New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-01-26
FRIDAY MORNING, JANUARY 26, 1866.

FRIDAY
vided by the act entitled act to consolidate the
city of New Orleans and to provide for the gov
ernment of the city of New Orleans and the ad- \
ministration Of the affairs thereof approved MARCH
Goth, 1856. 5
SEC. 2. Be IL further enacted, etc., That the
officers thus elected shall enter upon the discharge
of their duties on the first Monday following their
election and shall continue in office until the third
Monday in June, 1868; Pr0pided, That at the hrst
sitting of the Common Council in 1865, the alder
men and assistant aldermen shall be divided by
lot into two classes. The seats Of the first class
shall be vacated on the third Monday 81 June
Gated on the third Monday Of June, 1868; Pro-
uioed also, That onehaIf Of the aldermen and
assistant aldermen of each district shall constitute
shall be an election on the first Monday of June,
1867, and annually thereafter, as provided in said
city charter, at each of which said eiectlons q
sufficient number of aldermen and assistant alder
men shall be elected to fill the places of those
going out. ' g-zs,
SEC. 8. Be it further enacted, etc., That on and
after the first Monday of June, 1868, elections
shall be held for mayor, comptroller, recorders,
stated and in accordance with the requirements
and provisions of the said act to consolidate the
1866.
Sec. a. BE II further enacted etc., That this
act shall be in force from and after its passage.
Mr.. Paifrey presented bill, which he had been
instructed by the Committee on Public Works,
Lands and Levees to offer, for the purpose of re-
pealing the act No. 52 of the Legislature of 1864,
granting canal and land privileges to certain
parties from yermillion Bay to Sabine river, of
which an epitome was given in yesterdays report.
The gentleman thanked the Senate for the in
diligence they had so frequently extended to him,
in asserting to suspension of the rules to allow him
to forward measures, thus showing him not only
| courtesy, but confidence. He had never appealed
to them, however, more earnestly for it than he
felt his duty to do on the present occasion. The
gentleman then read the bill section by section,
commenting on the extravaganza and wantonness
of the cessons made and the privileges granted
under this extraordinary measure. Fortunately,
he said, the grantees had not complied with the
conditions required by the law, and had therefore
not acquired any vested right in the grant. In
order to prevent this from being done, it was i'm
portant that the act should be repealed at once.
He had taken great pains to inquire into this point,
and was satisfied that he was correct in the state
ment he had made. In order to throw some light
upon the subject he would read to the Senate
some information about it which heShad been furn-
ishcd by respectable, practical, dsinterested and
intelligent surveyor. The gentleman then read
the following: : Fs -zAsa-% e
l. The United States, in 1s49-'5O, granted to the
State of Louisiana all the swamp and overhowed
lands upon the condition that the State would use
the money accrung from the sale of said lands to
the building of levees and reclainling oyerfowed
districts. ,..-.-=----
? By reference to tn the Sd SECTION Of Gf said
corporators have had donated to them
all the lands south of the line of location from
Vermillion Bay to the Sabine, SO that the Gulf of
Mexico will be the Southern boundary of the grant;
and besides they vested with the titles to all
the State lands parallel to the line Of the canal for
distance of twenty miles on the north of said
canal, Now, taking for granted that on the south
of said canal the distance to the Gulf is twenty
miles, Though for most of the way more) there
has been granted belt of land 40 miles in width
by 130 in length, which is equal to 1920 600 acres.
This taken from 4644 s67 acres, (being the amount
of the unsold swamp lands of the State, as per
Registers report leaves only l,324o0o acres to
| the State. o.a,'fsst -lg,5=4=.1, ~ x
8. From a careful and personal inspection on
the ground, / can say that this grant divests the
Der, which is now in great demand, and can be
sold in short time at the maximum of 81 rs pei
acre, and will attract large and lucrative trade
with that portion Of the State. 5saAt ~
H. 4. BY careful inspection of theaet No. 50 il
will be that the State has no security for the
completion Of this canal, and that the parties in.
| terested, when they shall have performed a small
portion of the labor necessary to open twenty
five miles of the canal, that then the Governor
shall cause tides to be made out for the one
fifth of the entire grant to 666 600 acres, this eaa
| be sold At 81 23 Now, am free to say, that the
| twenty. y.tiEe miles necessary to the securing the
one-ftth ofthe entire grant is now open to nayiga
| ton for vessels drawing three and half feet Of
| water.
| This, he thought, would convince the Senate OF
the character of this operation, and he hoped they
would at once pass the bill repeating the act re-
ferred to wherefore he would move for sus
pension of therules for the purpose of carrying il
! through its various stages. At the same time he
begged to say that if delay was wished for he hae
no desire to hurry the measure through. @%
The bill was then read o first and second time!
under suspension of the rules. ..'.',,-
| On its being taken up for the third reading, Mr.
lBurthe objected and moved to refer the bill tt
the Committee on Public Works, Lands ant
Levees. If the gentleman from st. Mary (Mr
Palfrey) had stated that he knew the facts alleged
| of his own knowledge, they would not need inquir
ing into but they were given only on the authority
of third parties. 4sN
Mr. Wilcoxon objected to the reference, ant
hoped the bill would be passed at once.
Mr.. Gibson said the mere recital of the bill wa
sufficient to show its character. 1t wat of thu
most outrageous acts that ever emanated from I
deliberative body. He was satisfied if member
would just look at, or had listened to it as he had
they would require no testimony whatever aboutit
Mr.. Palfrey said he had no desire to force hi
repeating bill through, aud would rather secont
the motion of the gentleman from Jefferson (Air
Burnley than do so. In addition to the argument
he had already advanced, however, why the &C
ought to be repealed, he would state that the ex
istence of such an actwas sufficient to deprecat
the value of the bonds which the Governor ha,
been authorized to sell for levee purpose1. Th
bill, he would also remind Senators, had VTead,
been before the. Committee on Public WAks
Lands and Levees, who had instructed him. t.
bring in the present bill. q a
After some few further observations, the ques
ton was put on the motion to refer, which wa
negatived. l --
The question for a further suspension of tn
rules was then put and carried, and the bill read
third time and passed.
On motion of Mr.. Munday it was ordered to b.
| sent to the House Immediately. ...-....5.-. ~
On motion of Mr.. Mohan the New Orleans cit
election bill was ordered to be sent to the Hous
immediately, ~ ~. ~ ,..r f. : ga..-
] The Senate then adjourned to I'm. tomorrow
! Friday, January &c, 1866. 7f '--