The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-01-13
THE LEGISLATURE.
The Senate.

present.
The Clerk of the House with message WI
announced and admitted, and stated he ha
been instruced to notify the Senate that e.
House was ready to proceed to joint bail'
for United States Senator.
The minutes were read and disposed o.
Mr. Wharton then took the floor and sait
"Mr President, desire to occupy the I'm
of the Senate for few moments tor the pu
pose Of making few remarks partaklng mol
perhaps Of personal character IMAM ger
eral nature.
II herewith tender to GU my resignation
amember of the following committees: To
Committee on Il .iiroais, the Committee O.
Finance the Committee on Drainage, Canals
and Navigation, the Committee on FEEDERS
Relations. and the Committee on Election
and Registration; and in doing SO think it bu
proper-but due to you, due to this Senate
due to myself aud to the constituency which
rel resent here, that l should briefly stat
nv reasons. That this step of mine will no
take you by surpri 9. l know; nor will !
surpris e any person who properly appreciate
what is due to that self-respect and lndlvldua
independence of action which should charac
terize every Senator upon this floor PERM
me, however, to assure you that fully appre
ciate the invariable kindness and courtesy
which has characterized your relations Will
me in both my individual and official capa
city. :.
"That also appreciate the confidence dis
played 10 my personal integrity and party
fidelity, which prompted your action to me
in the face of determined ana persistent OPP
position from small! but influential minority
Of this nate, and that, too, aided by the
active and direct interposition of the Execu-
tive.
cit is to me, at this moment, yet greater
source of qualification that l neither lose
your kin lily interest and sympathy or fail to
retain your confidence and good villa con-
fidencs that no action on my part will ever
cause you to regret.
bat after mature deliber alton, I feel that
can not consistently with self respect &C
cept the appointment on the committees
have named. / observe that the standing
committees OF the Senate remain unchanged,
with the single exception of the
Craftsmanship Of the Committee on Finance,
from which / have been displaced, not as 1
know full we'll by your untramelled act OF
wish, but at the peremptory demand Of the
Governor of this State, backed by the
threatening shadow of possible contingencies
in case OF your failure to acquiesce in his de-
mands
Nov. Mr.. President. 1 feel that can far
better offer 10 lay down every hope OF politi-
cal prefermert than to sacrifice on the altar
of expediency either my self-respect or that
Independence which, having characteriz d
my &C ion rs Senator in the past, will be, L
trust, my record for the future.
"Apd not desiring to include you in the
Executive di'pleasure menacing me. and feel
ing that must perforce on the floor of this
Senate be free and untrameled from Executive
interferences, resign every appointment, SO
that whatever my future course may be you
may not be charged vita having given me
vantage ground for action.
'In all the measures pertaining to the we'll
fare Of the Republican party. |, of course,
shall give my earnest and active support, it
being not only in consonance with my wishes
and views, but also the duty I owe TO those
who elected me- But in all other matters.
and they are necessarily numerous, where l
as Senator am called upon to exercise my
individual judgment, l wish it understood
that, irrespective of consequences to myself
l care infinitely less to sustain the Executives
wish or will than do to carry out my con-
viction of what is right, feeling that owe
my frst duty to the State, the whole State,
then to my party, and lastly, to the individual,
whoever or wha ever he may be.
eff, however, as I surmise, independence
of action is incompatible with Executive favor,
am prepared to accept the consequences fol-
lowing and pertaining to my course.
"Let me review lin searching for the cause
Of this opposition to me) my conduct as
Chairman OF the Committee on Finance during
the past session.
is it because l was the earnest and per-
sistent opponent Of each aud every scheme to
plumber the treasury of the State, no matter
by whom attempted, or in what form pro-
jected-is this the reason? Is it because l
utterly refused to countenance or aid the
Board of Audit in their extravagant demands
on the State CREDITS this the reason?
rs it because as chairman of the Finance
Committee I carried through the committee
and reported to the Senate, and carried
General Appropriation bill, reducing the
amount OF the bill almost half million OF
dollars of unnecessary appropriations even
though it reduced the contingent funds Of
those high in power? l. this the reason?
"Or is it because. finding that after the !
Bill had passed the General
Assembly, it had been changed, altered and |
forged until it bore no resemblance to the |
bill passed, that calling on you, MIR. Pres- |
dent, and on the Speaker of the House OF Re- |
representatives. to aid me in arresting this |
great wrong, was enabled, with your assis- |
lance, to prevent the contamination Of this |
outrage? Is this the reason
lis it because. in pursuance of instruc- |
tions from the Senate, and in compliance |
with my oath of Office, prosecuted the in
quiry into the conduct of the late Auditor /
fearless Of consequence, knowing only my
duty, the result appearing in his resignation |
under the very shadow Of pending trials
this the reason? Or must I look further
still, and tind it in an inquiry made by my
self, as chairman of that committee, into the
issue and expenditure Of the vast sums pur-
porting to have been expended for militia
inquiry made specially by law
my duty to conduct? An inquiry was deter
mined to carry out careless though the results
as Submitted to the Senate sh ould eff ,ct the
highest officer, or the humblest citizen, de-
termined that no guilty man should escape
be he who he might Ifthese be the reasons,
ard ! fail to perceive any Others; if these are
the acts for which I am thus rebuked, for that
it is q rebuke no one will deny, l accept
it as such, conscious that those
to whom am directly responsible will fully
its weight, and in good time count