The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-08-18
z. A. BURKE,S RECORD.


| have entailed upon other men It has raised up
| enemies and detraetors about him and made
| him the target OF innumefHble m1srepressnfa-
| tons. The class is not large one aud the mis-
| representations have not very numerous or
Influential constituency. but the situation fully
lnstes this effort to place him fairly before The
public He Is now the regularly nominated
candidate for an office under Nthte govern
ment SOLICITING the suffrages OF the whole peo,,
| Ole OF he state. He has gone beyond the local
| field In which hs has moved so long. and In
which any advocacy of bis eains would at this
In this move. his friends feel that he ought to
statement q his personal and political record.
not attempting to disguise the fact that 1t
comes from his friends and Is made distinctly
IN his interests yet adheriug go rgidly to au.
thorittes, within the reach q gil that any and
every citizen will BIZ enabled to detect the
smallest departure from tho truth. 1t would
not be- becoming and It Is not the purpose Of
to Major Burke is inspired solely by personal
enmity and prosecuted by malice. No such iden
is entertained. The idea In view Is simply what
has been Just desoribed-to present o. truthful
synopsis of Major Burkes record, 50 that every
voter In the State may have the material for
reEchin T., az inaee9 1ad ludgh e
isv1lle, Ky. and comes Of fine Irish family. his
ancestors for three or four, generations baek,
grandfather, however. was attatnted in the Irish
rebellion and escaped to this country His
father was born IN Bontelourt county, Virginia,
and his mother in Cupeper. After leaving
school, Burke became interested in the railroad
business; fret around Louisville. and after
ward, by successive promotions. down TO Lou
isiAna md finally. Just before the breaking out
OF the war, to Texas. Though only about ntue-
teen years Of age, he ut once abandoned bust
ness / IN which bis talents end industry were
rapidly winning power and fortune and cast
his lot with the Confederate army For his SCR
vices IN the neighborhood of Galveston be was
complimented ind promoted by Gen. Magru-
DER: Subsequently, he laid before Gen. Kirby
Smith, commanding the Trans Mississippi De-
partment. the scheme Of that vast system Of
rht ,saH
admiration and which was Just attaining COM
plete developement when the war closed The
tine TO- n between that event and bis
ventures which are not Important in this con-
hegon put W n as Major Burke has ar9ndy
Die TO his ability and good faith
IN NEW ORLEANS.
Burke's beginning hero has long boon a
familiar Bit, of history with this community.
Arriving without; money or friends. end ami.
living ut whatever offered first. Burke found
himself applying for work at d well known
marble yard. He obtained the employment he
sought. and set manfully to work, chipping
stone. hlongstde Of cooIed brother Doing
that as he does, everything. with hearty good
will and with an honest desire to excel. be soon
and finally promotion. From that time his for
tunes began to mend. and the year 1873 found
JACKSON halfway. where his aoministrative
ability had found d eoDgenia field, aud borne a
rich harvest Of success and popularity for the
road. The merchants of this city will bear tes-
timony to the correct and equitable system he
introduced for the adjustment Of claims, and
cqmponsation of damages. aud to tho expe-
the business under bis control was trans
acted -, This period also found him taking
an aetive, part in politics. It was in this
year that he received the regular nomination
Tor Administrator OF improvements, although,
| owing, to the putting forward Of IN Independent
candidate in tho person of Gen. Beaurega d.
Burke. however, received within 1900 votes Of
his distinguished competitor of the total Con-
holding his situation in the Jackson Railroad
Com pany, and disGhnrging his duties with I'M
Diminished energy and effect, Major Burke
gradually became prominent in politics. In
| 1874 he undertook and successfully conducted
| the most arduous work of the campaign. 10 wit:
the reyiston, OF the registration; by which he
was enabled to detect and expose the gigantic
| frauds of the Republicans in the registration.
The tremendous labor involved in this achieve
ticans here d Now Orleans, and they already
! recognize and acknowledges Major Burkes
claims as lending worker in the cause.
But the most brilliant exploit of that cam
paign. the exploit which will be most readily
understood and most enthusiastically admired,
qf Of pa IN Fsa ge 0 ae
| date the beginning of the train Of events which
cnImnated last year IN tho final emancipation
| OF the state from political bondage, the over
throw of Radicalism and the. restoration Of
popular government In Louisiana. It is an
event hallowed by tho proudest memories.
Every actor. IN it is entitled to tho alrec ionate
gratitude Of the people, and all Of its victims
are embalmed to- day in undying honor and
reverence. Major Burke's part in this affair is
not generally known; yot among the leaders It
! Is notorious, that but for him there would have
been. could have. been, no fourteenth Of
fannt h On the night Of the thir,
| that troops had been ordered from Holly
Springs by telegraph and wore expe9ottted
In tho city about noon tho next day. The
defeat the plans of the Democratic leaders.
| They were resolved not to be brought into
conflict with the Federal anh9 no and yet
VAS o e b. dSne5 Some Of the stair repaired to
s muf3 as 10 ways and I means TheE proposion
was to burn Manchac bridge, but to this Major
Burke naturally replied that he was an officer
any injury to. the roads property. After sont
hours Of anxious consultation the staff officers
took their departure. leaving tho matter, II
Major Burkes hands. His plans were quickly
| formed and as quickly executed. Before day
light his messenger was flying III. the road On {
hand car giving the orders to the foremen OF tht
| different gangs then engaged In raising tht
road bed. and Il few hours afterWard the Soutt
bound train with the soldiers on board was
stopped by gap of some hundred yards, whore
tho workmen had taken up the track and were
industriously shoveing away at the embank,
mnnt. There We, was some pretty LOUD lou
and and af 6p!"n"od delay of an hour
the track was relaid and the train proceeded OF
its way. Two miles on the road rejoicing, ans
another stoppage. Two hundred yards OF tract
taken up this time and the gang very har az
time. talk a good deal louder and explanation
more profuse., In two hours the train wa
under way and went along smoothly for abou
three miles. But the men were working yer!
desperately on that September morning. am
here the train stopped at q break Of nearly son
yards. Then Col Brook lost pat ience. He ever
drew his pistol and threatened to shoot fore
man. But It Is needless to lnger over thes
details Burkes plot was &: success, and Whil
, about Manchac, the citizen soldiers wer
thrashng Keoggs metr3politafhs ard sc at
of heaven. 1t was the grand blow Of the strug
gle, the inauguration Of the era which has nov
, hardly be termed @ minor one, No one, VIII
participated in the councils Of that period wi
deny that he deserves oil the credit for tn
stroke which delayed the train and made tn
fourteenth of September possible.
ADMINISTRATOR OF IMPROVEMENTS.
This year Major Burke obtained for the sec
Ond time the regular party nomination &c