New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-02-28
THE STATE HOUSE.

IaSSing through the regular Oruer Oh
business, as laid down in the rules of the
Senate, that body yesterday reached the
bill authorizing the transfer Of cases in
which the city is a party from the Sixth
District Court to other district courts in
the parish of Orleans, and, Oh motion, the
bill was indefinitely postponed.
The general appropriation bill was under
consideration, when, ON motion, the Senate
adjourned until half-past seven O'Clock in
the evening, for the purpose OF giving
members IN opportunity to attend the.
funeral of the late Senator George w.
Ragan, which took place yesterday after
noon.
Speaker Brewster called the House to
order punctually at ten o'clock yesterday
morning, and instructed the Clerk to call
the roll. The Clerk announced a quorum
present. This should have been the signal
for business, but there was an evident dis
position to dodge the resolution passed the
day before, combining the House to certain
specified legislation until hat was accom-
plished, and appropriate the day to the
frivolities that usually attend what are
known as resolution days. The ruling of
Speaker Brewster luckily prevented this.
He decided that no other legislative bust.
ness should take precedence over the bills
nance in the resolution of Monday. An
appeal was taken from his decision, and his
opinion sustained by a vote of fifty four
yeas to fourteen nays.
A motion was then made and adopted to
take up the city funding bill reported by
the majority of the Ways and Means Com
mittee, and consider it section by section.
The Clerk read the first section, and it was
adopted, after a substitute had been voted
down. The second section was read and
adopted. A motion was then made to
adopt the bill as a whole, on its second read
ing, and that motion prevailed By a vote OF
tifty-two yeas to twenty-eight nays. MIR.
| Devices then moved that the bill be con-
sidered engrossed, and his motion was
! adopted. A motion to place the bill upon
its final passage failed for the want OF a
sufficient vote to suspend the constitutional
rule, and comes up again in regular order.
On motion Of Mr.. Barrett, the minority
report of the Committee on Ways and
Means, regarding the act to consolidate.
limit and provide for the debts OF the city
of New Orleans. ETC., was indefinitely post
poned, by a vote of ftty-two yeas to TWEEN
ty-two nays.
On motion of Mr.. Ong, the State funding
bill was then ordered to be taken up and
read by the Clerk. Several sections of the
bill had been read, when Mr.. Thompson
moved the postponement of its further read
ing until TO day, and that it be printed in
the House journal Of Mondays proceedings.
Mr.. Ong moved to lay that motion on the
table. and his motion prevailed. The Clerk
| then resumed the reading of the bill, and
| when he finished Mr.. Thompson moved its
indefinite postponement, and attempted to
| speak to his motion. The Speaker checked
him. and decided that a motion to post
pone could not be debated Mr.. Thompson
appealed from the decision of the chair
| and called for the yeas and nays. The de-
cision of the chair was sustained by a vote
OF forty yeas to thirty nays. Mr.. Thomp-
sons motion to indefinitely postpone the
State funding bill was then put and lost by
q NotC VI ShINS ySpc W my SiSht g. %
The motion to adopt the bill as a whole on
its second reading was then carried by a
vote of fifty-four yeas to twenty-five nays.
| On motion OF Mr.. Devices, the bill was con-
| sldered engrossed by a vote Of tfty-fve
yeas to twenty-One nays
Mr.. Carr then moved that the constitu-
t~utional rule be suspended in order that
tln hill no ,Iann1 -npn tic %hir1 and FINAL
reading. This was accomplished by a vote
of 66 yeas to II nays. and the bill was Or
dered to be placed upon its final reading.
Mr.. MOncure, of CaddO, very earnestly
opposed the final passage of the bill at that
time, asserting that it would be unconstitu-
tional to do so; that the constitution re-
| quires that all bills, before they can have
the force OF law. must be read on three sew
| eral days in each house of the General AS
| sembly. and free discussion allowed thereon,
unless, in case of an emergency, fOur-tifths
of the House where the bill is pending may
deem it %expedient, in the language of the
constitution, to dispense with this rule.
Mr.. Davidson thought there was an
emergency-a very great emergency-just
at this time in the legislative affairs of the
State. The greater portion of the time of
the Legislature had been frittered away
criminally and wantonly wasted by the
conduct of men who absented themselves
from the halls of legislation in the early
| part of the present session. This neglect
of duty has created an mergenc that
emergency is upon us, and the public ia
terest demands the passage of this and
| other bills at this time. Mr.. Davidson
hoped the bill would pass. He deemed it ex-
pedient to dispense with the constitutional
rule in accordance with the constitution.
The bill was then finally passed.
Mr.. Davidson rose to a question of priv
ilege. He said he had been called upon to
correct a statement he made Monday night.
Mr.. Davidson then read from the Plea
| yuae OF last evening portions of an article
headed Enquire into and Correct" When
he had finished reading, he said it was not
his purpose to be unjust to any one; and ii,
in the course of his remarks on Monday eve
ming. he had incorrectly stated things, he was
not at fault. He received his information
from the chairman of the Committee OF
Fitty-one; and if it was not correct, the
friends of the minority report should have
| corrected him when he was making his re-
marks.
Mr.. Kenner then moved, and his motion
was adopted, that the House adjourn until