The New Orleans Democrat., 1876-07-19

|
we said TO ourself-if this tree blooms 80
we'll, what may we not look for in the
| fruit? We knew that the real test had
vet to come. that McEnery had to be
| inaugurated and the new Legislature
had TO meet i'm regular session, in fact.
that the real struggle had TO be made:
We charge that he turned the cold
shoulder" and It is admitted by his
champion. "A Legislator" defends his
duees Mayor Witzs letter TO Gov.
McEnery No one can he more gratifled
than we are ut the production OF this
letter IL speaks for iteelf and the peo-
pie can Judge OF its weight. Tie defense
on the ground of expediency only holds
Mayor Wilt up again Gas in tho case OF
acting with and without a commlssionl
In the unpleasant light Of political in
consistency the rock on which our ship
Of State has all the time been humping
and grinding during these long years
Fourth In the matter Of the retention
OF Geo. $. Lacey as City Attorney. "A
Legislator" says
/. Mr.. Wilt is not responsible. He
had no vote in the Council for Attorney.
lie. neither urged nor opposed any eau
/ liidafe, and did not try to.do indirectly
thnt which he had no legal authority to
do directly"
What Could not tho Mayor OF the
city. because he had no vote. give ex-
preston to remnnstrance against the
election of an Objectionable public fune-
tionary, whose authority to ACT could
legally come only from the Council over
which that Mayor presidedP Where
was the veto with which the Mayor or
New Orleans is possessedP
2. 1.-THE Administrators, acting, ms we
,,f ,att
! in their best Judgment. retained Mr..
Lacey. but Mayor Witt did not urge
nor ask any one Of them TO vote for
| him. nor utter to any one OF them q
wish or preference of his own as to the
election. nor at any time say anything
to either of them to bias them for or
against him or any other candidate.
Fatal defensel Mr.. Wiltz. Mayor OF
O great city. staggering under the
effects OF the rule of political protli-
gates. of whom Geo. s. Lacey is one OF
the most conspicuous. that Mayor. put
in Office under the howl of his people
for reform of abuses n most worthy
representative of our oppressors about
being retained in y most important
Office by the Council over whom that
Mayor presides; the whole people who
elected that Mayor and Council to Office
demanding the dismissal of that officer.
plenty of good, faithful. competent men
from our own ranks TO fill the place
efficiently and honorably, and that
Mayor NUM- Here's a defense for a
man to make who is u candidate for
Governor of the State Of louisiana
Let him be elected Governor, and some
day when the Legislature IL about per
petrating great wrong or folly, he
will--well. he will be mami
J,r,iaIat,r' ssU,r tho
first sixteen months OF the term of Mr..
Wiltz, Mr.. Lacey held the City Attor-
neyship by the election Of the Flanders
Council. T"
This is just one Of the points we have
to urge against Mr.. Wilt and his Coun-
cil-that they ANONYMOUSLY submitted
to having the Flanders Council foist
upon them for two-thirds III their term.
OF for day, an officer trained under
Flanders and his crew. and not, in any
one single respect, OF the people. On
this point let us hold up TO the con
sideration of the people, who are to
choose Governor for the next four
years. the striking contrast between the
action of Mayor Witz and his Council
and the present Mayor and Council Of
tho city. Mr.. Wilt turned Mayor Flan-
ders out In sire minutes" under the
authority of the votes of the people.
When he and his Council took posses
sion of their seats one OF the Off
cial duties that devolved on them
was the election of a City Attorney; but
they INTERESTINGLY permitted u Council
whom they had deposed in fire min
utes" to dictate to them who should be
their attorney for two-thirds of their
terml Evidently emboldened by this
extraordinary display of weakness on
the part of Mr.. Wiltz and his Council.
Kellogg undertook to fost on Mayor
Leeds and his council one Of those who
had been serving under Mr.. Wiltz, but
the appointment was spurned as a piece
of arrogant impertinence, the matter
was carried by Kellogg's appointee to
the courts, and u decision was given in
favor of the Mayor and Council. This
is striking exemplitication of the
difference between the practice Of eSpe
dency and that Of courageous con
sistency.
How stands Mr. Witt, then. on the Lacey
question:
i. He could make Mayor Flanders abdicate in
''hBe nli,a,ttes." but he permitted himself to be
bound hand and foot by an utterly impotent act
of that same Flanders and hls Council. D. He
a. Mayor OF this great city. presiding over her
Council. possessed of the privilege. and in duty
bound to speak holding the veto power, per-
mitted an unworthy man and a formidable po-
litical antagonist to hold most important public
of office. without making signl God defend us
from such defense. If we ever get into political
troubled
But Mr.. Lacey was not the only valuable Radi-
cal officer retained by the Wilt administra-
ton. BY gross scoundrelism Of the Returning
Board we had jim Lewis" foisted into the
Council in place of Gen. Beauregard. VINO WAS
elected by the people. We poor sim pie minded
Democrats thought tnat the last person eatth
who would be retained % work with kadical
Administrator of improvements would be IA
Radical Surveyor. but the Council elected by
Democrats We're of u different opinion, and they |
retained w. A. Bell in that most important posi- |
ion. From our standpoint, this neither |
more nor less than fragrant outragr But here |
again Mayor Witt seems To have snoozed |
quietly in his chair white the work was being |
done. According to "A Legislator" he had no
vote. and what the d should he care?
In pdssoRt. let say that this is all bosh |
aboutthe Mayor taking no part or interest in
the matter OF Lacey. We don't want to urge it |
in the face of the struggle at Baton Rouge. but
after the nom nations are over we can show any |
party indsputabe evidence that |
the Mayor took very warm interest in the mat
ter
FTfh-"A Legislator" denies that any of the |
money raised in the banks early in Mr.. Wiltz's |
was used to pay the Metropolitan
Police.
On December 81. 1872. Mr.. Wits Council /