New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-10-01
ADDRESS OF GOVERNOR KELLOGG

ADDRESS OF GOvERNOR KELLOGG.
''.''" srArR OF Lor;siASA,1
-;a5 Executive Department, 7
New Orleans, September w. A'A1
To the People of ths United StsteA
Events that have recently transplrea IN
this State have turned the attention OF the
whole nation upon Louisiana affairs, and
have caused resuscitari0n of the false
statements and perversi0ns OF facts which
for two years have been circulated far and
wide, and which appear 10 have been &C. \
cepted as true by considerable portion OF
the press and the people. l have waited
until public feeling. excited by the startling
should have had time to calm down, 90 that
temperate statement Of actual facts might
be dispassionately received.
Close observers of Southern politics
have long been aware OF determination
to overthrow Republican rule in Louisiana
strongly Republican as this State ls known
to be-and from the vantage point thus
gained to carry the movement INTO Mis;a; s;as
| eippi and other Southern States in which
| the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments
! to the constitution Of the United States are
still respected, and to some extent en-
| forced. in 1868 organized violence was re-
sorted to for this purpose, and WAS oniy de-
feated by the prompt action OF Congress.
Fraud was employed in 1872, but also
/
| the unifcatiOn dodge was tried. The col
| orct people were promised mixed schools,
employment on street cars and in foundries
| and workshops, equal rights in all bar.
I rooms and soda shops, and, in short, more
than the strongest advocate Of civil rights
had ever asked for them, on the implied
condition that they would put the Demo-
crate in office. This movement failed, anu
now, in 1874, all the principles OF unificataOn
have been reversed, and under the organ
ization of white mans party an appeal has
once moro been made to arms
The events of the fourteeRth of Septem-
| her last are too we'll known to need recital.
There was no honest motive, no substantial
cause to justify that misguided and disas'
trous movement. fThe sole purpose OF tne
leaders of the instruction was to OBTAIN
leposseseion Of tho offices of the State; and
while they were so engaged, to the mani,
fest injury of the commerce Of tho city and
the credit Of the State, tho great bulk OF
! NV anpportere, who form the producing G
element Of the country, were quietly en-
gaRed in picking cotton, cultivAing sugar
and harvesting the rice crop OF the o!atey
| The reasons assigned for this criminal
disturbance OF the peace of the State were:
First, that this State is not Republican, and
that the present State administration was
not elected. Second, that the present State
administration had been corrupt and op
pressive. .,u -. ~
ness the order Of these charges, proceed ia
show that neither the one nor the other IL
| correct.
No candid reader will fail to have OBJ
] served that the charge of corruption and
oppressiOn, like oil the ACCUSATIONS that
have been made against the State adminis
tration, is couched in general terme
and no specific act is brought Tor
ward, much less sustained by proof.
propose to confront these general charges
Of wrong-doing by q specific state
ment, taken from official recerdsy Of the
financial condition of this State when the
present government came into power, and
} Of it's financial position now; and also te
show where the responsibility Of the heavy
State debt, which is most upjustly charged
upon my administration, properly rests.
; when the present State government came
, into Office there were outstanding, from pre-
; vious administrations, Auditors checks or
the treasury, known as State warrants
: which the Treasurer had been unable tt
nav for lack OF funds to the amount, II
round numbers, Of $1,000 900 auditors re
port of 1872, page thirty si1t. There wert
outstanding bonds issued before and sinct
the war to the amount of $2l, ,SOO, 900, Since
have been in Office T have signed 81
bonds Of $1,000 each and l25 second mort
! gage bonds of the same denomination, tht
/ | latter issued upOn section OF ten miles 0
completed railroad. In both cases the is
' suance of these bonds was authorized by
: acts of the Legislature, passed previous t.
my coming into office, and was rendered
> obligatory upon me by decision OF th'
Supreme Court as to the first issue, and b.
:. the written opinions of the law officer
of the State. as to the latter. No 40
j l.of the Legislature has been paseet
during my occupancy OF the executive
chair to autho1ize the issue of single bont
4 I to increase the indebtedness OF the State
? The outstanding 81, 900 Of floating ~
debtedness left by previous administration
( | has been reduced under my administrator
to less than S., 400, 900. This reduction ha
. been accomplished by no increase Of taxa
| tion, but by an energetic collection OF delin
ouent taxes and an honest application 0
: the taxes 60 collected to the liquidation
J of the past due Indebtedness of tn
State. To effect this result the Law
. officers OF the State were compelled
4 to appeal to the courts to set asid
an iniquitous law passed mainly by Demo
i cratic influence under the previous admin
: istratiOn which virtually transferred all tn
i receipts from back taxes to a brokers' ring
The State has thus been enabled to pay un
! der our financial management more thai
= $500, 900 OF the old floating debt OF the Stat
K with the old assets. And the dellnquen
! taxes now due and unpaid are sufficient,
collected and applied under the policy W
have inaugurated, to pay OFT the balance o
the old floating Indebtedness.
Since the first of January, 1874, to SEP
z tember ], our current receipts from license
D and taxes have amounted TO within E61 ,OO
i OF our current expenses during the SAN
q time; and this in despite Of disastrou
overflow which has necessarily retarde'
the collection OF taxes. =
/ recommended to the Legislature, dul
ing its last session, the adoption OF tn
J. policy Of restricting tho revenues OF eac
year to the expenditure OF the same Seal
4 and of declaring null and void all appropris
r tions made in excess of revenue. Thes
d recommendation wero adopted, and cor
stitutjOpsl amendment was proposed to b
submitted to the people to carry them int
effect. ~ -
The appropriation bill passed last winte
contsined many items which were believes
to bs uunececsary and improvident. Th
Dsyment Of these items has been enioine'
by the courts on the application Of the Al
torney General, and the appropriations q
the lAst Legislature-in themselves muc
, less than. the appropriations OF previou
years-have been reduced within TO
amount of the estimated receipts. ~
large amount Of 2,30O,0O0 OF outstsndrn
warrants remaining unpaid when the pres
ent government took charge OF the stat
consisted of warrants issued year by yea
/. over and above the current revenues Q
such year. Our administration, 1t is &c
: lieved, will chow no excess OF appropriatio
over reveaue
Ieubmit . statement of the appropria
tions made by the different administration
!, which have controlled affairs in Louisian
during the last nine years: