The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-02-19
ANOTHER EXPOSURE OF RADICAL
FRAUDS.

The Supreme Court Of the State, con.
stituted under the administration Of
Gov. Nichols, Is proceeding vigorously
In the herculean labor Of uprooting the
corruptions, and invalidating the judg-
ments and purchased sanctions given
by their predecessors to the unnumbered
acts Of plumber, venality and spoliation
perpetrated by the Radical govern
ments of this State since 1868.
One Of these decisions of our new
court, rendered Wednesday last, and
which we present In the DEMOCRAT this
morning, may serve to illustrate the
character OF the vigorous course OF this
tribunal in reforming the abuses and
expressions to which the court which
it has superseded gave force and effect.
1t was through the judgments of the
court presided over by Ludeling that
Radical administrations were enabled
to carry out their schemes OF spolia-
tion, and 1t is this court which Packard
seeks to re-establish on the bench now
occupied by honest and patriotic men
and judges.
The decision rendered by the Supreme
Court on Wednesday recalls the facts Of
one OF these Radical frauds upon the
State and people. The case came up on
a mandamus Of Mr.. Thomas J. Durant,
a fugitive Radical patriot, who now lives
In Washington city, and who, having
received three Of the bonds of the "free
school fund" as a fee for some profess
sional services in the defense OF some
rascality of his party In this State, APP
piled for mandamus against the Fund
ing Board to compel them to fund his
bonds into consolidated bonds, in spite
Of the act Of 1875, declaring such bonds
not fundable; which act Mr.. Durant al
legged was unconstitutional.
On this application Judge Spen-
Ger, speaking for the Supreme
Court, rendered the decision re-
ferred to, wherein he determines
that the bonds OF the Free School fund
were trust fund; that, under the act
Of Congress granting the public lands
from the sale Of which the funds were
derived with which these bonds were
purchased, these bonds could never be |
of by the State governmental for
any other purpose than that to
which they were dedicated, that Is,
for the support Of the schools, |
and that the sale of these bonds |
under the Warmoth administration
was illegal and fraudulent and viola
ton Of the trust OF the State. And so
Mr.. Durant was put out of court with /
his worthless bonds. These bonds had
been sold for warrants and bought up
BY the gang OF spectators who dealt
n these warrants at the time when
hey were flooding our streets and were
issued by the million.
This decision Of Judge Spencer is an
earnest of the honest, faithful and up
light Interpretation of the laws and
Of justice which we may
expect from the establishment of gov
founded upon the will Of the
people, and entirely free from the con-
rol of all rings and cliques. Few
PERSONS are aware Of the full extent to
which Ludeling and his associates
tipped the ermine of the bench in the
aire of venality and corruption, and
low far they were preparing to go in
'rostituting their high offices to the
ses of rascally spectators. If the es-
ablishment Of the Nichols govern
nent had had no other effect than to
rive these degraded men from the i,
uDrema Ranch and To SrraSt thar
reclamation Of the temple Of justice, it
rould still be blessing for which no
acrifice the people Of Louisiana have
cen compelled to endure in their
truggle to free themselves from the
oke Of carpet-bag despotism, could be
ccounted too great.
The State Register agrees with the
eople of Baton Rouge on the advisa-