New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1858-12-30
F4VANctAl oosBITIoN o. rHE STATE

Baton Rouge sGaAeths u eue A9tA Anes't y Hts
that the State Treasury il in condition bordering
on starvation
TnE STATg FISANoEs ~ The State Legislature
which. b. u, viii meet here in about month iron
today viii have to follow the Footsteps 81 AZ hies
4 trious predecessors, and borrow money TO pay u
contingent expenses. This ought 70 IuEhlsh NJ nv
duapt argument Tor retrenchment and REFORM All
IN sheritFs ana Tax Collectors, except about SIX
have come up TO time and settled as far as they Werf
permitted to do So within the time prescfipeu 9y NV
thu lst Of December-and Notwithstanding Inns tnt
g gsenera Fund y of the Treasury IS nearly II mo-
mite dry True It is there are large special funds il
the Treasury hut they can only be used loE purposes
/ as provided BY law. A large number OF warrants
il wifi bs coming in in few days for salaries Tor ths
last quarter Of the year, and where the money Is
i come from to nav them remains to be seen,
| Louisiana, through her Legislature, is one OF tn
most reckless and prodigal States in the Union
SALARIES should be cut down, and the current ez
penses should be curtaed, as not to get ahead q
/ the annual receipts at least.
Private charities will have to 60 by the Board tins
season, the State will have to borrow largely &c
keep up with her legitimate and proper expenditures
The people are already overburdened with taxes
State, parish and mlnicpal-and one session Of le
gislation for their interest is absolutely demanded
Heretofore, party has exclusively monopolized ING
attention Of the Legislature The Legislature OF The
coming season must bs@are, for each man Fil pc ID
dividually held responsible before the people, Ihey
are now wide,aRake to their alarming condition.
In some respects We agree with our captolian co
temporary and in others we do not. 1t is true, The
Legislatures Of the State for the past five or six SEES
sions, to say the least might have been more eco
uomical, and might have expended the public money
more judiciousy and prudenty. It is also true, thai
the practice Of borrowing money is bad one, and
calculated, in the long run, either to bankrupt the
State and bring disered upon its reputation, OF lead
I'd burthensome enhancement of the rate Of taxa
ton. No money should ever be borrowed without,
at Che same time measures were taken to provide for
payments as they fell due. A sinking fund, or some
other adequate MEANS should start into existence the
rery instant the loan was negotiated.
We are pleased to learn that the sherifs and Tax
Collectors, as general thing, have settled their ac-
counts with the State in a manner altogether com
mendable for its punctuality and promptitude; but
this satisfaction is arred by the statement that the
General Fund of the Treasury is SO near exhausted
that probability is apparent of failure to pay war
rants as they may come in. This is lamentable
state Of affairs and should never be allowed to occur
again. can be easily prevented by the Legislature
and we trust the next session will be characterized
by sufficient action in the premises.
The Legislature Of Louisiana may have been treck
less' and "prodigaln on numerous occasions, Thata
reformation in this regard is highly desirable there
can be little or no doubt; and that reformation
will be accomplished in the future we are entirely
confident. But some Of the means Of extricatior
suggested by our Baton Rouge eotemporary we pro
test against Salaries should" not t'be cut down.
On the contrary, they should be raised high above
the present impoyershing paltry scale. d We should
like to see the salary of every Judge in the Common
wealth doubled at once. We hold that it would be
good economy to do so-that the State would reap
large benefits from the investment. Then we would
have the best legal talent in the State on the bench
and that above all things else, is what the people
want. The Governors salary should be doubled, to
take the minimum Of any proposition for increase,
The miserable pittance now doled out with reuct-
ant hand, puts the office beyond the comfortable
reach of any but the wealthy, and if apoor mans
ambition tempts him, in unfortunate hour, to take
it, its responsibilities and the necessary expenses
they involve, keep him in state Of semistarvation
all the time. Besides, State was ever brought to
insolvency by the amount of salaries paid to officials
It is the other descriptions Of legislation which bank
Tupt treasures.
II the States icharities will have to go by the
board the coming session we shall be very sorry for
it. Such proe 1ure would be neither credtable to
the Legislature nor honorable to the State. We can
economic in almost any other direction with better
results. And here again, we would quadruple the
amount appropriated at the last session, and think it
the part Of wisdom and justice,
The next Legislature can do all the work that will
come before il easily in thirty days, provided the
members will go to their task in earnest This would
save large amount to the treasury and then if ex-
ravagant legislation was avoided and prudent legs,
ation followed closely the treasury would be relieved
from embarrassment, with very slight (perhaps
none would be neededl increase in the rate Of taxa
ton.
We cordially hope in conjunction with the Gazette,
that party issues will have little to do with next SEES
sons legislation and that after the election Of SEN
ator takes place. all Senators and Representatives
without regard to locality political bias will 60
work zealousy and periodically to promote the best
interests Of the whole people Of the whole State,