The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-02-06
TUESDAY, January 27th, 1874.

TUESDAY, January 27th, 1874.
The Police Jury met pursuant to adjournment.
Present: John Roy President; TheOdule FOn-
tenet, T. c. Chachere, T. S. FontenOt and IL.
DIrio.
Attorney at the last meeting to prepare a me-
mortal to the Legislature suggesting and petit
tioning for appropriate legislation to diminish
costs in criminal cases. and the Parish Attorney
having been called upon, reported the following
draft of a memorial, which was unanimously
adopted and signed by the Police jury:
To the Senate and House of Representatives of
the State of Louisiana, in General Assembly
Convened:
The undersigned. President and members of
the Police Jury of the Parish OF st. Landry, with
the concurrence of their constituency, respect
fully ask that the taxpayers of said parish be
relieved by appropriate legislation OF part OF
the burden imposed on them by payment OF the
enormous fees and costs arising from criminal
prosecutions; to this end they request tllat the
act No. 165, approved March 10th, 1860, being an
act to increase the salaries OF the Sheriff and
Clerk of the Parish of st. Landry, be repealed
in so far as the said Sheriff is concerned:
Further that the fees of the sad Sheriff be re-
silIced SO as to aHGY him the Hnln of f9Fty cents
per day for maintenance OF prisoners: and that
his compensation Tor milage In criminal cases
shall be reduced to five cents per mile, -
To the same end they ask that all Justices of
the Peace, of the parish OF st. Landry, be invest
ed with authority 10 examine into. and to take
bond i'm all criminal casea in which the law aa-
mits parties accused TO give bail, sx-...,.
And further that all witnesses summoned to
attend the courts in criminal cases shall receive
no more than five cents milase in lieu of six and
a quarter cents now allowed. I.
-FOUR petitioners further requests that an act
be passed that the right Of compulsory process
to Cause the attendance of witnesses In the pre-
Ijminary examination of criminal cases, except
aaid eases be capital, shall be restricted to six
witnesses, provided that the prosecutions and
that number, and provided further that i'll case
OF the voluntary attendance of other witnesses
at such trials, their evidence shall be heard, II
either party request II.
Your petitioners further ask that Police Jul
ries be empowered to levy anu assess upon the
Inhabitants of incorporated towns within their
several parishes, their adgHldrlm proportion OF
taxes Levied and assessed for the ptlrD0se Of dc
fraying the expenses of cfinlinaI prosecutions,
there being no reason why this class OF citizens
OF the several parishes should be exempt from
their due share Of this common burthen.
Your petitioners respectfully ask the favora-
tions which they have caused to be Incorporated
IN drafts of appropriate bills for said purposes,
and which they have forwarded to their several
Representatives In the sepate ana the Lower
House. -
And as in duty bound they viii ever pray, etc,
On motion of Mr.. The8dule FonteaOt, the
Parish Attorney was instructed to incorporate
the recommendations in said memorial Into
drafts OF blls and to forward the same with the
said memorial TO our Representatives in the
Legislature without delay.
On melton, the Police Jury adjourned until
JOHN ROY, President
Attest: c. MAYO, Clerk