The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1872-03-09
GOV, WARMoTH INTERVIEWED.

GOV. WARMOTH INTERVIEWED.
On Tuesday last one of those most
pertinacious and impudent of mortals,
newspaper reporters, attached to the.
reportorial staff of the New Orleans
Times, called upon Governor Warmoth
at his rooms in the st. Charles Hotel,
and interviewed that official in the
highest and most approved style OF
the essentially modern art. The Gov
ernor at first declined to submit HIM
self to be catechised by the represen-
tative of a newspaper that had perse-
cuted and maligned him with unre-
hitting acrimony and injustice, but
upon the suggestion of the reporter
that the interview might tend to dis
pei many Of the doubts of his official
honesty and correct, erroneous opin-f
ions which might be extant in regard
to himself and the State Administra-
ton, his excellency reconsidered his
original determination and signified
a, willingness to be questioned upon
any and every topic which might sug-
gest itself to the fertile mind of the
| inquisitor. van aE
We regret that our limited space
will not allow of the publication Of
| the account of the interview as given
by the Times, but we shall endeavor
to present faithful synopsis of the
more important parts thereof. The
questions asked by the reporter were
of most searching nature, bordering
in many cases on downright impu-
dence, but the Governors answers
were uniformly frank, open and COM
plete.
The first topic touched upon was in
regard to the recommendations of re-.
form which had been made to the
General Assembly by the Governor,
and the influence which it was assert
ed he exercised over that body, the
reporter stating that it was a belief in
this influence which led many people
to regard the recommendations for
the passage of reform measures as in
sincere and only made to deceive the
public. In answer, Governor War
moth avowed the sincerity OF his rec
concentrations and denied that he
could influence the Assembly to pass
any and all measures he desired. To
be sure, in nearly every case he could
make his influence felt to greater or
less extent, buff it were true that he
could always control the Assembly,
there would have been no necessity
for the interview then taking place,
for every one of the reforms recon-
mended in his message would have
been carried out. Referring to his
suggestions for the modification of the
election and registration laws, he said:
| do not believe anybody really and hon
estly doubted my sincerity. Why should I
| want extraordinary power in the adnlinistra-
| ton of the elections of the people} Have
not been once elected and served almost five
| years as Governor of this State? Could re-
| election compensate me for the odium that
Il L II
had succeeded by fraud and corrupt meas
ures! In short, the respect of my fellow
| citizens is more to be sought for andregafded
than the holding of high office, even without
| the faint or suspicion of fraud, which would
attach to me if 1 were to resort to unfair or
dishonest means to secure my reelection.
In answer to the inquiry of the re-
porter if he would be candidate for
reelection, the Governor said that he
was too weary of official life to desire
reelection unless it should be by the
will of the people SO freely and hon
estly expressed at the ballot box that
no man or journal could say that it
had been accomplished by fraud or in
timidation he declared he would on
| " allow his name to be used at the
unmistakable request of the people
| that he should become candidate.
From this topic the reporter passed
to that of the bills adopted during the
session of the General Assembly just
ended, asking the Governor what his
friends in the Assembly had done to-
wards carrying out his pledges of re-
form. To this his excelleney replied,
that not a single act was passed and
had yet become law which was OBJ
jectionable to anybody; the expense
of the session was, by the passage of
an act to that effect, limited to $780,
900, whereas the previous session cost