Huntsville gazette. [volume] (Huntsville, Ala.) 1879-1894, 1890-07-12
NICHOLS SAYS MOI

| Consent to the Further Dishonoring of
/ His State in Granting a Continuation of
| the Lease of the Commonwealth to the
Lottery Gamblers - Some Plain and
Pointed Predictions in Case the Inf.iny
| Is Consummat ted.
| BATON ROUGE, La, July s-The Lot
| terry bill was returned to the House yes
terday afternoon by Governor Nichols
with his veto, in which he bitterly up
braids the Legislature for disgraeing
the State in making her partner in a
private gambling enterprise.
| The Governor says:
| The persistent efforts which have been
| made to present Louisiana as pauper, IN :
| able by and through her own legitimate re-
| sources to sustain and carry out the duties
! of her Statehood are utterly without foun-
| dation. The reports OF the Treasurer and
| Auditor of the State show this. The re-
| ports of the boards of adm inistraton of the
| various charitable and educational and
| other institutions, and those of the vari Gus
committees of this very General Assembly
| sent to examine into the situation and con :
| ditions of these institutions -all show that
the State and the different parts of the State
| were never, since the late war, in better
| condition than they are to-day; moving
| forward to an era of assured prosperity
| Suddenly the dark shadow Of a deep dis
| grace Is thrown across their path and the
| honor of Louisiana, maintained on the field
| and in the council by the patriotism and
| the valor and the sacrifices of her sons, liv-
| ing or Dead is to be tarnished for ever, her
| position among her sister States to be
tested, not by what she has becn-exalted
| and proud-but in the dust, as the degener
| ate partner in a gaming corporations de-
| signed, organized and to be carried out, not
| for her good her Advancement but as
| have before said, for the personal and sell
| fish interests Of handful of men, many of
| them connected with the darkest days of
| the reconstruction period. l repeat, it is
| for them and to them we are selling out
| our birtliright for mess of pottage.
| Who are the six unnamed men who ar Q
to join with a seventh and known one, to
constitute the new lottery company? How
| comes it that we are not informed as to
| their identity and enabled to know their
| antecedcnts and fix their records; there is a
| world of meaning in this silence. In tho
most triing affairs of life men seek to
| know with whom they deal. How comes it
that in a matter of this Importance the
General Assembly has been willing up to
now to close its eyes and move blindly in
| the dark?
call upon it to pause before it takes fin
ally that step and plunges this State into
untold trouble. Is there nothing signi-
ficant in the vote by which this bill has
passed? The exact two-thrds in each
House, and nothing deeply significant in
| twelve votes of the House and four votes in
the Senate by which that exact majority
| was reached? Is not the future foreshad-
owed? To me it most certainly is.
say to this General Assembly in all earn
estness that should this measure be passed
| we viii enter upon period of strife, such
| as has never been seen before in Louisiana,
and should this contemplated corporation
ever be formed we will enter upon an era
of corruption and degradation, beside which
the era of reconstruction Will appear as one
! of honor and happiness. And let me say to
| you that should this measure be adopted
| and carried out, in my opinion, no good
| will ever come of the money which we Will
receive the price of our honor and our
liberty. Extravaganza, profigacy and cor
ruption will assuredly follow the receipt as
night follows day.
feel thoroughly satisfied that the effect
| of the adoption of the measure will be that
| while the ix-mil tax would be kept up.
| there will be an immediate falling off in the
Legislative appropriations for charitable
| and other purposes for which this money
will have been directed to be applied, and
| wondrous corresponding increase OF the ap-
| plication of the general fund to the pay
| ment of the interest bearing debt.
| ] believe that every possible outstanding
| claim against the State valid, or invalid,
| now rated as safe of payment by the State
| or otherwise. will be first deprecated and
whilst so deprecated skillfully bought up,
| to be by subsequent judcous legslati n
| recognized and provided for either through
| funding operation or otherwise, and that
| the reduction on one side will be followed
| by loss. In other words, believe that at
| the end of twenty-five years we will not
| only find constitutional bonds outstanding
| to the utmost limit of the Funding law, but
r n1 ffr-
crease of the interest bearing debt, which
by that time will have become acknowl-
edged and provided for rs to interest, but
| not as to capital; and that in these twenty
| five years q vast amount of interest Will
| have been paid out unnecessarily, improp-
erly and Illegally.
In whose hands those interest bearing
bonds viii be found, time will develope. At
| the end of twenty five years there will be
| the same claim of poverty of Louisiana and
| the same claim on its behalf for the contin-
| ued existence of the lottery. So far as
| claim for the necessity for the present
| measure is sought to be prcdicated upon this
assumed condition of the poverty of Louisi-
| ana as its Governor, pronounce it totally
without Justification or warrant. Some
| other motive for this measure must
be found than that her people are
unable honorably to carry out the duties
| Of Statehood. knowing this measure as
do as one dishonOring and degrading 10
| Louisiana, it has, as it will continue to meet
my most determined opposition. At no
| time and under no circumstances VIII per-
NIT one of my hands to aid in disregardins
| what the other lost in seeking to uphold the
| honor of my native State. Were l to affx
my signature to the bill, would indeed be
ashamed to let my left hand know what my
right hand had done. Iplace the honor of
the State above money, and in expressing
this sentiment ! sincerely voice that OF
| thousands of brave and true men, Of good
| and deyout women of the State.
Very respectfully,
| FRANCIS T. NICHOLS,
| Governor of louisiana.
Mr.. Shattuck introduced resolution
that inasmuch as there was some ques-
ton as to the constitutional right of
the Governor to veto the. amendments,
further consideration of the question be
made the special order for Tuesday
July s, at p. m.
More British War-Ships for Behring Sea.
OTTAWA, July 8.-The flagship War
sprite, which is expected to arrive at
ESQ uimalt, B. c., daily, is a powerful