The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-02-27
THE TIMES AS a KEFOHMER.
The New Orleans Tt,nes Of Sunday
laat haa the following:

The New Orleans Times Of Sunday
last has the following:
| II may be considered little singular, but
nevertheless IL 10 fact. that the pubic are be-
ginning TO ask: "What has become oil the print.
| ing bill upon which our legislators we're aboring
during the early part OF the session I"
| We say IL may be considered singular, because
thls same public has not evinced 90 er'rsofdi-
nary degree Of cafinsity about the other reforms
which have been pfomissdi .ut on the contrary
| have shown q degree OF patience truly extrsor-
| binary.
II Ii true that Of ali the emanstions OF RADICAL
| ism In ths badly governed State, the law regu.
latipg public printing had been the most abused
aud The mest constantly criticised. IL 10 also true
| that its early repeal aud tho substitution Of .
more honest one bad been constantly promised
| aud i,oked forward TO: and ii il equally fact
| that this work was. among the first measures T.,
which Ger ain members Ut the Legislature applied
| themselves. But strangs to say, IL ntill hangs
fre--is oufbed, az II were, In IT oareer-snd up.
pesrs TO be quietly aleeping lite last sleep upon
Che desk OF the Secretary OF the Senate. or amid
. heap Of papers In the coat pocket Of some
chairman OF COMMITTEES of that august body
That II actually passed the ordeal Ut . fsvofa.
BILE vvte Ia the HouEe ID historical, 30 TO speak;
aud that IL was dull, forwarded 10 the Senate for
concurrence II presumable. But Ito fate since 10
u mystery " profound ~ that OF the Authorship
Of the Junins letters or the personality OF the
man OF the Iron Mask
Even the nost credulons end blind partisan
cannot, by any sort of logic, make this out to be
cendueb strictly In accord with the spirit of re-
forn which has been promised. IL The printing
law was a fraud and monsirosity under The Rad
ioal diapeasation 1t IL certainly not the less go
when the Democracy have ssay. lit Was q
crime then, II should be oonsidered donbly
crime nov. and whether Republicans or Demo-
Gratis profit by IT, the people are always the suf-
ferera.
Therefore, TO permit The new reform printing
bill TO be smothefed amid heap OF papers on
the desk of the Secretary of the senate OF TO be
borne TO its tomb in q Goat pocket, il to perpe.
trate in e roundabout way the vileness OF the
II sdieal party without even the merit OF their
boldneHs.
No, hessisurs Senators, do not incur The odium
OF such conduct Wake up tho sleeper and de-
eide ita fate ore way or another. The people
rave righb TO all the relief ii can give and they
should have II speedily. A lefotm Legislature
should not permt great reform measures to fall
etIl!-born through neglect.
These are grave. indeed disgraceful,
charges against the members OF the
printing committee OF the Senate, and
more especially against the chairman
Of that committee. As tho nroprietors
Of the New Orleans DEMOCRAT are at
present and. frem the beginning OF the
session, have been doing all the public
printing of t he State, the article also 10
an insinuation that they are profiting
by the provisions Of an Ubiquitous print
ing bill-so Ubiquitous, indeed, that 1t
justly brought universal odium upon
tho parties who did the work In accord
anee with 1t under the Warmoth and
Kellogg regime.
The following named gentlemen con-
stitute the Printing Committee, against
whom this dishenorable allegation is
made: Hon. A. B. George, Il. d. White,
Louis Texada, J. e. Breaux, Hardy
Richardson and James A. Grover.
The chairman Of the committee. who
10 accused by the Times Of pocketing
the bill, is Hon. A. B. George, OF Web
ster.
We have lived all Of our lives In the
State Of Louisiana, and we claim a very
general acquaintance with the records
Of her public men, and even an extensive
acquaintance with her most eminent
private citizens, and within the wide
borders OF cur State we do not hesitate
to say that there are no men who stand
higher In social life, and who have a
more unblemished character for honor
and devotion to public good than the
Senators who constitute this committee.
We do net assume that any mans
character should shield him from Just
criticism and even denunciation when
the facts are against him, but we do
hold, and all gentlemen of the press, IL
they do not propose to establish reign
Of license and blaekguardism, must hold
that the honorable regulations of men
Should not be attacked as IL they were
common sooundrels until tho ASA liant
obtains possession OF irrefutable evil
dence Of deeds that sffset long lives of
honor and probity.
Now see how plain tale will set the
Times completely down: At the very
time its reformatory editor was inditing
this terrific attack upon tho committee,
the printing bill was before the Senate
with number Of amendments, and yes
terday the bill finally passed that body
and went to the House for concurrence.
The members Of the committee freely
ccncede that there was some delay
in reporting the bill back 10 the Senate,
but the delay was not the fault OF the
committee. ALI the members Of the
committee were members OF ether
equally important committees and they
were able to give but portion Of
their time to the printing bill besides
this they were all ignorant of the print
ing business, and they very properly
devoted q great deal OF time to in.erro-
gating experts as to the just and equita-
BILE prices Of printing, and to other
matters touched upon in the printing
bill incomprehensible to outsiders. We
think this Is q full and satisfactory