The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-04-22
A Little Ma ter of
$95O,OoO.
Who Get The Money.
Reform with Vengeance.
Another Reason for ealing
the State Debt.

In the General Appropriation bill, COM
monty known as Act SO of the last Legisla-
ture, was inserted provision creating the
Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Speak
er of the House Board of Commission
ers on Public Buildings and empowering
them to lease a building for a State House,
at a rate not exceeding $4,000 per annum
and for term not to exceed 20 years.
The introduction of an enacting clause in
General Appropriation bill, creating an
important commission with extraordinary
powers is unprecedented and exceptional in
even the questionable Legislation Of Lonisi-
ana and in this case might fairly be consid-
cred a nullity, because violative of article
ia of the Constitution, VIII ich requires the
title to set forth the objects of the law.
But if on this ground the clause in ques-
ton is not invalid the circumstances Of its
introduction and the extravaganza of its
concessions Of power to men who already
possess so much without restrictions, is sus
picious and suggestive of fraud. The de-
yelopments of the last few days show these
suspicious neither groundless nor unchari-
table, as the first act of the so-called Board
of Commissioners is an unparalleled and
unblushing outrage upon the tax ridden
people Of Louisiana.
Some days since, in contemplation Of
some rascality fairly to be presumed as III
the near future under tho operations OF
this questionable provision, we gave to our
hat inlI Ia
authority, a statement covering the action
of the Commissioners on Public Buildings.
When this statement was made, however,
it appears we only had faint gimmering
of the enormity of the thing.
We gave Kellogg and the ravenous wolves
that surround him too much credit for
honest intentions. The amount that was
apparently involved for rental, S25O,OOO'
struck us as being strangely insgnit cant
sum for division among a number of greedy
partisans but the idea was suggested that
because of the critical condition of the kel
logg Government, and because of the ex-
hausted condition of the State Treasury and
of the depleted pockets Of our people, even
Kellogg and his crew would hesitate to incur
debt of such great magnitude.
Alas for our confidence in depraved hui
man nature, and especially alas for our
momentary belief that amy thing could for
one moment check in their mad career the
desperate pirates who, having boarded the
ship of state, have hoisted at the masthead
the black flag, with the skull and cross
bones thereon, to typify that their war is
To The Death.
Subsequent developments have shown
that $25O,OOO is a Mere bagatelle, and the
amount really involved is $3.50, 900 for rental
of the State-House alone, the building then
to revert to the New Orleans National Build
ing Association.
The first proposition, as we understood it,
was that the State was to rent the st. Louis
Hotel, as a Capitol for five years. for the
sum of $4,000 per annum, the building then
to revert to the Building Association; sub
sequently. however, it was currently re
ported and believed that the rental was to
be only $3S, 600 tor five years.
All Of these statements were wide of the
mark, tor it is now matter Of record, (and
we append the certified certificate from the
mortgage office to attest the fact,) that the
Board Of Comm issioners have leased the St.
Louis Hotel from the Building Association
at the enormous rental of
$50 900 Per Annum,
tor the term of nineteen years. In other
words, they contract, on the part of the
State. to pay the sum of
S95O,OOO
for the use Of State House for nineteen
years.
The price paid by the Building Assoca-
ton to the Citizens Bank for the hotel was
$l25, 900, of which S25OOO was cash-the
balance to be paid in four years in equal in
stallments, and the bank bought the build
ing at auction for $4,000.
The Men Who Get the Money,
or in other words, the parties who compose
the Building. Association ARE the following
members of the Legislature Benham,
Mathews, Devices and Wands. One Of the
parties in interest, also, is Jos. II. Oglesby,
President Of the Louisiana National Bank,
WHiSu iS tho iscit AGENT ol tHt SLite.
1t is difficult at first blush to realize the
full enormity of this thing; one is staggered
in contemplation Of the utter recklessness
which is evinced by Kellogg and those
other State functionaries who compose the
Board Of Commissioners. They are acting
as trustees, and in the discharge of their
duties as custodians of the interest Of the
State they deliberately enter into con-
spiracy to
Rob the People
by contracting for the expenditure Of $780,
OOO which is to be discussed to a set of
partisan favorites, with a very strong pre-
sumption in favor Of their sharing in the
spoils. We say such presumption is strong
because if these men had desired to do the
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