New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-02-22
NEW ORLEANS, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22 1874

| ,nitted to raise money by mortgaging his
| movable effects. The bill before the Sen
ate proposed to give him that right. If it
became law, he believed it would be bene
fetal to poor people; otherwise he would
not support it. He had always voted to de-
fend their interests, and cid not propose to
change his course in that respect now. He
| believed the bill good one. and hoped j:
would pass.
Mr.. Cage expressed similar vievs.
'Mr. Crawford looked upon the bill as a
bad one. and gave it as his opinion that if
it should become law i: would prove most
| oppressive to the poor people. He said it
| would permit creditors to foreclose their
mortgages and divest poor people of prop
erty they can not well do without, such as
household furniture, tools, etc. He re-
garded such legislation as step backward
at this time, and the bill should not pass.
! Mr.. Blackburn opposed the bill upon the
broadest principle of human rights. He
would not place any class CT the people in
the hands OF the Shylocks, who stand ready
to take for song what little means they
have. He did not propose to place it in the
power of the Shylocks of the present day
to strip the wives and children of improvi-
| dent husbands OF the means to keep house,
! etc.
| Mr.. Burch again argued against the bill
and said if it passed it would deprive the
poor people of the advantages of the ex-
emptiOn law in force in this State That
law, he said, exempted a certain amount of
household furniture, ETC., from execution
and sale for debt. Mr.. Burch said that if
the bill before the Senate became law the
exemption law would become dead letter
upon the statute book. For these reasons
he hoped Senators would vote against the
bill.
Mr. Anderson replied, and defended the
bill. He thought the people should have
the right to do as they think best in the
management of their business affairs. The
rich man had the right to mortgage his
lands. ETC.. to raise money. and he tMr.
Anderson) thought the poor man ehould be
permitted to mortgage his movable effects
for the same purpose. These he regarded
as human rights, and said if the gentleman
from Claiborne (Mr. Blackburn) who talked
SO eioquently about human rights believed
in them, he should vote for the bill. Mr..
Anderson concluded his remarks by moving
that the bill be considered engrossed, and
the Senate sustained his motion.
The further consideration of the bill was
made the special order Of the day for Mon
day next, at one o'clock.
Mr.. Detiege called up House bill No. l23,
an act for the better organization and gov.
ernment Of the pnblic schools of the city of
New Orleans. On his motion the bill was
made the special order Of the day for next
Tuesday, at one o'clock.
Mr.. Greene called up House bill No. is, an
act for the relief of w. B. Phillips, and. on
his motion, the bill finally passed the Senate.
The Senate then went into executive ses.
sion.
Nothing was done after executive session
but call the roll and adjourn until Monday,
at II A. NJ.
Mr.. Benham moved to reconsider the
vote indefinitely postponing the bill appro-
priating $500 to pay the expenses of the
committee appointed to audit the State
finances. He was sure that Governor Hahn
had labored under misrepresentation when
he made the motion and would support the
bill.
Mr.. Hahn said that he had, since the
vote, received the following letter. which |
was read by the clerk:
New ORLEANS. La, February q, 1871. |
To Hon. Mr.. Bahn: !
DEAR SIR sec by the report Of the pro- !
ceedings of the House, as published in the |
REPUBLICAN OF this morning, that bill |
appl lopriating $2SO0 to pay the expenses of |
the State auditing committee, was, on your |
motion Indefinitely postponed. The reasons !
assigned by you. I have no doubt, were |
given under misrepresentation Of facts. |
The amount asked for in the bill is to pay |
the expenses Of the committee, such as /
rent OF rooms, porter and messenger. sta
tienery. experts and the services of tho
secretary of the board. I assure you that !
not one dollar Of this appropriation goes |
to any member Of this cOmmittee-it is al
together to pay for services rendered.
nope, therefore, that as an act of justice, |
will yeu be kind enough to move for a re-
consideration OF the vote by which this
bill was postponed and allow its passage.
am. very respectfully. your obedient ser
want,
MOSES GREENWOOD,
Chairman late State Auditing Committee. |
Mr. Hahn said that after reading the
letter there was still stronger reason for !
indefinite postponement than the resolution
that the committee did not desire pay.
What did this committee do! They we're
appointed to positions Of honor to perform
certain work that either the Auditor or the
Treasurer, if they had competent clerk,
might do IN ten minutes, or one of the COM
mittee could have done in twenty, by going
to both offices. The work they did could
have been performed by an ordinary busi-
ness man in one day, and now they come
and ask the sum Of nearly $4,000 to pay such
expenses as office rent salaries of porters
and clerks, etc. Who authorized this com
mittee to employ these assistants or en-
gage an office to do an hours work
in. When gentlemen OF the high
character Of those composing this COM
mission are appointed to do certain
work, it is supposed they are able to calcu-
late what these little expenses will be in
advance. The idea of paying such a sum
for such purpose is supremely ridiculous.
These gentlemen had no occasion to hire an
office to transact their business in. Every
one Of them is prominent business man,
and could obtain plenty of large offices
without difficulty. One of them is the sub.
treasurer Of the United States, and has the
whole Mint building, on Esplanade street,
n which there are fifty rooms the commit
zee might have met in. The idea of chare- |