New Orleans daily crescent., 1857-08-17

Salary of District Judges. 63O0
DO Attorney General ................... $500
Printing Decisions Of do ................... 5000
The pretext for this profigate expenditure Of the
public money was the increase of the business and
wants of the State but the real motive was the
necessity of providing for large batch of hungry
office-seekers. A host of small Democratic lawyers
were clamorons for reward. When litigation was
diminishing in the country parishes, the number OF
Judges and District Attorneys were increased in a
double ratio Districts composed of four parishes,
with but one Judge and District Attorney, were sub
divided, and two Judges and District Attorneys ap-
pointed with full salaries, when one had previously
discharged the duties of greater litigation on the
same salary!
Q. The Legislature and Executive continued Demo-
cratic until 1850, and in 1852 the Legislative power
changed into the hands Of the adverse party. In
1852 the salaries of the Governor Secretary of State
Treasurer, Adjutant- General, and some other high
officers were cut down and reduced, by which more
than SO 900 was saved annually to the State Other
retrenchments were made and the State expenditures
much reduced. But the legislative power changed
hands under the new constitution of 1852, and in
4 1858 the Legislature wasagain Democratic, and has
| SO continued to this time
The new Constitution provided expressly that there
should be Board Of Public Works created, con
ssting Of four commissioners" to be elected by the
people of each district to manage and control all the
public works and improvements of the State, such
ting off overfows from the swamp lands, building
evees protect and opening drains toreclam swamp
lands which were donated to the State by Congress-
This conditional injunction is imperative on the Legis
lature
Art $780, Provides that board Of public works shall be
M 1 Of 9a IN ms hst the sie
as may BE- an eaua M Of rote M M ana o 1ns
that ,s asss%s ss st M I
@ ;i9s q aHa e. sspsS ae g the On" ne or
Isl Ths eommissisne5s shall sreres dilgsnt and
faithful supervision Of all public works in which the State is
/ Interested &c.''
The Democratic Legislature of 1885, the first selected
under the new Constitution-what did it do? 1t not
only eyades the express provisions of the Constitution,
but passed laws in papable violation of its positive
| commands.
law dividing the State into three levee and draining
| districts empowering the Governor to appoint
Commissioner in each district for Two years with
salary of 81 500 year. These three commissioners
| to be called the swamp land commissioners. This
1 Board of Commissioners every two years to appoint
three engineers one for each district with salary of
s3 600 year. each all the work done and expenses
incurred to be paid ont of the money arising from the
sales of the swamp lands dividing the funds arising
from these sales into three portions for each dstrct
The next Legislature, at its first session, in 1884,
passed another law amendatory of the first, dividing
the State into four leyee and draining Districts,
A empowering the Governor to appoint one commits
soner fol each district with salary of 81 5OO each
besides travelling expenses, etc. These were denonl-
i mated swamp land commissioners. An engineer for
each district to be appointed by the commissioners,
with salary of $2500 year. All works done or to
be done and expenses incurred under this act
be paid for ont of the swamp land fund or proceeds
! Of the sales Of the swamp lands. The proceeds of
these sales were to be divided among the several
swamp land districts, according to certain scale
rateable proportion In order to carry this act into
effect $500 appropriated from the funds paid
into the treasury for the sale of the swamp lands
i (See Session Acts, 1854, sec. %, page 97)
Not word is said all this time about establishing
a "Board Of Public Works as required and provided
for in the constitution, the commissioners OF which
were to be elected by the people, who when elected,
were to form board dndto exercise faithful super
piston of all the public ,voks in ,oich the State shall
be interested. But in lieu thereof Board of Swamp
Land Commissioners are to be appointed by the
Governor, thereby increasing the government power
and patronage, and taking the elective power from
the people
ing the State into four internal Improvement dis.
Il trcts" aving connection with the constitutional
Board of Public Works) to be placed under the con-
troll Of the State Engineer an officer appointed by the
Governor, with a salary of $4,000 year, office ex-
penses 900 year more-annually, $l3,50O
The Engineer is empowered to appoint superin-
tendents and Assistant Engineers, with salaries of
81 200 year to superintend and conduct the differ
ent public works which may be projected by the
i Chief Engineer, ETC. This act still evades and vio-
Iates the provision of the constitution requiring a
I" Board OF Public Works. 1t created a fund de-
( nominated the " Internal Improvement Fund.- to
consist of the unexpended balance, together with all
that may hereafter be received from the sales of the
public lands donated by Congress for internal i'm
provements, by the act of the 4th OF September
lS4l and of the unexpended balance, together with
all to be hereafter received from the five per cent o
the net sales of all the United States lands in this
State appropriated by the act of the 10th of February
1911, for Roads and Levees." This fund embrace:
the remainder of the Congressional donation, and is
1IoJv 1 Dra and EunA tN ha nc
for the sole purpose of making Roads and Levees.
1t is to bear all the expenses and expenditures of this
new-fangled system of internal improvements. The
law divides the State into four internal improvement
districts bat makes no provision for the election of
Commissioner in each to form Board of Public
Works as required by the constitution, but leave:
everything to the management of the State Engi
f neer, his appolntee and employees
. | Thus it will be seen that we have two systems o
! public works, neither Of which approXmates to tht
one provided for in the constitution. Under thest
systems the public monies arising from the sales o
the public lands donated by Congress to the State
being squandered and wasted. The Swamp Lane
funds are going one way and the Internal Improve
ment funds in another way!
The whole management and expenditure of th
vast amount of these two funds derived from land
donated by Congress to the State for public works
Improvement, are placed under the control of on
man. who dspenses and disburses it to his numerou
contractors appointees and employees in unrestrcte
profuson And the still larger fund, derived fror
the sale of the swamp lands also donated by Cor
gress to build levees, shut of overhows, and ope
drains, to reclaim the large quantity of swamp an
overfowed lands in the State, are placed at the d
posal of four irresponsible Swamp Land Commission
ers" who have it all their own way and the people
money is given out to faithless agents and appontee
l, of executive creation, to be wasted and eXpende
ae without, in many cases. etieeting any public goo'
I'd and in not few instances, wholly misappliet
wasted and expended for private purposes, Tor I'll
benefit Of private individuals and to subserve prva'
e. and local interesss
nc A. One of the most striking instances of the vast
W ful expenditure and misarpcation of the publ
ns monies is the celebrated Cat Island" improvement
p, Mr.. D. c. jenkins, Swamp Land Commissioner
the First District, in his report of January l. 1856
says bis attention has been directed to large qua
- tity OF swamp and overiowed lands, above the tow
le ~, of Bayou Sara, in West Felcana parish known
a Cat Island, or Tunca Village, calling for recamato
he by judicous system of drainage, &c." Cat Islam