New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-08-02
CONSTITUTIONAL RESTRICTIONS.

IL was the great achievement OF our
ancestors that the principles of popular
government were maintained. It is the
great task of their descendants to secure
the application Of those principles. Thus,
when the earlier enactments Of funda-
mental law dealt in the simple enuncia-
ton of great principles, the legislator Of
the present is required to insure the
operation, or guard against the abuse of
these principles. Pennsylvania has re-
Gently enacted constitution which is
code IN its details. Ohio following, and
in each case it is shown that the abuses
of legislative power has not been confined
to the Southern States, but that the eva
sions of law and abuses of Office have
originated in such great States as New
York, Ohio and Pennsylvania, while the
history of the Northern Pacific, the
Credit Mobilier, the District government
of Washington goes to prove that an cpl
pemic of immorility has overspread the
country, and that while the great, pros
porous and enlightened States mentioned
have been the foyer or nest from which
these wrongs have originated, the con-
tagion has spread among communities
whose poverty and disturbance offered
less resistance to its diffusion. But
Ohio has held a convention for the pur-
pose of amending her constitution, and
Hon. w. II. West, one of it's members,
has made nine column speech in expla-
nation of its objects effected. 1t may be
remarked here that few Legislatures exc
cute the duties imposed by the general
terms of the fundamental law, and so the
modern constitution has to enact details
to enforce legislation. We will advert to
some abuses usually construed as peculiar
to the reconstructed States, but shown by
our citations to be SO general as to re-
quire to be guarded against:
LOCALIZED STEALING.
The members of the convention felt that
that thing ought to be remedied, that every
form and species of salary grabbing should
be cut off, and we provided very simple
remedy for it. 1t was that no item OF ap-
preparation against which any membe of
the General Assembly had an objection
should be adopted by any number OF votes
in conjunction with the rest OF the bill, but
should be voted on separately, and that
any member might call for separate vote
on any item or separate proposition in the
appropriation bill, and if on that separate
vote it did not receive the cons titutiOnal
majority of fif.y-three votes standing upon
;%e fhou II ahOu1H ha 1rnnna0
out of the bill.
This is even an improvement upon the
suggestion of the President that he should
be allowed a special veto upon any item
in general bill, of which he does not ap-
prove. This provision gives member
the right to demand division of the vote
upon a financial as upon any other ques-
ton.
That this was a protection appreciated
by the people was evinced by applause
and cries Of good" Mr. West added:
Now that cuts off all salary grabbing or
jobbing by the Legislature, and provides.
as far as possible, against stealing. No
longer can they have the guise Of regular
legislative form under which to cover up
their villainies.
After showing that sheriffs, clerks and
probate judges exact exorbitant fees and
accumulate large revenues, and having
given some examples, Mr.. West adds:
And now you see that such enormous fees
as that, paid out of the treasury, furnishes
to these gentlemen a corruption fund to buy
themselves back into office again. Why,
these men can take several thousand dol
lars to employ ward politicians, bummers
of cities and other places for the purpose
of cOrrupting the primary meetings and
getting themselves bought back into the
positions where they are realizing such
enormous sums.
Of county auditor Mr.. West says:
The auditor could not. at any occupation
in which he should be employed by any
mortal on Gods footstool, receive more
than forty dollars a month (laughter], and
yet he received four thousand dollars year.
The remedy for these abuses is to pay
these officers salary. These are general
reforms to which we have referred, be-
cause they show that the abuses attributed
to Louisiana and to the Republican party
are vices endemic upon the whole people,
referrable rather to the ascendant de-
pravity of the day than to any especial
local evils of principle or administration.
They show also that Louisiana, like Ohio,