1872 Colonel Charles H. Morrison Accuses Bribed Legislators - Union Parish Louisiana Submitted by: Shawn Martin Date of Submission: 12/2008 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ ================================================================================== ================================================================================== 1872 Colonel Charles H. Morrison Accuses Bribed Legislators - Union Parish Louisiana From the New Orleans "Times Picayune", issue of 7 August 1872 ================================================================================== ================================================================================== The Legislators Who Were Bribed. Their Names and Politics. Letter From C. H. Morrison We find the following document in the Farmersville (Union parish) Record. It will be read with general interest: [Communicated.] Monroe, La., July 16, 1872. To the Union Record: Mr. Editor—My attention has just been called to your paper of the 6th inst., containing the article headed "Let the Guilty Bleed," and in which you hold the following: "Let justice fall on the heads of the guilty, but let the innocent and true be exculpated. We must condemn and punish corruption in our own party before we can with any propriety denounce it in others," all of which I fully endorse, as well as other portions of the article. I therefore feel it my duty to respond and to furnish you such information as I have on the subject of your call, without being able to vouch for the truth of more that my part of the story. When in the city of New Orleans in June last as a member of the Democratic Convention, I was told that the Republicans were not the only members of the Legislature, who had sold out or received bribes for their votes. I replied to my informant that vague and general charges of that kind were of no value and would not be believed, that if such were the facts, the proof must exist, in some form; or at least some person ought to be found who would make the charge and convict the guilty. I was then told that in one instance at least, the evidence existed in the shape of the receipts of the members of the House of Representatives for the sum of one thousand dollars each, for their vote on the levee bill. If that was true, I wanted to see the original receipts. I was then conducted to the office of Mr. Charles T. Howard, who was told what I wanted to see, and that I wanted the information that it might be made public; that unless I could do so, I preferred not to see it; that it was only by informing the people who were the faithful servants and who the unfaithful that we could hope to correct the abuses that were being heaped and riveted upon us. His consent was the freely given, and he exhibited to me a paper, the first few lines at the top of which were blank; then came the names of the following members of the House of Representatives, in the order here presented: *H. H. Stephens, paid, H. H. Stephens. *C. C. Meadows, paid, C. C. Meadows. E. Davis, [continue as above] H. Riley, B. L. Lynch, *L. Darby, *P. Tontalion L. C. LaSalimeire, V. E. McCarty, Geo. Washington, W. D. Floyd, M. Morris, L. J. Souer, H. Mahoney, S. Marvin, D. C. Stanton, *E. Braussard, B. Buchanon, *A. L. Davis, J. J. Moore, J. Lawrent, T. D. Worrell, *D. A. Cochrane, E. Williams, *J. P. Nelson, E. T. Buckingham, T. B. Stamps, W. Harper, Isaac Ulman, George Washington, David Young, H. Williams, W. C. Kinsolla J. B. Lott, W. G. Johnson, Harry Lott, W. H. Waters, *C. Q. Butler, W. B. Barrett, O. H. Brewster, J. W. Quinn, O. H. Hempstead, *J. W. Bryan. * Are the Democrats, as I was told Those on the left appeared to have been all written by the same hand—on the right they purported to be the original signatures of the parties; between the names it was marked 'paid'. When this was presented to me, I said to him, "Sir, I was told you held the receipts of these parties; this is no receipt." His reply was, and I use his words as near as I can, "This was intended as the receipt of these members for the sum of one thousand dollars each, which was paid to them for our votes and services in passing the levee bill; the blank at the top pointing to it was left to be filled up with a receipt, but it has not been done. You are authorized to say as coming from me, that the sum of one thousand dollars was paid in cash to each of these members for their vote and services in passing the levee bill; they will not deny it; if they do refer them to me." He then produced a receipt for the sum of $14,000, dated, I think, on the 24th of February, 1871, which purported to be signed by Messrs. Barrow, Tatman, Schumaker, as a committee representing the following Democratic members of the House, viz: Pond, Tatman, Hyams, Killien, Bickham, Barrow, Barker, Barker, Leambias, Ellis, Thompson, Stinson, Chachere and Schumaker. He then showed me a separate receipt for $1000, purporting to be signed by A. W. Faulkner, of Caldwell, for his vote and services in passing the same bill. This is substantially what I know about the matter. Whether the charge is true or not, I cannot say. I have stated what I saw and what was told me, and in repeating what was said to me I have used the very words as near as I can. If this charge is true, these are not representative men of the great body of Louisianians. If untrue, they owe it to themselves, as well as their constituents to refute it. Yours, very respectfully, C. H. Morrison. What has Mr. Charles T. Howard to say to Mr. Morrison's statement? Are they correct? ================================================================================== ================================================================================== From the New Orleans "Times Picayune", issue of 9 August 1872 ================================================================================== ================================================================================== A Card. New Orleans, Aug. 8, 1872. To the Editors of the Picayune: Your issue of Wednesday, 7th inst., contains a letter written by Col. C. H. Morrison, and copied from the Record, a newspaper published at Farmerville, Union parish, in this State, making grave charges against me, and also against several Democratic members of the Legislature. On the same day, when a friend of mine was on the point of calling on Mr. Chas. T. Howard for an explanation, that gentleman sent a message to me, denying in detail the entire statement contained in Morrison's letter, and promising that he would publicly make known the fact, and publish a correction in the city press. Satisfied with this explanatory statement, I took no further action, believing that Mr. Howard, as a gentleman, would keep his word, but the morning papers appeared today without the promised correction. The gentleman to whom I alluded above at once called at Mr. Howard's office to demand a denial in writing in the presence of witnesses; but Mr. Howard was not to be found, and from such information as could be obtained it seems he had left the city; one statement being that he will return on Saturday and publish his denial in the Sunday papers, and another, that he will not return before the first of next month. Now, being unable to find Col. Morrison's authority, the only alternative left me, is simply for me to declare that as far as I am concerned, the entire statement contained in Col. Morrison's letter, is a lie from beginning to end, be the author who he may, and I am prepared to vindicate my innocence in the matter at any time or place. The public will now understand why this denial did not appear earlier in print. Jno. J. Barrow. ############################################################# File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/union/newspapers/articles/1872bribes.txt