The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-06-03
" Mr.. Oglesby's Complete
Vindicatiun.''
The State House Job Redi-
vivus.

merce, Mr.. Joseph H. Oglesby, is patient
gentleman. The marvellous patience Of {
much tormented Scriptural character, who's.
name is strangely uggestive-aflicted Jol
sinks into insignifcence when contrasteC
with the much endurance of Mr.. Oglesby.
On the ed of last April, the BULLETIN
published a full expose of the Estate House
job and specifically charged Mr.. Oglesby
with being party in interest. That charge
was reiterated from time to time and every
opportunity was given to Mr.. Oglesby t.
come forward and deny any implication
with nefarious scheme, which contem
plated plundering the State to the extent Of
$950,O0O for State House that could have
been bought outright for the sum of $685.
600 or $4,000 at most.
Why was the President Of the Chamber
silent in the face of this charged Why did
he permit the damaging allegation to be
made, not once, but score of times, until
the public, seeing no refutation, believed it,
Was it because Mr.. Oglesby felt SO assured
of his reputation in this community that he
did net think it necessary to make public
denials Was it because he, supporter and
defender of the infamous usurpation of Kel-
lOgg, did not deem charge emanating from
the BULLETIN as worthy of his notice OF
was it because his friend and eulogizer, CO.
supporter Of the same infamous usurpation,
Mr.. Moses Greenwood, advised silence in the
matter3
oil Of Il
the President of the Chamber of Commerce
find it convenient to pass over the plain
charges made by u.s. but for much more
substantial and weighty reason-he was
guilty! The charge is true, and no man
knows it better than Mr.. Oglesby, who is
not only largely interested in the State
House, but has advanced large sum, OF
money to hasten its preparation for the pur-
poses for which it was intended.
What does Mr.. Oglesby mean then in the
face Of this fact, which he has admitted pri-
vately since the first publication in the Bull
LETlN, by rising in the Chamber Of Com
merce and making a speech in which he
denies, what The charge made by the
Bulletin No, but series of allegations
made by himself.
The ingenious manner in which he man.
ages to evade the charge made against him,
that of interest in the State House job,
would be amusing were it not the merest
triting with serious subject.
He says he never heard of the State House
bill until after the adjournment of the Leg
islature. That may be true, and probably
is, as no State House bill ever did pass the
last Legislature, and as even the clause in
the General Appropriation bill appointing
the commission to lease State House was
inserted after the adjournment, never
having passed either house.
The BULLETIN never said that Mr. Ogles-
by assisted in getting the scheme through
the Legislature, although he has had his
finger in other Legislative pies with written
agreements locked up in his iron safe before
hand. We read the following statement
with unfeigned amazement:
have never, in my life, directly or indi-
rectly, been interested in any measures be-
fore any Legislature Of :he State of Louisi-
ana, except as every American citizen is.
This is simply untrue. Mr. Oglesby has
been interested in numerous Legislative
schemes, such as the Levee Shed Bill, the
original Levee bill and a scheme to realize
on the worthless certificates of the Legisla-
ture of 1870 and 1871. He has been noto-
riously adabbler in legislative schemes OF
questionable character, and he and such men
as Moses Greenwood and few others we
could name, have done more by their affili-
alton with Kellogg and other plunderers OF
The State, to iniure our people than all the
carpet baggers put together, who have in
vaded Louisiana.
We are astonished that number Of intel
ligent gentlemen should allow themselves
10 be so imposed upon and wheedled as
we're the members of the Chamber of Com
merce last night. The whole affair wears
upon its face the appearance of having
been cut and dried, and the manner in
which the whitewashing was effected is a
'erious reflection upon the intelligence and
of the Chamber. To permit a
grave charge against its President to be
upon the assertion that the source
rom whence it had emanated was entitled
o no consideration, when that source was
he BULLETIN, was at once an insult to us
md to the community which supports us.
We are not surprised that Mr.. Greenwood
hould think SO lightly of the BULLETIN,
nasmnch as we have never enlogized his
riend Mr.. Kellogg, and when we remember
he fact that Mr.. Greenwood was perhaps
he only citizen of any repute present at
he auguration of Mr.. Kellogg, and that
70 refused to act with the committee of
itizens appointed to protest against the
we do not wonder that he .
hould have felt called upon to rise and I
efend Mr.. Oglesby, who with himself has
cen Kellogg all through.
1t is something of a coincidence that this 8