The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1873-01-22
cor WarmOth's Farewell Address.

MI III Assembly, Ladies and Gentlemen
"a" retiring from the Office OF Governor
II instant, do not deem it irrele-
Oh or improper to say a few words in
EaD 'rd TO the unusual difficulties with
ICEs;"b nv path way has been beset from
.sa time / took my seat, in 1868.
W Inaugurated Governor of Louisiana
Non hut twenty-five years of age, and
rn.ident of the State but three years,
",ncted chiefly by the votes Of Il class of
.,aon}e who had but just been liberated
plnJ enfranchiSed, and against the votes
"FtI,ose who had always before control
Iad the political power Of the Govern
rnant. with the most intelligent class&
Of the people combined against me, and
rosdv nj any moment to contribute to
nv overthrow; with the taxpayers. the
nress. and the National Administrator
against me, was ut once encumbcicd
Nth embarrassments calculated to ip-
nol timid man and to require all the
nerve. patience and forbcarancc [ COLD
snmmOn to assure peace and to effect
oycu a tolerablc administration. The
legislature was constituted, in the min,
nf men who were without experience
mud with little aptitude to comprehend
the duties and responsibilities of l@gis-
Iators. They were the easy dupe or
instruments Of the intriguing members
of the lobby, and gave their volts to
measures, now as THEN" passions, and
now as their cupihity suggested, there
Leue but little difference between the
members representing the two political
organizations in these respects. 1t was
mo easy task TO restrain excuses in leg
i.Iai0n, limit the expenses of the Gov
eminent, and prevent an increase of
taxation above the rate actually neces-
sarv TO meet the demands of the Co..
crnuent
The expenses of the Government were
necessarily large, and to meet them it
was necessary to increase the rate of
taxation. By the war the taxable prop
erty had been reduced one-half by the
loss of the slaves, while the real estate
was proportionately reduced in value by
the consequent loss Of labor to till the
lands. The State had be Ell in default i'm
having the interest on its bonded debt
since lSGi--then eight years. The cou.
mons were still unpaid; the Government
had collected but little, if any, taxes
during all the years Of the war, while,
attbe same time, warrants had been is
sued BY the Auditor on the Treasury,
and were in the hands of the people, to
tue amount of millions of dollars, de-
mauding payment.
The levers had been almost entirely
neglected for seveu years aud the nece>-
sites of war had contributed to cut. dcs-
troy and ruin them. The expenditure
Of several millions of dollars Was at
onre necessary to save the people from
innndation and ruin. The people ofthe
state were without adequate railroad
communication with the rest of the
country, and wise craftsmanship sug-
apstcd the experience of our sister States
in works Of public Improvement and III
duced a liberal, perhaps too liberal, aid
from our credit and money to foster and
secure the construction of lines of rail
way to Shreveport and Texas.
The Pentenliary had been dismantlcd
ola its machinery and implements OF
Industry, and hundreds of other sub
eets demanded attention aud required
replace or repair some of the public
works, or TO repay some debt OF obliga-
ton Of the State.
With greatly increased demands, and
with taxable property reduced by more
than oIp-haif, taxation was necessarily
greatly increased. 70 this necessary
taxation a further increase was Occa-
stoned by the fact that but little ove1
One-lIalt of the taxes assessed Wore ever
paid. ..
The result was that with each yeal
to the debt of the ) WIS added the
sum of the nncOllerted r.. :; and thus
appears sum Of from four to five mil,
lions of Indebtedness occasiOned solely
by the refusal of the taxpayers to pay
aud the failure to collect the assess.
ments deemed necessary for the support
oil the Government.
10 these legitimate embarrassment
nave been added those of Il political ant
PERSONAL character. The machinery o.
| The National Government has not beer
nsed to promote good administration o
the State Government, but the Fedora
l Ollce-holders have been constantly III
erfering with the State offices, forcing
themselves into State positions and int
The Legislature, aud using the patron
age under the Federal Government tt
embarrass the State administration o.
tofurther schemes of plumber and spoil
alton in which they v re themselves in
erested. There havn been many time
when the combinations of the lobby
Il We're stronger than the Government it
SELF and the vetoes of the Governor wer,