The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-02-12
HOW TO BREAK UP rHr LOBBY.

Il
was formed. an attempt was made to close
the doors of the General Assembly against
every species of special legislation. 1t SO
far succeeded as to secure the insertion of o
provision authorizing the Legislature to pass
general laws under which companies organ
lied for the execution of any legitimate enter
prise might obtain the privileges of chartered
associations. Thus, in pursuance of pre-
scribed conditions, men could incorporate
themselves by notarial act for the purpose of
banking, of manufacturing, of book or news
paper publishing, of expressing, of steam
boating, of benevolence, of amusement of
literary or scientific culture. Under this system
every incorporation, indeed, not in the nature
OF a monopoly, was possible to be created
upon the simple motion of those who desired
to enter into it The new method for obtain
ing charters was sad blow to the lobby and
Its confederates in the Legislature. but a
great relief to honest members who had been
annually bored and bothered by the indefati-
gable opportunities and log-rolling schemes
and tricks of charter-mongers.
But the occupation of the lobby was not
entirely gone. The possibilities of State aid
to railroads and of occasional appropriations
to levee jobs kept up its hopes and measur-
ably repaid its exertions. The lobby, how
ever, continued to droop, and only began to
recover fully from the depressing effect of the
legislative policy introduced by the Constitu-
ton of 1852, when the present intrusive and
parasitical State government came into exist
ence. Then all its latent energies sprung
into activity, like wild beasts, ravenous with
hunger, leaping from their coverts at the ap-
pearance of unexpected prey. We have seen
doggerel somewhere which says that great
feas have little feas which crawl upon and
bite 'em. and these again have lesser fieas,
and SO dd iryinituna-or words to that effect.
Now, at a superficial glance, the philosophy
of this doggerel would seem to be illustrated
in the relations of the Legislature. to
the State and of the lobby to the
Legislature. But this is deceptive view.
The Legislature, metaphorically speaking, is
very large and very blood-thirsty flea. The
whole State government is a family of mon
ster heas, as yoracious as Dante's wolf ''still
after food more craving than before" But
the hugest flea of all is the lobby. And il
cannot, to speak strictly, be said that it in
tests the other feas that it is, in other
words, vermin upon this verminal intrusion
called the civil government of Louisiana It
sucks the blood of common victim, the State;
and without the aid of its prodigious fangs
and claws, the other feas, in spite of their
official dignities and advantages, might be re-
duced to extremely short commons after all.
Such is the Louisiana lobby under the new
dispensation of 'trooly loil' rapacity and
venality.
There is one way, however, to get rid of
the lobby now and hereafter. OF course, we
have no idea that the present Legislature
could be persuaded to discard so lucrative an |
ally. But the policy which we are about to
suggest is worth considering for the sake of |
its abstract merit. Let one sweeping act be
passed which would supersede all appeals |
by private interests and particular enter
prises for special legislation. 1t would be
still better if the Constitution should abso- /
utely forbid the granting of charters of any
Kind by the Legislature, and require that
body to provide by general laws the legal
means by which a railroad company, a
ANAL company slaughter-house company,
" any other company desiring charter, may
incorporate ITSELF and after incorporation do
whatever may be essential to the rightful OBJ
ect of its existence, and whatever may con.
luce to its own advantage or the public ben
fit, without the arrogation of any of those
privileges which invariably resolve
themselves into odious and oppressive monop-
lies. With few exceptions, the charter
nongering lobbyists and their clientage
ave nothing but schemes of monopoly in
heir portfolios of projected legislation.
Jnder the proposed reform, monopoly would
e fenced out the lobby would be broken up,
ndits operators would have to try the novelty
honest occupations, or join the burglars
nd pickpockets and thus incur some risk of |
aving justice done to their public deserts
lille the work of needful legislation, vastly
implied, could be dispatched in one-half
he time now consumed in worry, Chi ]
anery, maneuvering and log-rolling over
rejects for grinding private axes and accom-
fishing special jobs.