New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-02-16
DEBATES OF THE SENATE.
WEDNESDAY, February Is, |;

W EDNESDAi, + february Is, lS'I |.
COMPENSATION FOR THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
On the bill for the relief of Attorney Gen
eral Belden being called up
Mr.. Blackman said: This question has
once undergone judicial investigation. The
Attorney General has already sued the
State and obtained Judgment for some six
matter be referred to the Committee ON
Mr.. jerks moved to lay that motion on
the table.
Laid on the table.
Mr.. jerks moved to adopt the minority
report of the Committee ON Claims.
MIR. Lynch asked if the Senate adopted
this report with the amendments, would
that bring the bill before the House
The President: The whole subject mat
ter is before the Senate.
Mr.. Lynch called tor the reading Of the
bill.
The bill was read by the Secretary.
Mr.. Blackman said the mere fact OF a re-
port of the committee being presented did
not bring the bill before the Senate.
The President: That has been the GUS
tom.
Mr. Blackman: If that is the case there
are forty bills before this Senate.
The President: The bill is referred to a
committee to report; it is reported; the re-
port lies over one day, and the calling up OF
that report calls up the whole subject.
Mr. Bl.Lckman: If that be the case. there
will be no calendar at all, because the very
moment any of these committees make a re-
port the bill must be brought up. 1t was
not 80 contemplated by the rules.
Mr. Pincbback called for the order of the
day.
After further discussion on this technical
point, the morning hour having elapsed, the
rules were suspended and the bill was
taken up.
Mr. jerks moved an amendment reducing
the appropriation from $4,000 to $4,000.
deductins $4,000 for the amount paid the
special counsel retained in this case.
Mr. Lynch: | desire to move an amend
ment, and that is that out of this apprOpria-
ton sufficient money shall he retained to
pay all the special counsel retained by the
State to protect its interests. Being MEM
Der OF the Committee on Appropriations,
lind that several claims from legal gentle
men have been presented for service rem
dered in protecting the interests OF the
State when sued Some of these services
were rendered when the Attorney General
was out OF the State. Now that the Legisla-
ture were about to pay him over fifty thou
sand dollars outside of his salary, the least
they could do was to make him responsible
lOi Tic lcnHdl StENlCt ItuttAtu "hCu IC " dS
out OF the State. My amendment Is simply
this, that out OF this appropriation a sutfi-
cient amount should he retained by the
Auditor to pay the extra counsel employed
by the State.
Mr. jerks: The amendment Ihave offered
is to pay Messrs Hunt, Dibble and Robert
son for their services. Under the statute.
the Attorney General is entitled to five per
cent on the entire amount collected by him.
but the committee thought it right to strike
out the amount paid to the gentlemen
have named To ask the Attorney General
to paw for the services of all the legal gen
tlcinen retained by the State of Louisiana
was. in the highest degree, unreasonable:
If he has been absent from the State, and
has neglected his duties, let the expense
Thus incurred he deducted. have already
struck Off ten thousand dollars from the ap-
preparation on that account.
Mr.. Lynch: This officer is a constitutional
officer Of the State. The constitution pre-
scribes Il salary for the performance OF his
duties. but it was found necessary to en-
ploy three other legal gentlemen. The
cause was prosecuted to a successful issue,
and for the services of these three gentle
men ten thousand dollars are taken from
the Attorney Generals claim. Now, sir, in
the absence of the legal officer other suits
are instituted against tho State, which it is