New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-01-06
MESSAGE FROM THE GOVERNOR.

! exempted from financial d.saStes, ADO Wnllt
contiguous States and cities suffered
from thesscourge of Qestilsnee aSery com
fnunity 60 the State. With "Re execution
I has bees singulArls esemp:. With 4
( few EXCEPTIONS ~h!ca segrss &,
no.eS good srSee has ?roysiiea tAssssi,
EOus size Sta'ss yhe great ana press
1 ing need now 80 0elieS from che bur,len.O,
heavy saxatiop which = 80 depressing e
) all tho material in forests Of the States It i
your great privilege TO be II q position h
4 contribute largely coward shis selief. u
! inaugurate manS needed reforms, and tt
7 correts many abuses n she legislation o
| the pasee Your enemies Gay That little OF
nothing can be expecte9 Of yoU IN this
sgard. Many ether persons. non -psrtisans
.woul& gladly find good reason to approve
souS course, while youf friends. both here
I and elsewhere. the supporterSof che great
party you represent expect you to do much
to merit commentator. and trust you vii
| do nothing to deserve censureo Shall these
reasonable expectations be reaiiseN THE
record of your acts duyins SIG pss.eae SEES
SieA wlS telS
gfR SITUATION II sxNyAss EAs4s
The financial situation at the beginnYh 9
of the year was one of extraordinary diff
cultye The treasury was empty. TheAOtal
amount of taxes collected during the previ-
GUS year was less than the smOune returned
deIinquepto Against the various exhausted
funds a mass of unpaid warrants had &C.
toA in . GO QaN 0N).
This disgraceful result of the maladmInistrs
ton of the resources of the State dur
ing several years past, wac left ~ an
Inheritance to be added to the other embar.
sassments Of the present administration.
The interest on the heavy bonded debt of
the State had fallen in arrear to the ex-
teut, of nearly 100000. All receipts from
the immense delinquent lists, including
taxes due the interest. school and other
1872 and devoted exclusively to the!payment
Of the old outstanding warrants, and at the
same time those warrants were in effect q
lien on all current receipts to the general
fund.- A system of espionage, which it
seemed impossible for the treasury to shake
off, had been established by the dealers in
those warrants, whereby they we're informed
the instant a dollar was Iurned into
the treasury, and, presenting their war.
! payment thereof. 1t thus seemed likely that
nothing would be realized from current re-
Ceipts to meet the necessary and legitimate
expenditures of the government, aud it was
even difficult to Distribute the Eunds re.
CeiveSamOng the holders OF tie old war.
rants except sn the manner agreed
upon by the organization which had
virtual control of the treasury. heed
not enlarge in this connection upon the hos
+, tad al.
departments of the State government. 1t
is sufficient to say'that the resistance to the
enforcement of all lawNand the payment of
all Faxes svas especially embarrassing TO
the GpaDcial officers Of the Statss
RREsBKg CONDITION.
The present situation is not without its
hscouragements. yet compared with that
Of one Year ago, it affords just grounds for
eOngratulation. Resistance to the payment
of taxes and the execution of the laws has
been happily abandoned. The collections
of resenue, exceeding, S4,soO.0OO, have been
iafgeH in amount. and. may safely affirm.
have been effected with less loss and
expense to the State than tor many
, ears past. On an appeal 70 the
courts, act Nc. 81 was nnhesHatingly pro.
nOunced unconstitutional, which action Of
the judiciary, trust. will be supplemented
|, in your body by the instant repeal of that
extraordinary piece of special legislation.
The action Of tho courts restored the
DELINQUENT taxes to- the funds for which
they were levied. and being followed
by energetic and judicious measures
on the part of the officers charged with the
collection OEthe revenues soon resulted in q
marked change for the betteRs The large
amOuntOf overdue interest was paid early
in sho year, and since then the current in.
terest has been paid promptly at maturity,
with the exception of interest Oh some
100000 900 of bonds held in allegiance sub
jsct tor the action of the courts. The col
lectiOns ON account of She interest fund
have been sufficient to pay that amount
alsos in case at shall ultimately be
decided that the bonds enjoined are legiti-
mate Indebtedness of tho States A rigid
inspection and supervision of the business
of tax collectors has been main tanned, and
they have been required to make their set
Elements in person with the proper officers,
instead of through brokers. as in N any in
stances heretofore.
WHAT HAS BEEF Done.
II Il weR known thai in practicewa
could not be paid as issued. and were not
paid to the original holders, but were sold
81 me street ut their s.market value" and
collected in full by middle men as money
came jntO the treasury. The Auditor,
taking advantage OF this state of affairs
for Nhe benefit Of the State. .naugurated q
system by which tho funds received were
distributed in q more equitable and salts
factory manner, and ut the same time saw.
ingDf over 500, 900 was realized to the State,
which would otherwise have been paid to
spectators. without benefit to the original
holders of the warrants. These warrants
were cancelled, and are now in the treasury,
the volume of outstanding warrants being
of course reduced by precisely that amount.
BY this means and by scrupulous care in
the issuance of warrants, and by combining
che issue during the latter portion of the
yearso expenses of officers and ether neces-
sary expenses of the State, we will DO able
to begin the new year with $4,000 out
standing warrants cS 1853. instead Of over
$500,00A
~HA4 Should BE BONE.
In This connection l desire 10 cali your
attention to several matters which appear
to me to be of most vital Importance:
!. The absolute necessity of hereafter
ceonfinipg your appropriations rigidly with
IN the revenues. This is the first principle
of our financial redemption, and unless it is
adopted instantly, in principle and practice.
and adhered to, We may cherish small
hopes of permanent Improvements in cur
condition.
. 1t is believed to be wholesome legal
principle. that the revenues of each year
must take care of che expenditures of that
year and 40 other. l believe this TO be
sound policy and am satisfied it would be of
great benefit to the State, tending to re-
lieve confusion, to restore order, and to
check improvidence in the future, if this
principle were positively recognized by
statute.
3. 1t should be specified among the duties
OF the Auditor of Public Accounts that he
shall in no case issue a warrant unless the
funds are then in the treasury to pay the
same on demand. When this is done we
shall no longer see State warrants hawked
about the streets and hear no more of COM
tinations to obtain preferences at the treas
uryo 1t will do away with temptation to
speculate on the credit of the State and re-