New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-04-28

unceCeo 4ooU6 - oteo90 ZOE 9&ut ~2A s1As
per cent dlsceuAk Ono year ago our ON
oers and laborera were paid promptly 81 the
end Of every month. II was the boast Of
this Council then that we paid everybody
in cash. Now, altar . whole years sd-
manifestation Of city affairs, we are three
months in arrear--three months In ar
rear with almost every obligation OF the
city. ask If, in the face Of this fact, the
gentleman is ready to issue his warrant to
the Mexican Gulf Ship Canal Company for
100000 . month in cash, or in paper
which will meet the Council in the street.
| If he is NOT, Why does he wish this great
work to 60 ont Why does he wish it to 60
ON to such an extent as will strew this
city "thick ~ leaves in Vallambrosa
with our obligations. For, if you win
look at the act, you will see that the
president of the Mexican Gulf Ship Canal
Company may demand. the obligations of
the city of New Orleans in any amount he
chooses. He may break 100000 war
rant into hundred thousand separate
warrants if he pleases. In q message dis
cussing such an enormous act as this, it is
impossible to enter. into all these points.
If the Administrator of Accounts goes on
to do what the law compels him to do, you
will have this amount of obligations thrown
upon you. / ask the Administrator Of Ac-
counts is he prepared for thiss
Mr.. Shaw: l have not raised the point of
the supplementary character of repeating
private conversations in public discussions.
This thing has been very freely canvassed
in the Mayors Office. Recollect don't
raise the objection; don't ask that any
word have ever said shall be withheld.
1 simply call attention to the manner in
which what may have said is brought up
at this distance of time, when perhaps
can not recsllcct whether said it or not.
The Mayor: l ask the gentleman himself
if he is in orderf
Mr.. Shaw: You have asked me couple of
questions. 1sr.t5.
The Mayor: You are going on to speak of
some private conversations. say, with
the Administrator of Accounts, that what
ever has transpired in the Mayors parlor
has generally been considered private, but.
not secret, when it relates to public affairs.
1 60 on to what was saying. state that
this Council has not taken time to investi-
gate these facts. If they will do 80 they
will ascertain that the drainage boards
which have been doing this work, which
boards are by this act abolished, have con-
structed ten miles of canals, and as to the
mode in which those canals were con-
structed, viii read you the testimony of
Louis Surgi.
1.-THE Mayor here read extracts from the
evidence Of Mr.. Surgi with regard to work
carried on by tho drainage commissioners
He resumed: This is the testimony Of
disinterested party in every respect, about
the work il the second drainage district, to
which ask your most careful scrutiny.
say if the Council will examine it they will
find it has been done for twenty-one cents
per cubic yard, the dredging machipe work.
ing through stumps and knees with canal
just wide enough to take out the stumps and
earth. During all this time gold was at
from 1873 to 205. The Administrator of Pub
lie Accounts seems to have learned that the
gentleman who did this work lost money
and would not now take it for fifty cents.
Where is that mani Dead. But his securi-
ties took up the work, never found any fault
about the work, and went on and completed
it; went on during the whole war, although
subjected for some days to the seizure of
their boat by General Butler. Their eanals'
dug by hand, wheeled out by hand, and lev
led by hand, have not cost forty cents.
They might be done for the same price, or
less, now, by our laboring men, who are ask
ing for labor, who are wanting something to
do, and who would be only glad to do it for
half dollar yard. Yet you are willing to
give the work to a company for dollar a
yard, when there is another company will
ing to do the work for sixty cents. If money
can be saved, let it be made by the city.
am astonished the gentleman has the
hardihood to make such proposition-par-
don the word; call in question no mans
motives; impeach no mans honesty in this
board; but have the right, and it is my
duty, to express my views when the welfare
Of the city is involved.
Now l 60 back, and call attention to the
fact, that a consultation Of the Council was
called upon this act, and the first thing was
a motion of the Administrator Of Public
Accounts that should notify the company
that the Council did not recognize the con-
stitutionality or validity of this act. At the
suggestion of the Council wrote letter
to the City Surveyor, asking his estimate of
the amount of work involved in this act
and its probable cost.
1.-THE Mayor here read from the City Sur
veyor's reply, as published in these proceed
ings.] ae. w.t.a IS 70
He continued: Here is the estimate of our
engineer that the work can be done for
less than thirty-ive cents, and here we give
these men fifty cents for digging a hole and
fifty cents for the dirt taken ont Of the hole.
At this very same meeting was directed
to call on the City Attorney for his opinion
of the legality Of this bill. The opinion
rendered in response to that request was
entirely against the constitutionality of this
act in the respects in which it has been de-
clared unconstitutional by the Council and
by the Administrator of Public Accounts
himself. asked that that opinion might be |
published. 1t has never yet seen the light |
have asked again tonight that it should
be printed. Although Mr.. Bell is the en-
gineer Of the city his estimate and opinion |
have never been alluded to except by |