The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-10-09
LOUISIANA.

iess-somc Figures Showing VINO Bur-
doned Louisiana With Debt-sIso Some
Facts Showing that the Republicans
Are I'm the Majority Ina the state.
Gov. Kellogg, of Louisiana, has pub
lished an address to the people of the
United States in vindication of his adj
ministration from the charges of COR
ruption, fraud and oppression which have
been preferred against it by the White
Leaguers and repeated by the whole
Democratic press of the country. Gov.
Kellogg first calls attention to the fact
thatsit has long been apparent to close
observers Of Southern politics that it is
the purpose of the whites of Louisiana
to overthrow Republican rule in the
State, Notwithstanding it is known that
the Republicans are largely in the ma
jority. He then takes up the charge of
corruption and financial mismanage-
ment. Upo- this point he says:
"When the present State government came
| into office, there we're outstanding from pre-
vious administrations Auditors checks on the
| treasury known AZ State warrants, which the
| Treasurer had been unable to redeem, to the
amount Of 1880, 900 [Auditors report of
| 1872 page SCI. There were outstanding bonds
| issued before and since the war to the amount
| of 82l, S00,0 900. Since l have been in Office,
| / have signed SIG bonds OF 81, 600 each, and
126 second mortgage bonds Of the same de
nomination, the latter issued upon section
| of ten miles of completed railroad In both
cases the issuance Of these bonds was au-
| thorzed by acts of the Legislature, passed
| previous to my coming into Office and was
| rendered obligatory upon me by decision Of
] the Supreme Court rs to the first issue, and
| by the written opinions Of the law officers Of
| the State as to the latter. No act Of the Leg
islature has been passed during my occupancy
| OF the executive chair to authorize tho issue
| OF single bond to increase the Indebtedness
OF the State. The outstanding 81, 800, 900 of
| floating indebtedness left by previous admin
istrations has been reduced under my admin
istration to less than 81, 400, 000 This reduc-
ton has boon accomplished by no increase Of
| taxation, but by an energetic collection of de-
hnquent taxes, and an honest appropriation
of the taxes so collected to the liquidation of
the past due indebtedness OF the State. To
effect this result the law officers Of the State
were compelled to appeal to the courts to ret
aside All iniquitous law passed mainly by
Democratic influence, under the previous adj
ministration, which virtually transferred all
the receipts from back taxes to a brokers'
ring. The State has thus boon enabled to
pay, under our financial management, more
than 5000, 600 of the old floating debts Of the
State with the old assets, and the delinquent
taxes now due and unpaid are sufficient, il
collected and applied under the policy we have
inaugurated, to pay of the balance OF the old
floating indebtedness"
The Governor then states that the
current receipts from State taxes and
licenses from Jan. l to date have
amounted to within $670, 900 of the ex-
penses, and that had it not been for the
overflow the receipts would probably
have been in excess OF expenditures.
He institutes comparison of appro-
priations by the Legislature during his
administration, and that of his prede-
cessors as follows
Frst-The Democratic Legislature of
1861, and composed exclusively of white
men, Mr.. McEnery and others of my present
opponents being influential members, made
total appropriations of 81, 1923, 554, while the
total taxes &C llected during the same period
were S3,379, 900, leaving an excess of appro-
priations over revenue by this Democratic
Legislature of S13, ,554.
" Second-Gov. Warmoth's administration
made appropriations for current State ex-
penses, exclusive OF school, levee and inter-
est fund.- as follow: For 1868 and 1869,
81, 700, 000 for 1870, -, 1875, 720 for 1871,
80, 722, $685. for 1871, 81, 49, $50. Total, $l0,-
s7s, 745:
made appropriations for current State ex-
penses, exclusive OF levees, school and inter-
est funds, a. follows For 1873, 81 ,554, 255
for 1874. 81, 172, 1874. Total, 81, 1873 379. AS
will be seen the saving the first year Of my
administration over the last year OF my pre-
decessor was $751; 13. In the second year
still further saving WAS effected of S5i7 732.
At the same rate during the next two years
my administration will cost IS, 452, 75S while
the administration OF my predecessor for the
same time cost $40, 37s, 933, and the Demo
cratic administration Of 1861 cost Sl7,
129, 554.
"A statement made by the Auditor of this
date, now before me, shows the bonded debt
of the State, Jan. l. 1869. to have been So
833, $50 increase OF bonded and floating debt
during Gov. Wsrmoth's administration,
GA, 250, $751; total debt when Gov. Kellogg
came into Office, s24, O84, 247 increase during
Gov. kelloggs administration by bonds au-
thorized by laws passed previously, SOL, 900;
reduction Of debt during Gov. Kelloggs adj
ninstration by redemption of past-due bonds,
funding floating obligations, s1,626 022
showing net decrease Of debt under the
Kellogg administration Of 1925, 033."
Gov. Kellogg then enters into a his
tory of the funding act passed by the
last Legislature, mainly through the
strenuous exertions of the Governor,
whereby the outstanding bonded State
debt is to be exchanged for new con-
solidated bonds, at the rate of 90 cents on
the dollar, as being the most the State
is able to pay. He calls attention to
the constitutional amendment recon-
mended by him, and adopted by the
Legislature, fixing the limit of the debt
at S15, 600, 900, and the rate of taxation
| at II mills on the dollar, excluding the
tax for schools also the amendment re-
stricting the revenues of each year to
the expenditures of the same year, the
absence of these restrictions being q
! prolific source of financial abuse hereto
fore. The Governor sums up in these
| words
! ave have in two years paid off over $780,
| 900 OF the old floating indebtedness, with the
! old assets OF the State. We have reduced
the debt by the Funding bill from SOS, 900, 600
to SIS, 900 900, not to be increased until after
| the year 1924 we have reduced the State
taxes from q mills to 14I nills, not to be in
| creased until after the same year; we have
| provided that parish taxation shall not exceed
State taxation, 30 that the greatest amount OF
| taxation any one parish can be called upon to
pay in any one year is 20 mills we have en-.
| sbled the city OF New Orleans to reduce the
| taxation mills we have largely reduced
| State expenditures, and confined them strictly
within the limit of our revenues, and we have
paid up over SO, 900. 900 of contingent liabili-
ties. All this has been Effected by us, with