New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-02-07
nERATES OF THE HOUSE.

PRAYER 10y the Chaplain.
The Speaker: Before the Clerk reads the
journal. ask the attention Of the Mcmbers
Of the House for few minutes.
There are some facts that wish to COM
municate 20 the House, and which / can
communicate to the House, and / want the
members to hear me.
When assumed the speakership. one OF
the first duties incumbent Oh me was to post
myself as to the employees of the House,
clerks, messengers. porrrs, pages: and upon
going through the list with the Chief Clerk l
found that We have more employees con
siderably than the resolutions authorize.
and that their expenses every day amount
10 $1,000. The expenses Of the members. at
eight dollars Il day, are above $500,
and The expenses OF the clerks
pages. porters and messengers is about
$1,000. have gone through the list with
the best light could obtain as to the eff
cheney Of the parties. and l have reduced
the number about one-third, so that we are
economizng each day about $500. felt it
nv duty 10 do this | do not know whose
friends l have put off i'll this operation. l
have been guided by the Sergeant at Arms
and the Clerk as to the efficiency of the par
ties as far as they were posted, and they
were rot posted always: l had to guess
at it sometimes. l; tried to cut of all that
the law did not permit. and when l made a
most competent men and against the insonl
petent Now, have been forced TO luakc
this change. and have no way to commit
nicate these facts to you except in this way.
/ propose to make another change: l
don't want the pages i'll this room. They
keep as much noise as a lot OF young colts.
always lodging about the floor, standing
ND all the time, talking aud laughing all
the time and disturbing the House gener
allv. We have seven pages retained in the
House, and seven pages will be detailed. as
the c!lair1nen Of committees require them,
by the Sergeant-at- Arms. to wait upon the
different committees. The fourteen pages
are all we need. The law allows fifty.
You have got about forty. more or less.
Judging from the number / see scattered
here every day. l also see no need OF hav
inc the police inside here. We are amply
able to enforce order ourselves. and pre-
sumo we are gentlemen enough not TO need
the police to make us behave ourselves. 1t
| is very we'll to have the police outside in
case drunken men come up and try
| to disturb order but We do not need any
police to regulate the House OF Representa-
! tives OF the State Of Louisiana. l have in
structeG the Sergeant-at-Arlns 70 say 70 the
police "you have been very courteous and
eutlemanlv, but We do not need your
services inside the bar" | wish I" make
one other remark if Won will permit me.
| We ought to hold night sessions: We have
work enough to keep us occupied from
twelve until three. and from seven until
| ten: and l respectfully suggest that during
this mornings session y"u pass resolution
| providing Tor q daily session AZ seven rs
| well as at twelve. and let us 90 70 work in
| good, hard earnest. systematically ANA lar
| mon!ous!v, and perfect the lcgi mate .cgis-
| la,ion which is before W.. l do Lo,
| know whether il is exactly right
for me TO make this "'s;ion.
but il is perfectly proper .rr ne 20 inform
Won ibou! .nc changes III The employees.
| have 90. about two hundred applications
| for c!erkships still or hand. iaI three or
| four ;ndireI: friends that wanted some
thing to do and felt at libertytc give them
| places, some as messengers and some as
clerks That is all the patronage tia:
| have exercised. don't want :" disturb the
| existing order Of things when come here.
| am not in favor of i. reorganization row,
| however l might be if this were the begin
| niny of tie session. But s" far as | am
! concerned, l have turned nobody out cN-
| cept for inctficiency. Ii have GU: off any
| Of your friends can not help it. and beg
| YOU now as special favor 20 me do not
inderse any more applications. l rave not
| got the places to give, and do no. wish to
| be annoyed nor to hurt anyhOdvs feelings.
| The clerk will read the journal
The reading of the Journal in dc:ah WIS
| dispensed with.
Several members having moved TO sns-
| pend the rule during the morning hour. ia
order to take up other business
Mr.. Davidson. of Livingston: have 4
| suggestion to make to the House whiri: /
| think they will find valuable. and il IS that
| Won never suspend tie rules during the
| morning hour; il You 90 not suspend The
rules You. do a great deal better and have
plenty OF time t" transact other business.
The Speaker: You are very rich:. sir.
The motions to suspend the r..es were
withdrawn.
Mr. Brewster. of Ouachi:a, having c;!:'e,:
up I; resolution declaring that Tie House
shall entertain resolutions only ca Tuesdays
Mr.. Brewster, Of Ouachita: We are
bound 70 pass {. resolution -. this kind
The members Of this House must have oh
served that nearly the best part OF the day
is taken up hE resolutions. / think that i'll
Congress they have but cone day III 'he
week But will amend this resolution Sc
as not TO make il refer to resolutions which
gentlemen may have prepared and have
ready 20 be introduced to-day. l move
that it he adopted to take effect tomorrow
Resolution adopted.
| Yeas as, nays -.
Mr.. Moncurc. Of Caddo, in the chair.
Mr.. Otto, of Orleans. having called up &
resolution introduced by him few days
since, providing for the appointment Of !;
special committee to investigate the causes
OF the recent rise i'll the price of coal
Mr.. Brewster: Mr.. Speaker, l presume
the gentleman introduced this resolution
in good faith, and that he thinks tho in
vestigatiUn Will result in some good to The
poor people Of this city; but l must dittc
with him. l can not SEQ why we shout,
appoint committee to 20 around and OK
anime the affairs OF the coal merchant
any more than we should appoint com
mittee to examine into the dry goods mer
chants or the grOcccs That is not n legal
lied monopoly; if it was something that W.
had the control OF we could tear it t,
pieces: but it is merely matter of neces
sity; they have not been able to get coal o,
account of the ice in the upper rivers, which
occasioned scarcity Of the article; SO thu
price went up just the same as pork or an,
other article will 90 up if the article he
comes scarce. do not propose to appOn
a committee to go around and ask thes'
merchants why tit Is prices are wha
they now are. think it is bad precedent
. because if we do it with one set OF mcr
chants. we can do it with another.
Mr.. Otto, Of Orleans: l will tell the gen
tleman that he is entirely wrong; the ohjcc
Of my resolution is this, that if the poo
people pay for IA barrel Of coal they shall
not get three-quartcrs of barrel. | wan
them 10 get what they pay for; there shoult
he protection for them in that way and l
should be regulated.
Mr.. Brewster: Is there not an inspector
appointed by the Governor, whose duty i
is to look into these matters!
! Mr.. Otto: There is none.
Mr.. Bentley, of st. Mary: shall certainly
object to voting for any such resolution. II