Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1889-11-09
BURKE md THE BONDS.

hoped against hope, that Louisiana =
late treasurer and brainv man of al
fairs would return and prove that the
charges affecting his honesty were
unfounded. Bat proof has been
added to proof, link has been joined
TO link, until now u man of sense
would be insulting lis own inteili-
gence to longer believe Burke IN
nocent.
1t is sad to be forced to reach such
a conclusion. There is nothing in the
moral wreckage Of great name to
awaken feelings Of joy. The Imam
who was tried and trusted, who was
admired and even loved bv the peo-
pie Of Louisiana az no man in the
history of the State seems now no
better than common felon, fitted to
wear Il convict's garb.
In TIE vast possibilities Of human
affairs, it has been suggested, there
nav yet be hope for clearing up of
the damaging charges affecting the
character Of Major Burke. How this
can be done is beyond our compre-
hension. The last straw broke the
back Of Burkes friends-the finding
Of all the remaining constitutional
bonds except $4,000 in his private
bank box and the tracing of $64 900
of the missing bonds into the hands
Of 5wo parties, one confidential agent
Of the eX-treasurer, and the other his
relative. These both testify that the
fraudulent bonds were given them
by Major Burke himself.
SO the proof seems overwhelming,
and the friends of Major Burke must
now face the fact that he is guilty.
But his guilt must involve none but
himself and his confederates, if there
be any. 1t may be that the two
parties, Hart and Cockerton, indicted
for aiding and abetting the ex-treas-
urer, were sharers of the plumber, Or
it may be that they are innocent.
But the crime cannot 60 beyond these
three, and upon their heads must
public Indignation be visited.
The element in the Democratic
party to which Major Burke belonged
is no more responsible for his criminal
acts than is the present State admin
stration. Governor McEnery would
have been as prompt to punish such
robbery Of the treasury as the prese nj
governor of the State. They both
have sworn to protect the interests OF
the State, and their action under the
recent disclosures would have been
the same.
Nor must public censure be visited
upon the warm personal and BUSINESS
associates of the guilty ex-treasurer.
He duped them as well as the public
at large. They trusted him implicitly
and believed in him, and as happened
in thousands of cases before, their
confidence was misplaced. His down
fall is source of greater sorrow to
them than to any others.
And the great newspaper that he
founded-the Times Democrat, has
no more connection with Major Burke
and his missdeeds than has the BEA-
CON. For two years he has had no
control whatever of its columns, it
being well known IN New Orleans
that he withdrew from ownership and
control two years ago. The present
management of the paper, as can
readily be seen from its course in
connection with the bond frauds,
has nothing to do with the ex-treas-
urer, treating his wrong-doings as it
would that of any other violator of
confidence and trust.
The people of the State, therefore,
must come to the conclusion that
their censure must be directed to
Major Burke alone, and, at most, a
few confederates. His crime was as
much his own as that of the humblest
malefactor tried at the last session of
the Richland district court. He
took the bonds and placed them on
the market, and no element in the
Democratic party, no daily newspa-
paper in New Orleans, no circle of
personal friends, share his response
bility. The robbery was purely a
personal achievement, and Burke and
his possible confederates are alone
responsible for it.
We see in the Hamburg Eagle an
account of the murder of a horse