New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-03-18

ment. 40 az TO give them full. rights ana
powers under the bill, AS previously PAes.~
by the Legislature. But as 70 Inc ques.'on'
whether the provisions OF the seconu se.
ton are to the interest OF tne osa.o' ~ p
amount for US to consider. Here we nave
Penitentiary of the State. and the STATE 1ae
already appropriated S50O.0o0 IN oonos'
hearing seven per cent interest, winch 1hte.-
eat amounts, not as the gentle man has SAID,
at S21. OO8 u year, but t. $4,000 year.
MIR. Ogden: The 5000 Oc0 was 10 repair
buildings destroyed during the rebeiiloh,
Mr.. Elackman: Thirty-fve thousand doi.
lars then year is the amount OF the interest,"
on these bonds; and in the course o.
twenty wears longer, the term wnicn
this bill provides, this interest up0n
these bonds will amount 10 Ssoo,uVo.
The interest alone, upon thess ppn. 10
the principal, will be twelve mlli1ons Sno
some odd dollars Now, sir, this S735,ooo 10
the aoyregate interest upon the DOnO5 1t
seven per cent, and what does the penlter
tisry pay to the State Tor our SoOo,ooo ap
proDriated to the buildings and machinery
The lessees propose TO pay, Ia the course OF
twenty one years, commencing Win soooO
this wear, and increasing the amount yearly
$1,000. the aggregate amount for S535,oUV,
thereby leaving the Stale at the expiration
of the lease $402 900 in debt upon the m
terast alone, in addition to the SoOo. ooo'
GI'aCluallV
financial measure, Mr.. President. am satlS1
fCd that the Senator understands iinancFf
schemes bette than do. Ii the State
pr0priates $500 GEO in bond7, and pays 9fJf
900 in interest, and loses S4O2 00O on the
terest alone. il can not certainly be goo
financial measure for the State. me gen
tjeman saws that $500 600 have already been
appropriated AID expended for the par-
pose of constructing new and dd1tionsi
buildings necessary for the institution. auC
| there is nothing in the bill going TO snow
that, after the expiration or tWenty-one
wears, the improvements made aoolIiCIai1y
| M the lessees will revert to the state. Ihey
NAV make additional improvements and
extend the buildings, provide new ana d3i-
ferent machinery, and may put IN al tAe
improvements. necessary ana unnecsssaiys
ana after the tWenty-0ne years shaii nave
| expired, these same lessees VIII come 10 tne
| LEGISLATURE and ask relief. Does not the
oeotleman know that the lessee, if he places
| improvements on the property, has right
to demand from the lessor pay tor the
l ecessary improvements. Then, after the
! lapse of twenty years, these lessee5 WA
| come and demand, under the laws OF Inc
State. payment for the improvements placed
| on the Penitentiary ground. Then, as 10
whether or not this is a money-maklnS ma
| chine; to my knowledge, 1t certainly must De,
| for not only on the banks OF the Misslssippis
| river, have these lessees employed tnese
| convicts for the purpose OF constructing
| levees, and for that, they have already oeen
| paid one dollar and twenty-five cents per
| cubic yard, but in North Louisiana these
| same lessees have had Il contract Tor the
| purpose of constructing part OF that ROAD
| with which the Senator from Onacblta is .
| connect eli, and have received thirty cenS
| per cubic yard, but under the lease asFls
| stands now, these same lessees Can take
| these convicts, and work them on the levees,
! and wherever they see proper IL the State,
on railroads or other Internal improve
| ments thereby making the labors OF these
| three hundred men very profitable to them.
| | therefore think that these lessees, during
| the twenty-one years OF the lease, shonld
! agree to pay to the State of Louisiana the
! interest that she has paid. l hope, there
| fore, that the Senate will entertain the
| amendment OF Senator Lynch, and pass II,
and think that is all that the friends Of the
| bill can ask of Us OF the opposition.
| Mr.. Lynch: MIR. President, | do not WIEN
| TO take up the time of the Senate by any
| long discussion, but will state briefly my
| objection. l have no objection at all to the
| transfer Of this lease, provided this extra Z
ordinary provision is stricken out. Without,
| th-n, going into any lengthy argument, my
| objection is net to The transfer Of the lease,
| but If the bill does pass, L demand that the
| State be secured so tar as to make these
! lessees pay the interest on these bonds
| VIII state have no objection TO the lessee5
| at all; the contrary, | wish them success,
| but not at the expense OF the State.
| Mr. Bacon: NJ. President, like the Sent
tors from Carroll and CT ioorne, am no.
disposed to throw any distractions ID the
| way Of the transfer of the lease to these
| gentlemen, who are now exercising the
| powers and privileges of lessees OF the Penl'
| tentiarY; that, certainly, should not De
done, and would vote against any motion
! to deprive them from this lease. The SEN
| ate and House of Representatives consented
| at the last session, to the afirp,atl0n OF rae
| lease made by the military anth critics, while
General Hancock was in command, with
| Messrs. Huger and Jones, although much
difficulty was made at the time respecting II.
| The General Assembly, also, at the last ses-
sion. passed an act providing means for Ne
rebuilding Of the Penitentiary, and furnishA
inc it with machinery, which means have
been used tor the purpose, and placed IN the
hands OF the lessees, Messrs. Huger and
Jones, and, presume, transferred to theS
| part es, MesSrs. James, Buckner and Bynum.
1t is certain that the lessees who are in pos
session at this time knew what they were to
gain by this lease, or lose by 1t, and that they
were satisfied that it would be an advar-
tageous contract, otherwise they would not
well acquainted with the subiecs
aud knew precisely what was The
condition of the Penitentiary and3the terms /
of the previous lease, and all the advantages
| and disadvantages of the whole matter.
| They have gone into it, they desire to have
that lease confirmed, and l see no reason
why that should net be done. But, OF the
other hand, Why should they not do that
| which they were willing to do when they
asked for the transfer OF the lease, and be
placed in the same condition as the previous
lGssees?
Sir. this previous lease was presented TO
Us as one that it would be wise for us TO
adopt, on the ground that it was fac smile
OF the lease to Mr. Manhattan by previous
legislation, before the war; that the terms
were the same and that the State would
share in the profits precisely as lG did IN
war.
These previous lessees were very anxious
to have the lease confirmed and
used certainly all fair and
honorable means to procure the affirmation
of their lease, and they got it. Now, Sir, IS
to whether or not sucn a lease as that 10
profitable TO the lessees have this evidence
before me, that Mir. Manhattan, one OF the
lessees, through the means which he
gathered from the lease left his family
among the wealthiest in the State
Mr.. Day: You are mistaken; he died IN
able to pay his debts.
Mr. Bacon: At all events the parties who
previously had the lease were willing TO &C.
cept it, and urged that it should be accepted
and ratified, and these gentlemen now CONT
forward aud said they were willing to take il
from Messrs. Huger and Jones; and ifit
was an unwise contract they should n@
have gone into. it. If it was an unwise y
! dertaking Of theirs, they should =
} ask US 10 confirm it, but shoe