New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-02-25

| from Caldwell, who advocates this bill, ha
said that the State was paying over 500,
OOO per annum for rent. Now, beg leav'
to differ with the gentlemen, and call hi
| read, and it reads as follows: Office rem
| Attorney General, $1,000; Office rent State
| Superintendent Education. $500; office rem
| Registrar of Voters, $500; office rent Audi
tor and Treasurer, $4,000; and Mechanics In
| stitute. $40, 1874, making an aggregate Of SIG,
! 69i. This, gentlemen, is copied from the
appropriation bill of 1871. SO you may know il
Is Official And now we might add some mis-
cellaneOus rents, which would not increase
the total amount Of rents paid by the State
yearly over $50 900. So you see that argu-
| ment is grOundless and fimsical, as is ali OF
his arguments. Better had we continue to
pay this rent fer few years longer, than to
pay 100000 or 100000 year toward
building a State House that will cost
eventually $4,000, 900, and will not be worth
over ) 10000 Some gentlemen say that
this hall is very unfit for a house to sit in.
admit that it is very unpleasant hall,
and not well adapted for this purpose; but,
sir, 1t is plenty good enough to pass good
laws in, and will do for our State until her
people become more prosperous. The gentle
man from Caldwell says it is a disgrace to
be without Capitol. can see no disgrace
IN using this building tor State House. AS
for my part, it will do me, and sooner than
to levy tax of two mills upon my constitu-
ents to build new one, would be willing
to hold our sessions in one of the public
squares OF the city, with nothing but the
blue canopy of heaven overhead. Gentlemen
this is a serions matter, and to you Repub-
lcans who expect to come before the people
for their franchises in the future, warn you
to beware, for when your opponent meets YOU
upon the stump, he will hurl in your teeth
the action you have taken here, to fasten
upon the people a tax of two mills for ten
years; and for what! for what l ask youl
Your opponent will tell you, "to build
palace with marble steps, with mahogany
desks and tables, and velvet cushioned
sentatives and your State officers. To take
the money out of your pockets, in order
that you can say, the State of
Louisiana has magnificent palace
for State House And all this
while, you are plodding along daily
eating Your corn bread and pork, and living
IN your little house twelve by sixteen feet.
You can not stand such luxuries in the
present condition of our country" That is
what your opponent will tell the people,
and venture to say that not one single
man who supports the bill will be elected
to fill any position in the gift of the people.
l, therefore, hope you will see the impor-
lance of recommending the indefinite post
pOnement of the bill
Gentlemen, you have pledged yourselves
to reform. Now, let us throw aside these
and take take up these reform
measures. Do you want to pass this bill
before any bill is passed to cut down the
taxes? Suppose the bill passes, there will
be no guarantee that the other bills will be
passed. Then the taxes will be twenty two
and one-halt mills. Now, if you are deter
mined to pass this bill, put it off until you
have passed those reform bills. This bill, |
sir, gives no guarantee that a State House |
will ever be built; it allows an immense |
number of bonds to be issued, which |
he State will be liable for, |
md there is no guard as to |
he limit of issuing bonds; and furthermore
1t the last session, when the bill was passed
'reating State House commission, the |
friends of that bill said that $l5O0.0 600 |
Tould be sufficient to buy property and
,uild the State House. Now, how is it that
hey want s., 0OO, 900 now, and that bill pro-
'ided for paying $l,0OO,OOO for the same
that they propose to now pay two
II three times as much? There is some
hing wrong about this, and warn YOU to
ully investigate it before you allow your
elves to vote for the bill. And sincerely
ope, gentlemen, that you Will join me in
eteatlng this measure, and support the
notion made by the gentleman from st.
'ammanv. And, gentlemen. as it is now
citing late in the night, / will close by
lowing that the Committee rise.
Carried