New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-02-23
.lea,,s Republican.
~,s,al JOURNAL OF THE UNITED STATES
OFFICIAL JOURNAL Of NEW ORLEANS
nERaTES OF THE SENATE.
TUESDAY, February IL. 1871.

hill was referred TO the Committee on Cor
porations, OF which | have the honor to b.
a member. l understand that bill has beer
renorted on favorab!y by the committee
h,t I have never seen it, and understan,
there are other members OF the committed
OHIO are in the same position. therefore
,uoye that the bill be recomnltted
The Secretary read the title OF the bll
called for by the honorable Senator. whicl
was an act to authorize the city OF New Or
Deans TO levy water rates on al property OF
4he lines where the waterp!pes are to b,
laid. and to contract with any incorporated
company for the sale OF the wateE"orhs'
etc.
Mr.. Fish: believe the Senator is labor
in, Under a mistake as to the number o
the bill he wished to call up.
Mr.. Harris replied that he was not mis-
taken. This was the bill t. which he re
ferred.
The recommitment was ordered
Mr.. Fish said ii the Senator was not ms
taken az to the number OF the bill he iad
called up, he certainly was mistaken IN MS
statement of the course taken by the com
mittee on that bill. re,
The Secretary read again the tue OF the
bill called up by Senator Harris: :,
Mr.. Harris: | find | was mistaken. Ii
was Senate bill No. So desired to call up
the bill to incorporate the crescent Clty
WaterwOrks.'
The Senate reconsdered It's action on
Senate bill No. 81, and took up Senate bill
No, 50. an act to incorporate the Crescent
Citv,Waterworks. which was recommltted
to the Committee on Corporations.
Mr. Fish now moved to take up Senate
bill No 81, an act 10 authorize the city to
sell its waterworkS to an incorpora ted com
pany, in order to make it the special order
for some future day.
Mr.. Todd called for the reading OF the
bill
The bill was again read by title.
Mr.. Fish: Before this vote is put want
to change my motion. l simply move to
take up the bill.
Mr.. Todd: | object to the Senator $
calling up the bill unless it is to be fixed.
Mr.. Fish: call for the yeas and nays
Mr.. Todd: | rise to a point OF order.
The morning hour has not expired. and it is
irregular to take up this bill until then
without unanimous consent.
The President: The point Of order is well
taken.
LAND SALE AND SURVEY BILL.
Mr.. Campbell called up the bill for the re-
, organization of the Land Office
Mr. McMillen desired that the bill should
, be printed before being acted upon by the
Senate.
Mr.. Campbell said he felt sure if the Sena-
tor heard the bill read he would ne satisfied.
without refusing the delay necessary for the
printing
The Secretary read the bill.
Mr.. Campbell: The objects of this bill is
to amend the existing law in regard to State
lands in two particulars. The first one is
this: By an omission, perhaps unintention-
al, in the revision of the laws made last
session, all previous laws with re-
gard to swamp lands were repealed.
The new Revised Statutes provide no
mode for the sale OF State lands
except graduated lands, in which respect it
copied the provisions of the old law The
consequence was that in onethird or one
fourth Of the parishes there We're no swamp
lands could be sold at all. 1t was not the
intention of the law that this should be so,
but this was the construction put upon it
by the Attorney General. This bill merely
ire-enacts the old provision which authorizes
the State Registrar to sell State lands at :,
minimum price of twenty-five cents per acre
in quantities not less than three hundred
and twenty acres, or whatever the limit
was. The next provision is this, and it is a
most important one for the public. There
is large quantity OF swamp lands still
.Unsuryeyed. Owing to this fact in various
portions of the State there are vast bodies of
swamp lands prohibited from being brought
into the market. The last legislature passed
q law authorizing the registrar to make
a contract with the United States Surveyor
General to survey these lands In obedience
TO that law the State Registrar did contract
for the survey of these lands. and deposited
with the United States Assistant Treasurer,
Bfr. Clinton, the money required to pay for
this survey; but on being forwarded to
Washington the contract was disapproved,
md w rntf nod n a
The present bill provides that the State
shall make its own survey. and makes the
same appropriation. The third provision is
also important, owing to the disorder Oc-
casioned by the war. The records OF the
State Land Office are perhaps in worse
condition than the records of any other
Office in the State. Some OF the most valu-
able maps are gone; other links III the
chain of evidence are missing. There are
no track books in the Office. and the only
way by which any citizen of this State can
. ascertain what lands are for sale and what
are not is by an inspection of large lot of
maps, some of them written over in pencil,
and others in ink; some entries erased. and
others without an entry at all. This ought
all to be remedied by track books. 1t is
necessary that these records should be re-
vised, and the track books made up. For
this a srsall appropriation is asked.
thorized State lands to be sold at twenty
five cents per acre. There is a graduation
law, hut unless it comes within that gradua-
ton law. it can not be sold at twenty-five
cents. The previous law worked this in
justice: A person could buy graduated
lands. Just as good as others. at twenty-five
cents, whereas the actual settler had to pay
a dollar and twenty-five cents. | under
stand this act applies to land which does
not come under the graduation laws.
Mr.. Campbell: No; it applies all over the
State.
Mr. Ray: These lands are given to us by
Congress for "A great public purpose. and We
sare not at liberty to make donation of
this land. As have not examined the bill,
1 ask that it be printed and fixed for an
early day.
The bill was ordered printed and fixed
for Saturday next.
Mr.. Anderson called up Senate bill No.
Ito, authorizing the Governor to issue a
patent for certain State lands-a matter of
great Importance, and on a similar qucs-
tion-which he moved should be printed
and considered at the same time as the bill
of Senator Campbell.
SALARIES OF PARISH JUDGES.
The bill revising the salaries of parish
judges and raising them to three thousand
dollars year then came up.
Mr.. Hunsaker When this bill was before
the Senate the other day some Senators OBJ
jected to it because it equalized the salaries
of all the parish judges l simply take this
same position in support of the bill. con
tend that the office of Parish Judge is one
of equal dignity throughout the State. 1t
has never been the custom to inquire the
amount of labor judge performs but the
custom has been when the Office is OF equal
dignity to make the salary uniform. Ii we