New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-02-26

| issued by the Auditor of Public Accounts
| in payment of the salaries Of the constitu-
| tional officers of the State shall at all times
| be receivable in payment of taxes" etc.
Now. Mr.. Speaker, would inquire why
should preference be given TO the war
rants of constitutional officers9 Have those
gentlemen any superior claims upon the
| State that they should be thus favored at
| the expense of our other citizenss We pay
them adequate salaries, and, if they are not
satisfied with their pay, their places could
| easily be filled should they vacate. We are
under no obligations to them because they
| fill the offices and draw their pay accord
ingly. But this bungling attempt at legls-
! lation is on a par with the other have
| briefly noticed. and insist on its being ex'
| plunged from the bill. Mr.. Speaker, on re-
! Election, it seems to me that sections fifteen
! and sixteen have been inserted solely with
! view to accommodate certain brokers who
| have a considerable amount of warrants on
| their hands, and want to realize.
l do not make this as a direct
| charge, but it certainly looks very
| suspicious, for while no respect is shown
| for the welfare of the State, nor for economy
| in managing its finances, the most tender
solicitude is displayed for those holding
outstanding warrants. 1t is my duty to ex.
pose these schemes. am responsible to
my constituents and to my State tor my
conduct, and / should Justly forfeit cont.
dence if l should pass by such unjust
measures without an earnest remOnstrance.
! Section seventeen goes on to lavish the
cool sum of SO, 900 for the sole purpose OF
engraving and printing the bonds to be
| issued. Twenty thousand dollars! be.
| lieve that the work can be well done for
one tenth of that sum, $4,000, and l set my
face and l cast my vote against any such
| extravaganza.
The crowning piece of this extraordinary
| bill is to be seen in section eighteen, and
beg that this House will take especial note
| of it. 1t enacts, "that no court nor judge
| thereof, shall have power to eDioin the pay.
| ment of principal or interest of any bond
| issued under this act" etc. This is surely
| something new in this species Of legisla-
| ton. Who ever heard OF judges of courts
| being estOpped in the performance Of their
I sworn duty9 1t there be cause, or appear
| to be cause for any such enjoining, the court
alone must decide, but this section would
deprive him of that actual and positive
| right. There are divers kinds of despotlsm,
but it seems to me that legislative inter-
ference and dictatiOn to judges, in matters
like this, is the worst Of any despotism.
Section eighteen must be stricken out from
this bill.
In the proposed amendment to the con-
stitution from the word land" on the thir-
teenth line, to the word therefor" on the
sixteenth line, both inclusive, the iniunc-
ton clause is repeated, and insist that the
same, as above stated, shall be stricken
out.
In number two, lines fourteen and fifteen
of proposed amendments to the constitu-
ton, amend by altering the word ''thir-
teen" and substituting "twelve and half"
in accordance with section seven, lines
twenty-five and twenty-six.
Mr.. T. r. Allan, of West Baton Rouge
Mr.. Speaker, when one is called upon to
discharge an important duty, upon whom
will rest great responsibility, he must be-
tray an inordinate degree OF self-esteem,
and objectionable lack of mOdesty, did he
not, at the outset, acknowledge his diff
dence and solicit forbearance.
And, sir, more than any one present, do
feel that it becomes me to invoke the charity
and ask the lenlency of this assemblage,
and that / shall be sustained throughout
my efforts by the consciousness that the
cause advocate is the cause of the people;
that the measure we are now discussing will
not be weakened by my weakness, and
that however apparent may be my imper-
fectlons, shall not be accused of want Of
fairness, n or found lacking in liberality and
candor.
Mr.. Speaker, the bill under consideration
is of no ordinary Importance. 1t is not of a
local, nor even of a sectional nature, for it
concerns the financial and material welfare
OF the State of Louisiana, both within her
own boundaries and in the eyes of other
States, foreign as well as domestic. The
subject before us demands our closest at
tention, and will receive orr mature DELHI
Grafton. for its aim is no less than to relieve
our State from large proportion OF the
burden of taxation under which our people
are groaning, and to place on sound and
healthy basis our financial condition. A
glance at the provisions of the bill will
convince even the most critical that 1t has
been drawn up with great care and pro-
found foresight, and in course Of my re-
marks shall quote such portions Of it as
may serve to illustrate my argument and
convince you of the truth OF the proposition
l have advanced.
Before proceeding further would oh.
serve that the bill offered lately in the State
Senate, for which the one before us may be
termed a substitute, was very good bill,
and. had it originated in this House, would
probably have received my support, but its
trainers seem to have forgotten the clause
in the constitution of the State of Louis
lana (article forty -three) which especially
declares that "all bills for raising revenue
shall originate in the House OF Representa-
tives, but the Senate may propose amend
ments, as in other bills, provided it shall
not introduce any matter under the color of
an amendment, which does not relate 10
raising revenue" The bill before us is "a
bill to raise revenue, and by its provisions
it promises to raise our State from the
slough-Of indebtedness under which it now
labors. Therefore objected to the Senate
bill, and shall give my earnest support to
that we are now discussing.
The object of the bill is stated in section
one as being "for the purpose of consolidat-
ing and reducing the floating and bonded
debt of the State" and the means proposed !
in the first instance is to issue bonds, to be |
known as consolidated bonds of the State |
of Louisiana, to the amount of 100000, |
or SO much thereof as may be necessary, all
payable forty years from the first day of |
January, 1874, and to bear interest at the |
rate of seven per cent per annum. The |
natural result of the prosecution of this |
plan would be to give us ferty years in |
which to pay our Indebtedness. during |
which period our State will increase hun.
1red fold in wealth and in material pros.
perity. and our successors will not feel the |
burden OF debt under which /
this generation suffers. ] shall explain this I
subject more fully as progress. The
ponds, when issued, shall be exchan ged for
Ill valid outstanding bonds. at the rate of
'ixty cents in consolidated bonds for one
lollar in outstanding bonds; and if any mem
Der of the board of liquidation shall know.
ngly audit and fund any illegal claim
against the State, he shall be deemed guilty
II misdemeanor. and shall, on convic ton.
be fined at the discretion of the court.
The trainers of this bill have carefully
guarded against all fraud and malveratsion 1
N the part of the board Of liquidation. as
will be seen by the quotation have just
made; yet. as though 20 render the State
LOUDLY secure, it is also provided ''that the
Consolidated bonds herein authorized shall
,e held and used by said board Of !iquida.
ion only for the purpose of exchange az
lforesaid; and any sale or pledge thereof