New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-02-03
Senator Vests Election.

g washington dispatch cOnceTO'ug Tue eIcc
ton of Senator West to the United States
Senate from the State Of Louisiana. which
ia notable "a an sssemblage of lies even in
that distinguished repository OF falsehood.
The dispatch in substance, states that l.
A. Wilt, Of the Louisiana Legislature, will
present evidence tending to show that Sen.
atOr West procured his election by means
of bribery and corruption, and that com
mittee of investigation will be moved. This
is followed by a list of Mt mbers of the Leg
islature to whom, it is alleged, Senator
West paid money. amounting, in the aegre-
gate, to about $23, 500 The list includes
twenty-five names, and while all Of
them were members of the Legisla-
ture of 1871 We have the best
authority for stating that four out of
the twenty-five did not vote for Senator
Vest, viz: w. ID. Floyd, DAVID loung'
Charles Abel and George Washington.
That senatorial contest was decided January
10, 1871, and in the joint ballot l35 votes
we're cast, requiring So votes to elect. Ont
of the l35 votes Senator West received IS.
or twenty more than a majority. Take the
four from the list, as given in the Tribune,
who did not vote tor Senator West: and
eighteen are left, the eighteen charged with
receiving money from him. but the officia.
record proves that they were not necessary
to his election. However, this is by no
means refutation Of the Islander. but it
helps to bring into clear light the miserable
foundation upon which it is built up. At
the time of the election only three OF the
members, j. McCarty, Garstkamp and Kin
sella, were in the employ OF Senator West,
and while probably he relied with reason
upon their friendship, it is fact that he did
not even ask them tor whom they proposed
to vote, much less did he find it necessary
to offer them money as bribe This stands
to reason, though not in the nature OF ab-
solute proof; but the fact is that the entire
Tribune dispatch is tissue OF falsehOOds,
from Alpha to Omega. There is not the
shadow nor semblance of truth IN any one
OF it's statements. 1t is the work of rogues
in Washington, operating in collision with
rogues in New Orleans. and finds express
sion in the organ of Jay Gould, which joins
hands with the White League Of Louisiana
for the purpose of weakening the influence
of the chairman of the Senate Committee
on Railroads, whose opposition to monopo-
lies and to some of Jay G0uld's pet schemes
is we'll known. For this purpose these who
have had pre-eminent training in the fabri-
cation of falsehoods. and are specially en-
dowed by nature with the gift of lying,
have been called to accomplish the netsli-
GUS task. The party in Louisiana is de-
ecribed in the report of George +. Hoar,
William A. Wheeler and William P. Frye,
- follows:
"Flrst-Thst there has been. and is, on
the part of the party calling themselves the
White Mems party in Louisiana purpose
to take possession by force and fraud OF the
State government, without regard to the
question Of who may have the numerical
majority at fair election. Second-That
in tho execution of this purpose they have
refrained, and will refrain, from the use of
no instruments which they think designed
to accomplish it, whether those instruments
be murder, fraud, civil war or coercion of
laborers by employers.
The party in New York, who controls the
sheet in which the Islander appears, cOnsti
tutes another league whose corruption and
infamy, whose utter disregard of right and
wrong, find its only counterpart in Louis
lana. An editorial satellite of the dispatch
referred to says
These are hard times for carpet -baggers
Senator Spencer has not begun to get
through his troubles yet; end here now are
the facts coming ont about the way Senator
West carried the Louisiana Legislature.
According to the dispatches it was a trife
OF $2O, 900, more or less, cash in hand paid,
that settled things. 1t must be thriving
business that is driven in the Senate Cham
Der which warrants spectators in paying
such prices for a chance at it. A seat in
the Stock Exchange does not cost half SO
much"
the Iribaue in history is as much at fault
as it is in figures. The Congressional Dr.
rectory of the Forty fourth Congress says:
u. K. West, Of New Orleans, was born in
that city September 10, 1922" With the lie
that he is carpet-bagger a foul aspersion
is cast upon the Senate of the United States
in these words: 1T must be a thriving
business that is driven in the Senate Cham
Der which warrants speculators in paying
such prices tor q chance at it." Who are
the speculators The records of the Senate
show that Senator West has always, on
eyery occasion, voted with the majority on
all bills and matters involving the expendi-
ture of money. Ii he has been a ''specula-
tor" those voting with him have been
prepared to maintain charge OF that KIND!
It's rash zeal in the attempted overthrow
of an enemy of monopolies has led 1t into
a most uncomfortable position, and
in this connection another glaring
lie IN the dispatch comes into bold
relief. 1t is this: AT the instance OF kei-
logg he was appointed by Collector Casey
to be auditor in the customhouse: out Ma
appointment was rejected by the Treasury
Department" This is not true. He was
appointed auditor of customs, and after
serving as such, he was appointed Afinlois-
traitor of Improvements. The Tribune ls
bound to be a little more accurate 10 mix
ing up biographical statements with Dsinu-
atoms thss the Senate of the United States
is engaged in robbing to reimburse itself
for money paid ont as bribes to secure cleo
lions. Senator West understands this sort
of warfare perfectly. For several years he
has been under just this kind OF fire. 1t has
not hurt him in any part, and will not now
The record Of HE public life enables him to
bid defiance to all enemies in all quarters,
and ii M. Wil,z has any charges TO make
ar in vestigalions to demand, let him boldly
90 ahead, and with the aid of his ally, the
Tribune, and all his other associatee in in.