The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1872-02-10

FourtllThe revenue law should /
be amended. The enormous compen- /
sation paid many of the officers for
assessing and collecting the revenues
must be reduced, and on this subject
| refer you to the following extracts
from my annual message
9. recommend a reduction IN the |
compensation given for assessment |
and collection of the taxes OF the |
State that the $1,000 paid coun-
try tax collectors for listing the
property be reduced to $500 each;
that there be board of four State
assessors for the city of New Or
leans at a salary of $4,000 each,
who shall make the assessment on
the property of the city for the State !;
that the board shall also furnish a
copy of the rolls to the city, which
shall, with such notifications as the
city NAV make, be it's rolls on which
| it's taxes shall be collected, and that
| the Administrator of Assessments OF
the city of New Orleans be constituted
ex officio president of the board.
/ again submit to you the other
specific recommendations contained
in my annual message:
4. / recommend that all fees allow
ed the Auditor of Public Accounts,
amounting it is believed, to about
S25, 900 per annum, be collected by
him and paid into the State treasury
to the credit of the "interest tax
fund.- to be employed in paying the
interest and principal of our debt.
5. That the act giving the State
Treasurer $4,000 per annum as re-
ceiver of moneys on public lands be
repealed. 70 receive these moneys is
legitimately a part OF his duty as
State Treasurer.
6. That the Clerk of the First Dis
trict Court for the parish of Orleans
be paid a salary of $4,000 per annum
by the city of New Orleans, and that
he be allowed no fees from the State
or city other than the salary for his
services. The fees of this officer
amount to an enormous sum per am
mum.
Z. l recommend careful revision
of the laws relative to costs OF clerks,
sheriffs, justices of the peace and con-
stables. The fees under present laws
are SO enormously high that-n many
instances they work denial of justice.
Tt should be made the duty OF the
/ Judge of the court to examine and APP
prove all fee bills before they are paid,
and to declare the office of any sheriff
or clerk vacant on detecting over
charges of costs.
8. I call your attention to my re-
marks on the subject OF bribery In my
last annual message. They are as
follows: So
81 ask your attention to the fact
that there now exist on our statute
books no adequate penalties against
the crime of bribery. This defect
should be remedied by appropriate
legislation, which sincerely hope the
wisdom and patriotism of your honor
able body will promptly devise. am
in receipt of information of acts of
bribery on the part of public officials,
but owing TO the defect above named
in the law, / am without the means OF
bringing the offenders to justice or
stopping the mischief. It has be-
come crying evil, and, if suffered to
go on, will destroy the confidence OF
the people in government, and serious
1y endanger our liberties and highest
interests. hope that the General
Assembly will enact some law on the
subject, providing adequate penalties,
and placing it in the power OF the
Governor to prosecute with yigor and
promptitude all persons offering
brides and officials receiving them"
10. | also recommend moditica-
ton of the printing law, by which
the expense of printing the laws and
journals in the country newspapers
will be saved, and that the price paid
for printing be materially reduced,
By such an act $3.50, 600 can be saved
annually.
IL. That the Metropolitan Police
E law be repealed, and an act passed
organizing the police under a system
similar to that in force on the adop-
ton of the present, reducing their ex-
penses to 100000 per annum, remit
ting the financial department to the
city of New Orleans, and limiting the
, Metropolitan District to the cities Of
! New Orleans and Carrollton.
IL. The passage of an act giving to
the city of New Orleans entire control
; of feeding prisoners confined within
the Parish Prison of Orleans. The
expense is now enormous, and can be
! greatly reduced if the city govern
, ment is empowered with the control.
! 49, The act passed at the last ses.
: sion relative to a StateHouse shoulc
. be repealed, and the purchase of lane
/, on which to build Capitol should
! be annulled.
! IA. The institution for the education
: of the blind should, for the present
be discontinued. The State, has M
, building for the accommodation of TIN
pupils, and too few pupils to justify
the expense of the institution. 1t il
q now simply an asylum, and if the in
, mates whose families or relations ar
able to maintain them were dismissed