New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-09-23

- 49, 49, u = = - - lIl - IIlIl
is taken On this, wish to say this: I can Ne,
i no necessity for any such commission ii
this. We meet here ~ the Representatives
Of the people, we have . committee on
charitable institutions, whose duty it is to
visit the various institutions and report on
4 them. The House has similar committee
and that committee has reported the
Senate committee has reported, and after
the House has acted or the appropriation
bull, these gentlemen are to decide whether
warrants shall to hs issued or not; in sothsl
words, they are to revise the action of the
State Legislature. / can see no necessity
Tor tlis; it is only wasting time.
move to lay the proviso on the table.
MI. Campbell: Mr.. President, the Senator
has overlooked the chief object Of the com.
| next General Assembly general system Of
public charities, including all proper objects
Of State charity, to be under the control of the
State. And in order to Obviate any Objec
tions it is provided that this commission
shall receive NO pay or mileage for their
services. It is provided, simply, that the
Speaker Of the House, the President Of the
Senate, and the Governor, each appoint one
| commissioner, whose duty it shall he to
| visit these various institutions, SO that if we
have made any mistake and included insti
| tutions, which ought not to have been in
cluded, the commission shall have power to
save the State from that expense. hope
! the Senators will not object to this.
| Mr.. COPELAND: Mr.. President, the princi-
| pie advocated by the Senator from the
Second District is a good one, but | am OPP
| posed to part Of the prOv:sO and am OPP
posed to having it tackled on this bill for fear
| Of having it defeated thereby. The House
| might not concur in this amendment, and
thereby defeat the whsle bill If the Sena-
| tor will introduce "A separate general resOlu-
| ton for the appointment OF commission
| to report some general system of public
charity at, the next session Of the Legisla-
ture, he will arrive at the same object, and
no doubt he can get a suspension OF the rules
to introduce it; but am opposed to tack
ing it on to the appropriation bill. :,
gentleman is mistaken in his position; here
are appropriations voted to institutions that
we know nothing of, and think we ought
to have some safeguard to know that these
appropriations go into appropriate channels.
hope that the item will be adopted.
Mr.. Wittgenstein Mr.. President, move
that We let this provisO lay over until we
get through with the bill, and then we can
look after it. 1. -s
The proviso was withdrawn for the pres
ent.
Several items were adopted without de-
bate.
The item offered by the Finance Committee
to pay certain checks issued by the old Board
of Levee Commissioners, $42. 500, was read.
Mr.. Blackman: Mr.. President, l do not
understand that item. l am not prepared
to vote for that at all This item is brought in
under the act of 1866; it may be proper to
give relief to these levee contractors, but l
am not prepared to vote for this item. l do
not know what it is. ,.--....-
Mr. Lynch: Mr.. President, will explain.
The Levee Board of Commissioners, in lsb6,
had certain work performed on the leyees,
and certificates were issued for the same to
Pike and others. payable with interest.
These checks have been gathered up, com
pared with the books of the Board, and
have been found correct upon comparison
with the books.
Mr.. Blackman: To whom were they is
sued.
Mr. Lynch: To Mr.. Pike and other diff
ferent parties. The matter has been fully
investigated, the checks compared with the
books, and they have been found correct.
and these items are for work due by the
State!
compared: but were the certificates issued
properly, or were they given to the parties
in consideration of work done for the
State!
Mr. Lynch: believe they were given
to the proper persons.
Mr. Blackman: Mr.. President, am OPP
posed to this on the same ground that am
opposed to any appropriation to any par
ties, unless the matter has been thoroughly
sifted, whether or not the certificates were
properly issued. The Chairman Of the
Finance Committee is usually correct, Mr.
President, and perhaps has Investigated
this matter-at least it was his business to
have done so-but at the same time he
does not know whether the State derived
any benefit from the payment of these GER
tificates. 1t may he like other work done
for the State of Louisiana, Of little or no
value.
Mr.. Lynch: Mr. President, I did not 60
over the work and measure it. but tine
checks were issued in accordance with IN
act of the Legislature, and the State is
bound to pay them | would he glad if the
State could be relieved from this, and it
was with great deal of reluctance that
consented, but the committee came to the
unanimous decision that these checks should
be paid
Mr.. Blackman: You have examined the
books, no doubt. Books are easily made;
it only requires skillful hand to make that
all right; but has the State derived any ben
eft from this work Unless satisfied that
Mr.. Anderson: Mr.. President, it may be
doubtful as to the benefit derived from the
work. but these time checks were issued in
accordance with law; the chairman OF the
Board of Levee Commissioners issued these
checks: they are drawing interest, and are
in accordance with law. II the State can
get out of paying them. all right; but be-
lieve she can not. If We do not make the
appropriation now, the interest will run on,
,,,I t,, nfh her iy,p
if not by appropriation. by act of relief.
We have to pay or repu'liate.
The item was adopted by a vote of %
to 6.
Several items were adopted without de-
bate. l.-
Mr. Ray offered an additional item of
$500 to pay for abstracts OF land entries
furnished from State Land Office under act
l2S of 1855. -
+ Also, $4,000 to pay for abstracts of land
entries furnished from the United States
Land Office, under act l28 of 1855.
I Mr. Blackman: Mr.. President, l have
something to say on this amendment.
Mr. Ray: know nothing about this, ex-
cept that the act of 1856 requires the State
Land Office and the United States Land
Office to furnish these abstracts; that has
been done; in 1868 an appropriation of
$40, 900 was made to pay for these abstracts
furnished from the United States Land
Otfice that appropriation has been ex-
hausted, and this appropriation asked for
now is merely to pay Tor what has already
been done.
Mr.. Blackman: Mr.. President, can the
gentleman show me the law! He quotes
what the law is, but seems to draw an incor-
rect conclusion from it. The point that
wish to make is, that the State Land Office
is not entitled to receive single cent for
furnishing these abstracts. The law of 1855
makes it the duty of the United States
Land Office, and the State Land Office to