The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1872-02-24
Charges Against the ex-Secre-
tarY of State.

tAIy VI bGdOce
On Friday of last week Governor
Warmoth sent the following eommu-
nication to the House of Representa-
tives:
| STATE OF LOUISIANA, }
! Executive Department,
| New Orleans, February l6, 1872.
To the Honorable Speaker and Members of
the House of Representatives:
find it incumbent on me to lay be-
fore your honorable body grave charges
against George E. Bovee, Secretary
| of State. These charges are five in
number, and are as follows:
First-That the said BOvee, Secre-
tary of State, did promulgate as law
a pretended copy of an act entitled
An act to incorporate the Crescent
City Water Works Company; to de-
fine its rights and duties; to punish
offenses committed against the fran
chises of said company and the pub
lie health notwithstanding the fact
that the said Bovee had been official
~ informed and well knew said act
had not become u law in any of the
modes pointed out by the constitution.
In support of this charge | submit
herewith the printed proceedings in
the suit styled "The State of Louis
lana VS.. F. ]. Herron," No. 1856 on
the docket of the Eighth District Court
for the parish of Orleans. You will
perceive from the testimony received
in said suit that the act in question
was not presented to me until Febru-
airy %, 1871, three days before the
adjournment of the General Assem-
bly,
It is claimed on the part of Bovee
that the bill was left at my residence
on Saturday evening, February 25.
Without entering into the question
whether such presentation was regu-
lar and legal, it appears from the tes-
timony of Bovee's own witnesses that
it was past Ii p. M. on the twenty
fifth when the messenger bearing the
bill arrived at my residence. The
General Assembly adjourned March
1871, at 1890 P. NJ, as appears by
certified minutes thereof. Futher-
mgre, / addressed the Secretary of
State note, in which l informed him
ofsthe facts.
Notwithstanding all this, Bovee
proceeded to promulgate an incorrect
and spurious copy of the act in ques-
tiGn as law, in utter contempt of the
constitution and in direct violation of
hi. official duty. 1t is difficult to see
holy the conduct of the Secretary of
State in this connection can be ac-
cot!nted for on any hypothesis than
th$st of wilful and corrupt malfeasance
IN fhe Office.
second-I charge the said Bovee
With having sold books belonging to
tho State, and appropriated the pro-
eeeds to his own use.
khird-That the said Boyee has
soH and retained the proceeds of
numerous copies of Walkers Digest
of she Decisions of the Supreme Court
of sLouisiana, which were purchased
blythe State purely for the purpose of
distribution among its Off
ciaas.
Fourth-That the said Bovee has
Incorporated bond of the State
of .he denomination of $500, and the
interest coupons to the same attached,
which was, with others sent to his Of
tice to be sealed and countersigned,
as sequired by the law providing for
their issue.
I'ifth-I charge the said Bovee with
haying attempted to influence the vote
Of IA Senator by offering him bride
upon the floor of the Senate.
! submit the matter for your con-
and action, and request that
the above charges be referred to a
of your honorable body,
that the said Bovee be cited to an
swsr according to law, and that, if
there be due proof of the charges
against him, he be impeached and
brought to the bar of the Senate for
trisl. H. C. WARMOTH,
Governor of Louisiana.
Che New Orleans Louis;anian says
action was taken by the
HoSlse, and in accordance with reso-
luton adopted, the Speaker appointed
the following special committee of
seven, to investigate the charges pre-
fersed against Mr.. Bovee-T. Green,
of Livingston; w. B. Bar
rets, of Orleans; NJ. Carr, of De Soto;
J. Il. Bowen, of Orleans; T. B. Stamps
of Jefferson M. Morris, of Ascension;
J. q. Barrow, of East Feliciana. The
will doubtless speedily di-
recs their attention to this matter,
ants in few days we may expect to
base this important question disposed
of.s