The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-01-29
ATTORNEY GENERALS REPORT.
snow ING WHAT WAS DONE DURING
THE YEAR ny HIM.
In Criminal and Civil suits, ana what
was saved to the state,

of the annual report of the Attorney General.
showing the vast amount of labor performed
by that official and his assistant since their
Induction into office, and more especially since
the establishment of the peoples government.
In addition TO that part presented, the At
torney General makes various suggestions as
to modification of the laws, which will be no
doubt acted upon during the present session,
and which are omitted for want OF space, as
are also the various tabulated statements,
save one. and the reports of the various dis
trict attorneys.
The synopsis is as follows:
The Attorney General is by law made the
advisor of the other departments, and his du-
Ties under these circumstances became ex-
tremely delicate and important. He has en-,
sleayored TO perform them conscientiously and
faithfully. The civil business of the office,
consisting of suits brought and defended for
the State, has been unusually large and i'm
portant as will appear from the tabular state
ment accompanying this report. As attorney
for the Board of Liquidation, the Attorney
General is called upon to try all of the suits
that arise in reference TO refusals by that
Board
TO FUND PARTICULAR BONDS,
and In this way the office has been made the
principal insttumentality for sitting the whole
bonded debt of the State, involving millions of
dollars, for which suits are constantly inst-
tuted and defended by the Attorney General
and his assistant. / call attention to the TACT
that this labor Is most unusual in the office
of the Attorney General Such condition OF
things has never existed before in this State
1t will appear from an examination OF the
tabular statements which have been made
part of this report that thirty-two capital
cases have been tried in this city by this
Office, with
TwENTy-oNE CONVICTIONS
and four mistrlals since the government conf
menced It's regular operations The loss of
several months Mt the beginning of the year
and the long summer vacation Of the Superior
Criminal Court, reduces the actual working
time within which these cases have been tried
to a little over six months. This result will, |
think, compare favorably with the work OF
any of my predecessors.
So far as | can ascertain, the law under
which this report is made has been only once
complied with since 1857, when report was
made by the Hon II. Warren Noise, the At
tornev General OF the State. The only other
fenort that has come to my notice Is that of
Col. A. z. Field, submitted to the Legislature
OF 1876 embracing three years, 1873, 1874 and
1875. In these three years he reports the trial
OF seyenty-Rve capital cases. with fifty-nine
convictions and sixteen acquittals. COM
parison of the work done by my office during
portion Of the year just closed, with this re-
port of three years work, will show that my
assistant and myself have tried
NEARLY DOUBLE THE NUMBER
of capital cases tried during the same period
OF time under the very efficient criminal ad
ministration of that able criminal lawyer
and with success almost, If not quite, equ5a
10 his.
The significance of this comparison will be
readily seen in the light of the following quota
tiun which / make from Col. Fields report.
He says: THE reports Of the capital eases
and the convictions | have obtained IN the
criminal courts of this city. in those oifenscs
falling particularly under my charge, present
larger number than have been obtained in
this city for the last twenty-five years II
this be true, then our record in this depart
mcnt Of duty ought TO be satisfactory.
IL will be seen from the report of Col Field
that in carrying ON the business of this de
partment, during the three years over which
his report extends. he had constantly to en-
pioy the services of other lawyers and that he
mentions several firms as his assistants in the
civil business Of the State; the various appro-
priation bills during the same period showing
that for legal services the State paid, out
side Of what the Attorney Generals office re-
ceived, the
LARGE SUM OF NrNETy-Two THOUSAND FOUR
HUNDRED AND EIGHTY DOLLARS.
am glad to be able to report that have
never employed either in the civil or criminal
business of thc State, from the time at which
commenced the trial of regular causes IN the
month Of March, any lawyer outside OF r.Sy,
office. and that the Legislature will net have
outside legal services rendered The State upon
my employment. All OF the work has been
done by my assistant and myself and shall
here take occasion to make an acknowledge
ment, which [ consider due to this excellent
officer. II have been successful in the man
agement of my department, that success has
been largely attributable to the indefatigable
industry and
HIGH LEGAL ATrATNMENTS
OF nv assistant. He has never faltered in the
.lt,ftA and hos,
never failed to second nue. in every effort for
the public veal. I have placed with conf
dence under his charge a large amount OF the
public business, which has been dispatched, in
every case. with intelligence and zeal. 1t may
be proper, to add that both my assistant and
myself have received valuable aid in the man.
agement and conduct OF the states business
from the gentleman appointed by me TO the
clerkship. but whose legal attainments have
enabled him to render us very va liable ser
vices in the courts, as well as in the clerical
duties of the office.
have been embarrassed to some extent in
the performance of my duties by the failure of
the Iegislaturako provide the means of secur-
ing detective slJll in searching out the wit
nesses of the State in criminal cases which
had become stale from causes operating before
the establishment of the legal government.
found many important capital cases which
had been awaiting trial for several years, and
i'm which it was extremely difficult to lind the
witnesses without a special officer. There
were, besides,
MANY CASES OF FRAUD
upon the government in which detective skill
was absolutely necessary, but l had not the
means to employ it. In this connection may
mention the theft of the Auditors book. |
have always thought that this affair could
have been unraveled If the means had been at
my disposal to employ the proper services.
=.
think your honorable bodies erred in cal
culating the necessary expenses of the office
OF Attorney General at a time like this by ref
erence to standard derived from consider
alton of its necessities and requirements be-
fore the two last governments had well-nigh
ruined the State. The ordinary work of the
office has been more than quadrupled, while
the necessity
rs~ FOR SKILLED DETECTIVE SERVICE
(seldom before requiredl has been constantly
presented during the past year. | was left
with an appropriation for printing briefs and
cs,sf. IF anllrt when the State has to nav