New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-05-17
iCEpcCo' uiiy,
WILLIAM P. KELLOGG.
New ORLEANS, May Is, 1874.

To his Excellency William P. Kellogg Governor
of Louisiana:
SIR-Your letter of the twelfth in slant
was received through the mail. In answer
can only say that ] am notrespoDsible for
the reports Of newspapers, nor am ! re-
sponsible to you for my judicial acts, how
ever. waive that, and answer.
All said upon the occasion referred to
by you was taken from the Auditors re-
ports for 1873 and 1874 and acts of 1873 and
1874. He had failed to pay me about $1,000
due for last quarter Of last year and pre-
vious.
Under the heading of 'Zacheus, come
down." taken from one OF the journals of
the city, he used most disrespectful Ian
guage to the court, for which he was re-
proved sharply. In MS distribution OF the
tial I took occasion to remind him of it.
On pages thirty nine. forty and forty-o
of his report for 1874 it appears that the
Governor and his attaches were paid more
than $3l ,000 On the same pages it appears
that the Auditor OF Public Accounts and
his attaches were paid more than $37 900.
This, and the payment of other officers in
full for 1873, led me to believe that the
grossest partially had been exercised, and
I took occasion to refer to it, with report
in hand to verify my assertions.
following language, in speaking Of legis,
lative expenses: This presupposes rigid
economy in the expenditures of the General
Assembly, the expenses of which should
not exceed $l35 200 for extra and regular
sessions" Yet on page forty -one OF his re-
port of 1874 he admits that te has paid for
the regular and extra sessions above re-
ferred to $293 4l0 80.
By act No. so the Legislature appropri-
ated $4,000 for outstanding legislative
warrants, $94,9S7 IS of which has been
paid, as shown by Auditors report for 1874,
page forty three. On page ninety seven the
Auditor says that over 81, ,0U0,O0O has
already been appropriated for legislative
expenses of 1871, and the Auditor adds that
"This would seem to be as much as the
services of that body were worth to the
States" and, don't you think so, Governor,
without adding the $95, 900 upon the people
these hard timesl And this is not all.
BY act No Sc of 1873 general appropria
appropriated for the session of 1871, in these
words: appropriation for the mileage and
per diem Of members, officers and employees,
and contingent expenses of the General
Assembly Of the State of Louisiana for the
| regular session of 1871, 10000, or so much
thereof as may be necessary, rec, ivable for
taxes and licenses" in other words, payable
by preference. Why tax the people $95, ,000
by act No. so and $4,000 by act No. Sc OF
1873, when, according to Mr.. Clinton's
statement in his report of 1874, page
already been appropriated tor the ex-
penses of the General Assembly of 1871
alone which, according to his calculation
$l35 900 annually, would be nearly seven
fold. ! am inclined to think that his esti-
mate of the expenses Of the General AS
| sembly will be borne out by the figures,
provided all the members of the Senate and
House were present. And still these ap-
preparations are followed by act No. SO, ap
proved by you on the sixteenth March,
1874, which. to my mind, is a monstrous
piece OF legislation. 1t reads: "For legis
lative vouchers, warrants and checks issued
by the General Assembly during the years
1870, 1871 and 1872. which have been ap-
proved by any committee of the Senate or
House, appointed or directed to examine
said outstanding warrants, vouchers or
checks the necessary amount is hereby ap-
propriated.'
For The years 1871, 1872 and 1873, the
stat ute books and Auditors reports will
show appropriations for about $2,0Q0,0 900,
three-t -tourths Of which has undoubtedly
been fraudulently moulded into war
rants, comparatively few. of which re-
main unpaid. These fraudulent warrants
have been mere substitutes for the bur
glars tool to enter the treasury. Think OF
the act of 1874, "FOr legislative vouchers,
warrants and checks Of 1871, 1872 and 1879
and more than two millions previously is-
sued for these years.
Governor, how many such warrants, vouch'
ers and checks Go you think could be pro
duced if that old Spartan, Colonel Field,
would get out of the pass2 confess ny
inability to tell, but viii try and illustrate
by statement made in open court in 1872
by my lend, the Rev. Josiah Fisk, a true
Republican and Christian. He said,
speaking of false registration papers, that
he personally knew of two trunks large
sizel full, and had heard of third. ! am
OF the mind that they could produce two
trunks full of legislative warrants, vouch
ers, ETC.. for 1871, 1872 aud 1873, and if any
money was left in the treasury, like my
friend Fisk, would hear of third. Gov
ernor, if you think that these acts are just
and fair, and that the Auditor of Public
Accounts, alias "Zacheus Come Down. has
fairly disbursed the public moneys, dc
not. This difference does not arise from
any unkind feeling On my part, but fur
nishes sad illustration Of the fact that
great men will differ.
Very respectfully,