New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-02-21

ing toward reform in the whole bill, and it
we strike it out we leave each house at
liberty to appoint as many secretaries as 1t
.pleases, and give them power to incur ex-
penses Gd ibitatm.
Mr.. Hunsaker suggested a proviso that
other committees be authorized to employ
clerks if specially authorized to do SO.
After various motions to table n ad-
jOurn the section was adopted.
On section ten, Mr.. McMillen said: 1 de-
sire to offer an amendment as a test gues-
ton on the subject OF appointing a war
rant Clerk. move to strike out the words
''or Warrant Clerk" 1 do this because l
am opposed to the system which has pre-
vailed, of transacting the business OF the
General Assembly through a Warrant
Clerk. l believe the appointment OF such
an officer is unnecessary and Is open to
MANY other objections. l believe the sys-
TEN is productive of much which is obJec.
tionable in a financial point OF view. Ii
we can succeed in getting funds into the
treasury, and warrant directly against that
fund. that will be all Senators can desire or
expect. This, l am told, can be done. The
money necessary to defray the expenditures
of this session can be borrowed at a fair
rate of interest, and our warrants Can be
made good against that fund without the
Intervention of a Warrant Clerk. This
business can be done by the officers of the
LNO lOuSCS. "A VuAAddC NASAA 40 SAAc"A
RAISING and expensive.
Mr.. Ray said he agreed with the views OF
the Senator from Carroll (Mr. McMillen)..
Mr.. Antoine-The objection l have to the
the money going to the treasury is that the
moment members 60 there, the Treasurer
tells them the appropriation is exhausted.
l do not see any improperly III having a
Warrant Clerk at this time.
Mr.. O'Hara moved to table the motlon
of the Senator from Carroll MIR. McMillen).
Carried.
Mr.. Campbell will move an additional
section to allow the Enrolment Committee
to appoint more clerks, if necessary. l
propose to treat ourselves as If we had
some common honesty. L am certain be-
fore our session is over the ENROLMENT
Committee will want more than eight
clerks, and l propose to trust the Senate IN
this little matter at least.
Mr.. Ray-Eight clerks could copy every
bill passed by this Legislature twice over
in ten DAYS after the session closes. 1t not
one bill is enrolled at the time we adjourn,
eight clerks can get them up in ten days
afterward, if they will only work. Ii the
amendment of the Senator from the Sec
ond District (Mr. CampbelD is adopted,
we may have perhaps, like last year, a
hundred enrolling clerks in the House.
How many in the Senate l don't know.
The President will inform the Senator
that l was chairman of the committee, and
we had only twelve. ,
Mr.. Harris moved to strike out the word
"enrollment' in Mr.. Campbell's additional
section, so as to allow any committee to
appoint more clerks # necessary.
Mr.. Ray-This throws the whole thing
open. If the Senate has any disposition to
bind the Legislature in its expenditures,
that the treasury shall not be ~plundered,
for Gods sake do not pass this amendment.
Mr.. Campbell-Let me ask Senators to re-
fleet a little upon what the operation OF this
| amendment would be. Fifteen or twenty Of
| nv constituents come around me; they are
good fellows, able to do plenty of work in a
| corner. and if every committee can have as
many clerks as it pleases, l go to my friend,
the chairman of this committee. or my
friend, the chairman OF that committee,
and. perhaps, l get two of them appointed,
| thereby making ten or a dozen enemies and
| two very doubtful friends, and pretty nearly
every Senator does much the same thing.
trust the amendment will not pass.
Mr.. Hunsaker-For my part, l am willing
to trust the Senate committees to employ
additional clerks, if they desire to do so.
1t is a direct reflection on the Senate when
the gentleman from OuachIta DIR. Kay
or any other Senator gets up and says the
Senate can not be trusted. l will vote to
table the whole thing, unless this amend
| menu Is lulTUulCSu. Ii tEc cCudt a IL
honesty and integrity enough to preserve
its own finances, let the fact go for til to the
world.
Mr.. RAY simply ask if the Senate, last
wear. did not spend Sl95 900, which is foul
times what they ought to have spent. This
bill tries to restrict them to what is IAN
and legal. 1t is a step intended to prevent
the outrages on the people of the State
which are now so much complained OF.
think the section proposed by the Senator
from Orleans Mr.. CampbeI), is unneces
sary; but when we strike out of that sec
ton the word enrolling" we allow every
committee to appoint as many clerks as
they please. and leave matters practically
as they were last session.
Mr.. Harris amendment was lost.
On the question of making q special tunt
for the expenses Of the Legislature, MIR
Campbell moved to strike out all reference
to a special fund, and in lieu thereof to IA
sert the word loan
Mr.. Biackman-It seems to me useless t.
authorize the Governor to borrow money OF
State warrants. State warrants are ONLY
worth sixty cents on the dollar. l know l
has been said that the Citizens Bank vii
loan the money; but it is competent for IL
to take funds wherever we can tnd them
We can take a special FUND and return 1t II
sixty days out Of the licenses paid to tn!
| SLATE. lHcIt Is SCllClLliS II lAAo AhptbSA
do not understand. l DO not want to throw
out our warrants on the market. Last yea
we issued warrants for our mileage and OH
per diem. These warrants were taken III
at seventy cents on the dollar, and 1t wa
the calculation that for every $1,000 900 w
paid $500, 900. wan to pursue a pole,
that will not put a single warrant ON tn
market.
Mr.. Harris-The State has a large amour
of money in the treasury belonging to on
fund or another. and it is well known tina
every dollar belonging to the State is il
the Citizens Bank. If we are going I
borrow money OF the Citizens Bank, tn
bank lust goes to its vaults and takes on
our own money and charges US eight pc
cent for lending it. That is not the kind o
reform l want. | am in favor OF takin
our expenses out Of a special fund.- and no
paying any eight per cent. .
MIR. Hunsaker-The constitution provide
that we shall not borrow over $1,000
without providing means of payment, prln
cipal and interest. The special fund nov
deposited in the State Treasury is a specla
fund put there to meet the debt authorize
by the constitutions, and l say, as a coAst
t~utional question, that that fund is sacred
and the Senate has no right to touch it, an
any %bondholder can enjoin the State froI
SO doing. 1t is absurd to say that we ca
take our expenses OUT Oh Guese lunus' WIG
these funds are part of a contract betwee
the State and the bondholders. The peopl
of the country at large have bought bond
on the good faith of the State. pledged b
legislative enactment that the interest WI
be paid when due. If we touch this interes
fund We destroy the State credit n vloiat
the constitution. l have no desire to allo'
the Citizens Bank or anybody else to specl
late on the State; but 1 tell Senators thu
they can not get their mileage and per diel
hu taking any snecial fund of the Stafe: