Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-03-06
A Portrait of Uarmoth.

During the debate in the United States
Senate, Thursday, on the Louisiana
question, Mr.. Carpenter drew the fol-
lowing description of Governor War
moth
There is in the State of Louisiana, and
for several years has been, a most re-
markable young mana man of elegant
presence and fascinating manner-a man
of very great acuteness of intellect,
and man of whom, in general, it
may be said that his intellectual capac-
ity seems to have been developed far
above his moral ideas just such man
as would have risen to the surface in the
turbulent hours of the French revolu-
ton; just such man as was made for
revolutions, and, although coming upon
the State of Louisiana in a condition of
comparative peace, yet his genius for
revolution has been so great that he has
completely transformed the face of that
State. He has mingled and commingled
the power of its government until no
man can tell head or tail to any of them
He has appointed judges and removed
them at pleasure. He has packed
courts, approved laws, repealed laws,
been Legislature, judges, Governor, des-
pot of Louisiana and in every respect
his will, and his will alone, has been the
de tact0 governing power of the State of
Louisiana. He wishes to perpetuate
that interesting condition of things, and
when his term should expire he knew
that the returns would be made under
the constitution to the Legislature. To
make tolerably sure thing in that I'M
pleasant contingency of re-election-a
contingency that has troubled many a
man beside Governor WarmOth, and
many an officer beside the Governor of
a State-be gets his Legislature, which
the testimony here shows he moved like
so many men on chess board at his
will and pleasure, to pass this law
Why, Mr.. President, it would be rich if
| had the time and strength to explain
little here how that man has managed
that State; and | can not resist the
temptation of giving you a glimpse into
one attribute of the Governor of that
State. 1t is provided by their constitu-
ton that all bills passed by the Legisla-
ture in the last five days of the session
shall be sent to the Governor. | can
substance of it is, as universally
bills going to him in the last
five days of the session the
Governor may hold or oppose at any
time during the recess of the Legislature,
or~get0 them on the first day of the next
session. So. Governor Warmoth goes
ont of the executive chamber and goes
over to his boys-I beg their pardon,
Senators and Representativrs-and says
to them: 'Now look here. boys; here
are some things that have got to be done;
here are some bills that have got to be
passed and must be passed this morning.
and am not going to go out until they
are passed :" and to do Governor War
moth perfect Justice. when he makes a
threat of that kind he has always kept it
good That Legislature can pass a bush
el of bills. one repeating the other one
partially repeating that, one reinstatng
some old law that has been repealed five
or six years ago, another qualifying that,
and SO on practically with the entire
Legislative power of the State. Cover
nor Warmoth goes to his office and puts
these bills in his safe, and then pulls
them out and approves them whenever
he needs them. When he can control "A
court and make it decide questions under
existing law, that is a great deal more
convenient; but he is so fond of playing
the despot that he would rather issue an
executive order and put judge off the
bench or a Secretary Of State out of
office, without the slightest preteXt of
authority, than to take the trouble to an
prove law to do it. 1t is more magni-
ticent, it is more dcspotic, it is more to
his taste, and he pursues that course
when it can be done But when a Judge
is too obstinate to obey his will, when he
has been seated by his own authority, so
that he cannot with any face whatever
remove him, then he can pull out of his
safe a bill abolishing the court and APP
it one two, three, four, or six months
after it passed, just as it happens and
then if he thinks the court had better be
reinstated he can pull out of another
pigeon hole bill repeating that, and APP
prove it twenty days later, and the court
goes on again.