The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-03-20
THE LOTTERY BILL.

a bill repeating the charter OF the Louisiana
Lottery Company, the bill to take effect from
| and after the thirty-first day OF March, 1879
| In the House of Representatives, body
every member OF which came directly from
| the great mass of the people, the bill repeal
| ing the charter Of the Lottery Company was
passed BY an almost unanimous vote of the
Democratic members. Indeed, only five
| Democratic members voted against the repeal
| of the bill. OF the new members of the Senate,
elected by the Democrats, only three voted
against the act to repeal the charter of the
greatest and most pernicious gambling mon
opoly ever set up and legalized In the civilized
world.
Nearly two months have passed since this
great repeal bill was passed. The Hegtsfa-
| ture intended, and so declared, that after the
| thirty-first day of the present month
eleven days from this mornlng-the Louis
lana State Lottery Company should cease to
| exist. The repeal bill was passed, as we
have shown, by representatives fresh from
| the people, elected on this very ISSUE and
it was promptly sent to the Governor. But
the bill has not yet been signed. Why' we
are asked by multitude of people both
| III y.
should be addressed to the Governor
and not to US. Beyond question it was the
wish and will of the people who own this
State that the charter OF the Lottery Com
pany should be repealed. The issue was
discussed before them and by them for more
than twelve months. 1t entered into the
canvass In every parish and neighborhood Of
| the State, and the Representatives and Sena-
tors elected by the people after that discussion
were, almost to a man, pledged to repeal the
charter of the Lottery Company. Through
their representatives the people demanded
and enacted this great reform measure. But
weeks and months have passed since the bill
passed the Legislature; In few days the
date at which the bill was to take effect will
be upon us. and yet the Governor holds this
great bill of reform Ia his pocket. He has
neither signed nor vetoed it, Why is this Is
the Governor opposed to this repeal bill, or
does he think that the Lottery Company,
which controls In a great measure the poll
tics Of this city, should be sustained
Under the Ubiquitous constitution OF this
State, 1t Is true, the Governor may hold an
act of the Legislature In his pocket for twelve
months. But 1t Is well known that that power
was granted the Governor to enable War
moth and other executives Of his breed to
speculate upon the finances of and domineer
over the State. Really the veto power is
simply a conservative power. It was granted,
not to enable the Executive to defeat the will
of the people, or the constitutional and ma
tured legislation of their representatives. but
simply to check or counterfeit that hasty and
| Incorporate legislation which sometimes fol-
lows hot on the heels Of popular or partisan
| excitement. The veto power Of the President
| is typical In our system. The veto power OF
the Governor OF Louisiana Is vilainous
| abuse fixed up by the Radicals for partisan,
speculative and corrupt purposes; and
though under our organic law 1t exists In
all its enormity under the present admin
istration as it did under those OF Warmoth
and Kellogg, we hold that o Democratic
Governor ought not to exercise it beyond its
proper and original scope.
III this great measure OF reform had been
an act of Congress the President would have
been forced to veto it and present to the
American people his reasons for doing SO
within ten days, or it would have become o
law. Why should not the Governor of Lou
isiana be held to as rigid responsibility and
| to as clear and prompt action upon public
| measures as the President of the United
| States
| The Governor knows as well as we do that
| the people demand the extinction OF the Lou
isiana Lottery; he knows as well as we do
that the late session Of the Legislature.
| when it repealed the charter OF the
Lottery Company, did what they were
| elected to do; that they expressed the
will of the people Of the State. And yet
the Governor, taking advantage of the veto
power which the Ubiquitous constitution Of
1868 places In his hands, holds the repeal bill
In his pocket He neither approves it nor We
toes it. telling his people why he thinks the
lottery should be maintained In this the
Governor does himself a gross injustice while
| at the same time he wrongs the people. II
he thinks the Lottery Company should, on
constitutional grounds, be maintained, it
Is his duty to do just as the President
of the United States is required to do
veto the bill and state his reasons for doing
SO. On the other hand, IL he thinks the
! repeal bill Is constitutional, he ought at
| once without further delay to sign it. The
Governor has no right to defeat the will of
the people by the exercise of the veto power.
unless that will has been uncoysstttutiondllg
expressed. The veto was not designed to make
dictator OF the President or Of the Governor,
and 1t can only be exercised to check hasty
and unconstitutional legislation. Certainly
the Democratic Governor of Louisiana ought
not to avail himself of the veto power as 1t
exists in this State, in violation of all sound
and democratic principles, to either defeat the
will Of the people or to evade the responsible
ity Of striking down or standing by great
public evil.
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