The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-28

IL declared that act No. 81 Of 1872, by which,
the public school fund was gobbled up by
Warmoth and his pals, was can act Of spolia-
ton, intended and designed 10 depiete the
treasury Of cpoy available asset or fund in
IT," etc
Promptly on the publication OF this de-
cision we called tho attention Of the grand
jury TO this act or robbery, this cool and de-
liberate crime, and In several articles de-
manded that steps should be taken to recover
the stolen funds and TO prosecute the crimi-
nails But the rights and interests Of no
monopoly or ring or politician were to be
advanced by prosecuting the plunderers Of
the State In this case, and justice has re-
NAMED passive.
In March, 1876 special committee Of the
Legislature, after a laborous and thorough
investigation, published a report, charging
that Gen. Tom Anderson had robbed the Bayou
Beuf and Crocodile Navigation Company APP
preparation OF over seventy thousand dollars.
The members Of the committee were gentle
men Of the highest standing, and they heard,
unlike grand jury, testimony on both sides.
In ten articles, running through thirteen
months, the DEMOCRAT called upon the grand
jury to indict, sue or prosecute this public and
notorious robber. But the laws have been
silent. No ring or monopoly had any special
interest in prosecuting Tom Anderson or de-
stroying his property. and hence the plum
dered taxpayers have heard Of no proceed
ings against him.
On February Is, 1876, q special committee
OF the Legislature, composed OF Democrats
t.lt, nt,I ,r4 ff,f ha
House Of Representatives, and the people OF
Louisiana. charging and proving that Charles
Clinton, now tho owner. conductor and editor
Of the New Orleans Times, had merclessly
swindled the Charity Hospital out Of over
$4,000 that he had plundered the destitute,
sick and suffering men, women and children
In that institution. A more horrible crime
could not be committed. Murder Is mercy
compared to the robbery OF such charity.
It Ia difficult, indeed, to realize how God, who,
In His inscrutable wisdom, creates even the
poisonous reptile and the wild beast, could
form man with heart SO insensible to
humanity as to be able to perpetrate such
cruelty.
The whole state rang with Indignation
when that fearful report was published But
vanced by the prosecution Of the creature
who had robbed tho Charity Hospital OF six
thousand dollars, and the report never re-
ceived the slightest attention from n grand
jury or court OF the enlightened and Chris
tian State OF Louisiana.
And we have not exhausted the examples In
which the law has not only been unequal to
the conviction OF the real plunderers OF the
State, but I'm which 1t has been silent, dumb,
paralyzed and imbecile. II more illustrations
are required, we are prepared to give them
Let them be demanded. Why, then, Is 1t that.
acting In obedience to plain and unrepealed
statutes Of the State relative to the public
printing all the enginery Of the admins
tration, the grand juries and the courts have
been set in motion against the State Printer
and the journal which has done the printing ?
Is there a man In Louisiana so simple rs to
believe for one moment that the State Printer,
or the DEMOCRAT, would have ever been thus
officially DETAINED and prosecuted II 1t had
been a subservient journal and had rcfrained
from attacking the Lottery Company and the
evils and abuses In the government to the
benefits OF which the officials Of Its own party
have succeeded We trust there Is no such
simpeton within the State outside Of the
Insane Asylum.
The State is full Of public robbers-crimin-
ais whose offenses are matters Of public noto-
riety-whose indictments stand In decisions
OF the Supreme Court, In the reports OF i'm
portant legislative committees and in the
unhallowed light OF their own foul and filthy
rottenness But these malefactors are In
the way of no rings, monopolies or aspiring
politicians, and the machinery OF the law Is
too imperfect or too weak to reach them.
II the State Printer and the DEMOCRAT lin
this matter we all stand together) are not
fully indicated by fair trial, we shall hence
forth hold our peace But in the meantime
the people of Louisiana may desire to know
why the State Printer Is being SO fiercely per-
secuted while scores OF criminals whose
crimes are literally acknowledged, have been
and still are permitted to escape even pre-
tense OF prosecution.