New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-02-24
A SEVERE REBUKE,

\ day or two ago the Times was very indig-
the Committee of Fifty-one had not insti-
tuted legal prosecutions against the par
ties who are implicated in frauds upon the
city and State" In the P'coy0e of yes
terday will be found letter from AN
| Attorney of the Committee" which letter
contains statements, which are a denial Of
| the charges of fraud and stealing 50 fire.
quently made by the Times and all the
Democratic press of the city
The Attorney gives the Times man a
lesson in law. which it would be we'll for
him and some others to study, and, if pos
sible, understand. Sensible attorneys
hesitate or decline to institute suits
or begin prosecutions. They are
10th to risk their reputation or
their clients money until they have a
case" viii the editors of the Times,
Picdyune and Bee, who are so anxious and
eager for a legal raid and a vigorous prose
cution Of all their political opponents
make note of it. They are and have
been asking to have things done which
sensible lawyers hesitate or decline to
do" These rampant editors are told
that
The lawyers of the committee know OF
no public offender that they could indict
under the avs for larceny. obtaining goods
under false pretenses or breach of trust,
with reasonable hope of convicting them.
VIII not this statement settle the matter:
Does not this confession Of the legal ad-
wiser of the Committee of Fifty-one prove
conclusively that all the clamor against
and abuse Of Republican ofice-holders as
thieves and rascals, is without foundation,
and is only prompted by blatant political
opponents, in the hope that they may sue
coed them in Office?
In order to show that there is no mis-
take as to the meaning Of the ''Attorney Of
the Committee" we quote few lines ad-
dressed to the editor of the Times:
He knows, or should know, Rat in Lou
isiana, although in criminal matters we
follow the common law forms of proceed
ing, we have no Otfenses that are not statu-
tory, and that an indictment framed against
a party offender, who is not designated in
some specific statute, must fail and would
be quashed on the motion of the merest
tyro at the bar
Pretty rough on the legal editor of the
Times, We are glad that the Commit
tee Of Fifty-one have had sense enough to
follow the advice Of good sound lawyer.
Of course the Times man will feel pretty
bad to be told that his propositions would
be quashed on the motion of the merest
tyro at the bar" So It comes to this.
While the Committee Of Fifty-one effuige
and indulge in indiscriminate denuncia-
tons, calling all the hard names to be
found in the dictionary their own attor-
ney finding himself denounced for not
having instituted criminal prosecutions
against all the Republican officials, in self
defense, rises to explain. That explana
ton is as severe rebuke to the Commit
tee of Fifty-one, for their conduct in this
matter, as it is to the editor Of the Times.
1t was regular double-barreied gun that
the attorney Of the Committee fired.
That gun scatters, too, in quite danger
Gus way. Il is really more formidable
than the Irishmau's gun, which had the
reputation of shooting round the corner.
Clearly, the attorney was not aware OF the
character Of the gun, or he would not have
fired it off SO hastily. We are, however,
glad that, having fred it, it proved a for
Midabie weapon. We rather suspect the
committee will not feel under any obliga-
tons to their attorney. Had they been
sincere in their desire for reform, and had
confined themselves to that business, in
stead of going on political tear, and lend
ing themselves to political abuse and sour
rility, they would have been spared the
rebuke administered to them by their own
attorney. Let this be a lesson to them.