New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1856-12-20
PUBLIC oFF1cERs-sALARIEs

t,aton PONCE on the third Monday in January and
as Az noltical questions Of the day decided for
manv years. in favor of the dominant party, it is
nothing more than reasonable infer that the egs-
1ation of the session will be confined to home matters
to home development--to the fostering OF enter
prses that will contribute to the enhancement OF our
prosperity wealth and strength as commonwealth
and to such other legitimate matters as Will tend u
the encouragement of domestic labor thrift, and d.
versifcation of industrial and manufacturing pur-
suits and make us selsustainlnS, and consequently
an independent people, capable OF repeillns agGfes
sion from without, and MAINTAINING order ana slle1y
within the limits of the State.
A large number Of important subjects will come
before the Legislature for consideration. First and
foremost and most indispensable, is thorough re-
vision and amendment of the Black Code. This must
be done, and done completely too, else legjsla-
tors will sadly fail in the performance of material
duty they owe their constituents. On this particular
point however, our views tolerably well known
and as we shall probably take up the subject at
length in few days we will dismiss it for the present.
/ A Slave Exemption law will also be proposed We
shall present our views in regard to this question
before the Legislature acts upon it. 1t is topic
shareholders cannot ponder too deeply. Then, home
shin building should be encouraged and moderate
bounties offered for homemade cotton and wooden
yarns spun for foreign expectation.
But we are wandering off from the immediate OBJ
iect of this article somewhat. We started ont to urge
a reform in what is generally considered minor
matter but which is really one Of infinitely more mo-
ment to the wellbeing Of the people than is usually
considered. We allude to the neagre, starvation
salaries srudgingly allowed our most prominent and
necessary public officers, without whom it would be
impossible to carry on the machinery Of government
We will commence with the Statehouse at Baton
Rouge 2 Now, can an intelligent man be found who
believes that Gov. Wickitie can rent an executive
mansion dispense the Inequalities thereof as BELTS the
, chief magistrate Of great and wealthy State like
u Louisiana and live gentleman should, on the
salary allowed him by law? No. He must eSpend
nearly if not quite double his salary to meet the alb
solute requirements of his exalted position! Here
the question arises Do the voters wish paUperize
e their Governors if they are not wealthy OF have not
wealthy friends Or do they desire to create order
Of arisocracy founded dollars and cents alone, t
keepiue the salary 50 low that poor man. matter
how brilliant his talents, how large bis public services
ct or how indisputabe his personal worth cannot afford
st to indulge in gubernatoral aspirations? This is the
Mt question to be answered For part we do not be-
lieye the people wish anything of the sort the
r contrary we hold to the opinion that they willing
to pay their public servants fair and reasonable
compensation and entirely persuaded that if the
~ Legislature would act udicously and liberaly in the
premises they would receive the appreciation, instead
vi Of encounterng the ons, Of those they represent.
e What is undenable as relates to the gubernatoTia
~ Office is undeniabe to every other State Office in
ne the CAPITOL with the exception Of the Auditors Office
and there the fees not the salary render it desirable
y, in pccuriary point Of view The salaries Of the
~ Secretary OF State and Treasurer, if doubled would
'~ not approximate extravaganza; and SO lar as tht
State Superintendent Of Education is concerned, hi
us does not receive as large pay as the District Su
rv perintendents of Public Schools in New Orleans; nt
no one here pretends to that they too ber
as ally compensated.
,es So much for the compensation awarded ourhshes
bo officials We think our readers will agree with t,
tb that they are grudgingy paid Tor their labors W
,ts now come to still more important branch Of tn
in same subject Of saariesa branch which al can full
pa appreciate and comprehend, because it goes close
,r home to them than the other. We refer 10 III
re Tretchedy and contemptiby inadequate salarie
nr doled ont to cur Distric! Judgest0 the very me
. through whose hands, judciay speaking, prt
ct perty must all pass or later, ana who may
we called at any moment to decide upon questions aec
ma ing our lives liberty, interests and hono The re
NV possibility attaching to the Office Of Judge cannot
0TereStllnaieQ liz uutiSo GCt uit HIpIl
,e who fills it are sometimes truly awful, and are alwa
,h onerous difficult and aborous. What salaries do o.
,on District Judges receive? Why, in the country we
,er leye two thousand dollars per anaum and in ii
M city three thousand five hundred dollars per annn1
Ios We doubt whether there is constable in Ne
Orleans who attends seduously to his business, vi
does not realize more money from his Office than Il
his Judges do from their Offices. Is this fair? lsthoncs
irst Is it sensible or the fruit of sound policy? 1t
ca neither 1t is unfair, not honest sensible, and
the worst policy that could possibly he pursued und
ap auv circumstances. We should have the first leg
md talent of the State and city the bench, and al
1ok salary that would accomplish that end would be /
wisest economy. To obtain that talent to avail OF
. selves of the services Of ables lawyers, we shou
~ offer such salaries as would tempt them to aband
~ the practice and accept positions upon the BENCH
=, no other mode nor manner can we hope to bril-
- about such an suspicious result
~ We earnestly hope Our Legislators vii! take this Al
ca kindred subjects under serious dclberation at tint
w. next session. and inaugarate reform which shall
49,: thorough, complete and satisfactory
~. We are aware there will be divers and sunlyy
spectacle old fogies who will cry aloud against the
" pense But these cries need not be needed Let t
bung-hole OF the treasury barrel be we.watched, II
EA the few drafts from the spigo, which we IecoEmc.
res will not impair the condition Of that valuable bran
cry of the government. Spgot droppings are not We
the dangerous. 1t is the torrent that flows from the W
[att open bunghole that supernduces bankruptcy.
H., o s
~ CoTToN.--The receipts for the t#ontytour no,
ending at o'clock last evening were, By the Eclip
49,, from Vicksburg 3,+49 bales =; NatcheH from Vie
IVY burg, 1919; Storm, from Slntthland, Texas, S
1, Total, S,26s bales. We shall want coed many 81
NAN, day receipts to help out long crop estimates.
the SUBSTANTIAL TOKEN OF REGAHp.-The Dcnocr
ma of Western Virginia have presented tie editor OF
Wheeling Argus the sum Of q thousand dollars, CT
w down, - to enable him 70 purchase types and
ra,. crease the efficiency Of his paper" This was
9,r,1 tanly doing very handsome thing n very ha
,;no some way. So says a contemporary.
,no The Democrats sensible, well very Gle
~, fellows, take them all in all, by and large I'll
roI entertain peculiar notions Of their OWL which Il
will persist H. no matter whether the weather ply
fair or foul Hut, they Lever turn aga0s their fr;e
as Of the pressby whose AID they have been enabled
cries triunpI-in fair weather, and Cling all the losel