simple justice, and charge me
,nly with that Of which l am guilty.
[ am responsible for enough, God
Knows. | do not start out with the
that ] am one of the saints,
Tor do | admit mat they are TO be