The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1872-02-24
The Louisiana Scandal.
[From the Christian Union, Henry War1
Beecher, editor

From the Christian Union, Henry Ward
Beecher, editor.l
Perhaps nothing in the Louisiana
muddle is more discreditable than the
part which the Custom House played
III it. 1t has given its name and the
services OF its employees to the worse
OF the two factions that have been
wrangling, intriguing and fighting for
possession of the State government.
The Nation gives, from a source which
1t considers "above suspicion of par
tiality, and and unusually likely to be
well lnformed,n an account of the con-
nection Of the United States officials
with the scandalOus business. It's sali-
ent points are these: The collector,
United States marshal and postmaster
are leaders i'll the party which is OPP
posed to Warmoth. To keep out his
delegates from the Republican con-
vention last August, they assembled
the convention in the room of the
United States Circuit Court in the
Custom House. The building was
garrisoned by deputy marshals and
federal troops, and the Governor and
ninety other delegates were excluded.
After this shameful abuse of his posi-
tion the collector was still allowed to
retain his Office, and this is to us
the most discouraging feature of the
whole affair. In January, when the
Legislature began its regular session,
1t was convenient for the anti War
moth party to keep a quorum from
assembling. The members who with
drew for this purpose took refuge in
the Custom House from the authority
OF the Legislature and finally, for
greater safety, went on board reve-
nue. cutter and steamed up and down
the river. This precious piece of i'm
pudence, in which five Custom House
State Senators, participated,
was so far stopped by an order from
the Secretary of the Treasury that the
fugitives left the revenue cutter; and
those of them infederal service are now
receiving their pay for staying at a
hotel in Mississippi. In the mean
time the Governor, Lieutenant Gov
eTnor and a dozen members of the
House were arrested under the Ku- |
kluN act, taken to the Custom House, |
and kept out of the way long enough |
for the House, though without quo
rum, to unseat six Warmoth men and
replace them with six of his oppon-
ents. Warmoth still proving the
stronger, the Custom-House members
held their sessions over a grogshop
known as 1.-THE Gem" proclaimed
themselves the regular body and, in
an incidental way, three of their ser
geants-at-arms" attacked and killed a
member of the House.
This "Gem" assembly was finally
broken up; the Legislature is in ses-
sion, with Warmoth majority; and
the defeat of the Custom House party
seems complete.
The only comment we now have to
make on the affair is to call attention
TO the utterly disgraeeful way in which
officials of the United States have
abused their positions. If the Presi-
lent's power of removal is good for
at all, this is a-case for its
We have trusted and still
rust in General Grants sincerity
lbout civil service reform. But no
'ystem providing for the failure will
satisfy us, or ought to satisfy the coun-
ry, if the men now holding Office be
lllowed to thus prostitute their author
ty.