The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-10-20

| Mr.. LypcbJ AJAX for . suspension Of the ruet
| to put the bill upon its second reading.
| Rules suspended and the bill read.
| The bill was considered engrossed.
| Under . suspension Of the rules, the bill WA
read third time and finally adopted with its title
| Mr. Darrell I ask for o suspension Of the ruet
to introduce bill 70 be entitled an act sppropri
atinR the sum of ten thousand dollarf for the ar
rest of the assassins of n. b. Pope and Valentine
Chase of st. Mary parish.
Rulee suspended and the bill read.
Mr.. DARRELL ask for suspension of the rules
| to put the bill on its second reading.
Rules suspended and the bill read.
The bill was considered engrossed.
Under further suspension of the rules the bill
was read third time, and finally adopted with ia
title.
Mr.. Bacon. from the special joint committee to
inquire into the unauthorized alterations to Senate
bill No. %, presented the following report:
SENATE CHAMBER,
New Orleans, Octs 10, 1868.
the honorable the Senate o6 the of louisiana
Your committee appointed to examine into and
inquire as to how the alterations which were not
agreed to by either House, were made in the en-
crossed copy Of the Senate bill No. 70, which
passed into an act, respecting imprisonments and
fines, and a. to the person or persons by whom
they were made, beg leave to report, that they
have examined the secretary and the assistant
secretary of the Senate, and the chief enrolling
clerk thereof, and the chairman of the judiciary
committee and chief clerk Of the House.
All agree that the bill was engrossed as II passed
the Senate, containing the words respecting the
powers of recorders and other magistrates and
courts that 1t "shall not be competent for them
to remit fines or imprisonment and that the words
''be Discretionary found In lieu thereof, being
interlined in pencil, and the other words erased
were not in IL when IL went to the House, but the
latter were found in it when the enrolling clerk
of the Senate undertook first to enroll 1t, and the
former words were erased. The same is reported
to MS as to the word NOR" in the eighteenth line.
The supposed fourth section was also supplied in
pencil after the bill left the Senate.
The House referred the bill to its judiciary COM
the Endorsement "Fsvorably," in pencil, and as
thus reported 1t passed. The clerk of the House
has formally and officially reported to US by in
| dorsement on the bill by the direction Of the
| House, "that the House concurred without amend
ments," and that the words mot be competent
were not stricken out by the House. nor the words
"nor to" in the eighteenth line, and that the ad-
ditonal section was not added by the House.
The Hon. Peter Harper, chairman of the judi
ciary committee declares to the best of his recol
lection the Judiciary committee of the House
| reported the bill back favorably and without
amendments.
Your committee have had an opportunity OF
| observing very reprehensible practice, which
| may have been practiced heretofore in both
| houses but which should be abandoned, that OF
making scratches and alterations OF bills sent by
one house to another, when it desired to amend
| them.
a
ate to be entitled ian act relative to attachment,
| was returned to the Senate by the clerk of the
| House as having been concurred in without
| amendment, but was found to have an important
clause stricken out with pencil, and this it was
| afterwards found the House intended to have
stricken out but which should have been done by
separate amendment to that effect, to have been
enerossed on another piece of paper. to be sent
back to the Senate with their bill unmutated.
| In the case Of the bill respecting which your
| committee has been directed to inquire it seems
| to be undoubted, for the House has formally 50
decided, that the bill was passed by that body as
1t passed the Senate. unaitered, and has now been
correctly enrolled and approved by the governor
and become q law; but we have much doubt on
our minds whether there was not some inchoate
attempt in the judiciary committee of the House
to have it changed. but this never took shape by
the action Of the House itself, which adopted the
bill as it went from the Senate.
Your committee have found 1t vain to attempt
to find out who added the matter In pencil, or
struck out the words v hich were in the bill as il
passed, nor with any distinctness that they were
placed there after final action on the bill. No one
seemed to be able to give the slightest clue to it.
But the bill passed both houses it was originally
engrossed, with no knowledge on the part O,
either that any such attempts at alteration had
We would here simply add that it is the duty Of
the committee on enrolment to carefully scrutin
Ze every bill sent them for enrolment and to re-
port nc bill AZ correctly enrolled unless they have
themselves compared IL Win the original. daQ
this been done with the bill in question. the mis-
take, or worse conduct which placed US in a
false position with the governor and to ouis selves
would have been discovered at once and no falsely
enrolled bill would have gone before him.
Your committee deem further investigation on
their part unnecessary, and therefore ask to be
discharged.
All Of which is respectfully submitted.
A. B. BACON, Chairman.
JNo. RAY.
i L MONrTTE
The committee was discharged.
MOTIONS.
Mr.. wittgenstein-I move to reconsider the vote
by which the Senate refused to consider engrossed
Senate bill No. s, an act relative to notaries
public.
Mr.. RAY move to lay the motion of Mr.. Witt.
Mr.. Campbell call for the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered, resulting:
Yeas-Anderson, Bacon, Beares. Braughn, Day,
Foute. Futch. Jewell, Lynch, Ogden, Packard,
Nays-Antoine. Campbell COPELAND, Francois,
KeIso, Lewis, Monette, OHara, Pollard, Smith,
Wittgenstein-ll.
The motion was laid on the table.
The different reports of the committee on elec-
lions and returns in the case of G. W. Reagan VS..
Mr.. Futch-I move the adoption of Mr.. Thomp.
sons minority report.
Mr.. O'Hara-I move to substitute by adopting
my minority report.
Mr.. Lewis-I move that the reports be made
the special order of the day tomorrow.
Mr.. Braughn-I move to lay that motion on the
table.
The motion Of Mr.. Lewis was tabled.
Mr.. Braughn-I call for the main question.
The main question was ordered, by rising
vote Of l6 yeas to nays, and the reports taken
up and read.
Mr.. CAMPBELL call for the yeas and nays on
the motion to adopt Mr.. OHara's minority report
offered q substitute to the motion to adopt the
minority report Of Mr.. Thompson.
The yeas and nays were ordered, resulting:
Yeas-Anderson, Campbell, Couplsnd, Darrell,
Francois, KeIso, Lewis, Monette, 0'Hara, Pinch
back, Poindexter, Pollard, Smith-l3.
Nays-Anderson, Bacon, Besres, Braughn,
Foute, Futch, jerks. Jewell, Lynch, Ogden,
Packard, Ray, Wilcox, Wittgenstein-14.
Mr.. 0'Hara's substitute was lost.
On the motion to adopt the minority report of
Mr.. Thompson the yeas and nays were ordered,
resulting:
Yess-Anderson, Bacon, Beares, Braughn,
Foute, Futch, jerks, Jewell, Lynch, Ogden, Ray,
Wilcox, Wittgenstein-l3.
Nays-Antoine, Campbell, COPELAND, Darrell,
Francois Kelso. Lewis, Monette, O'Hsra, Pack.
ard. Pinchback, Poindexter, Pollard, Smith, Whit
ney-l5.
The motion was lost.
The majority report being taken up, Mr. Camp.