New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-10-04
NEW ORLEANS REPUBLICAN, SUNDAY OCTOBER 4V1874.
ADDRESS OF GovERNoR KELtoGG,

| ADDRESS OF GOVERNOR KELLOGG,
SrAra OF LOUISIANA !
Executive Department, I
New Orleans, September 80. 1854.
To the People Of the United States
Events that have recently transpired in
this State have turned the attention o! the
whole nation upon Louisiana affairs. and
have caused q resuscitation Of the false
statements and perversions Of facts which
for two years have been circulated far and
wide, and which appear to have been &C
cepted as true by considerable portion OF
the press and the people. have waited
until public feeling, excited by the startling
occurrences that have taken place here,
ehould have had time to calm down. so tina,
. temperate statement OF actual facts might
be dispassionately received.
Close observers Of Southern politics
have long been aware of determination
to overthrow Republican rule in Louisiana
strongly Republican as this State is known
to be--and from the vantage point thus
gained to carry the movement into Missis-
eippi and other Southern States in which
the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments
to the constitution of the United States are
still respected, and 20 some extent en-
forced. In 1868 organized violence was re-
sorted to for this purpose, and was only de-
feated by tue prompt action Of Congress.
Fraud was employed in 1872, but also
failed TO achieve the desired result. In 1873
the unificatiOn expedient was tried. The col
Ore6 people were promised mixed schools.
employment on street cars and in foundries
and workshops, equal rights in all bar
rooms and soda shops, and. in short, more
than the strongest advocate Of civil rights
had ever asked for them, on the implied
condition that they would put the Demo-
crate in Office This movement failed, and
now, in 1874, all the principles Of unificatiOn
have been reversed. and under the organ
ization of white mans party an appeal has
once more been made to arms.
The events of the fourteenth OF Septem
her last are too we'll known to need recital.
There was no honest motive, no substantial
cause to Justify that misguided and disas-
trous movement. The sole purpose of the
leaders of the instruction was to obtain
possession of tho offices of the State; and
while they were so engaged, to the mani
fest injury of the commerce OF the city and
the credit of the State, the great bulk Of
my supporters, who form tho producing
element of the country, were quietly en-
gagged in picking cotton, cultlvating sugar
and harvesting the rice crop OF the State
The reasons assigned for the criminal
disturbance OF the peace Of the city ana State
on tho fourteenth of September last were:
First, that this State is not Republican. and
that the present State administration was
not elected. Second, that the present State
administration had been corrupt and Op-
pressive.
Reversing for the sake Of greater clear
ness the order of these charges, proceed to
show that neither is true.
No candid reader will fail TO have OBJ
served that the charge Of corruption and
oppression, like all the accusations that
| have been made against the State admins
! tration, is cOuched in general terms,
| and no specific act is brought for
ward, much less sustained by proof.
propose to confront these general charges
Of wrong-doing by . specific state
| ment, taken from official records, OF the
| financial condition of this State when the
I present government came into power, and
| of it's financial position now; and also to
| show where the responsibility Of the heavy
| State debt, which is most unjustly charged
| upon nv administration, properly rests.
When the present State government came
| into office there were outstanding, from pre-
! yious administrations, Auditors checks on
| the treasury, known as State warrants,
! which the Treasurer had been unable to
I nav for lack of funds, TO tho amount, in
! round numbers. OF g., 800, 900 auditors re-
| port of 1872, page thirty sixl. There were
| outstanding bonds issued before and since
| the war to tho amount Of S2l SOC. goo, Since
| l have been in office I have signed $40
! bonds Of $1,000 each and l25 second mort
! gage bonds OF the same denomination. the
! latter issued upon section OF ten miles Of
| completed railroad. In both cases the is
euance Of these bonds was authorized by
| acts of the Legislature, passed previous to
| my coming into Office, and was rendered
! obligatory upon me By a decision Of the
! Supreme Court as TO the first issue, and by
| the written opinions of the law officers
| of the State as to the latter. No act
| of the Legislature has been passed
| during my occupancy Of the executive
! chair to authorize the issue of a single bond
TO increase the Indebtedness OF the State.
| The outstanding $2,300,OOO Of floating in
! debtedness left by previous authorizations
| has been reduced under my administration
| to less than 81 100000. This reduction ha.
been accomplished by no increase OF taxa
| ton, but by an energetic collection of delin-
| quent taxes and All honest application OF
| the taxes SO collected to the liquidation
| of the past due indebtedness Of the
! State 70 effect this result the law
officers Of the State were compelled
to appeal TO the courts to set aside
| an ubiquitous law passed mainly by Demo
istration which virtually transferred all the
receipts from back taxes to a brokers' ring
| The State has thus been enabled to pay un
| der our financial management more than
| 5000, 900 of the old floating debt of the State
with the old assets. Aud the delinquent
| taxes now due and unpaid are sufficient, il
| collected and applied under the policy We
have inaugurated, to pay Oft the balance Of
| the old floating indebtedness.
| Since the first of January, 1874, to Sep
| tember l, our current receipts from Licenses
| and taxes have amounted to within $67 ,OO(
| of our current expenses during the saEe
| time; and this in despite of disastrous
| overflow which has necessarily retarded
| the collection of taxes.
l recommended to the Legislature, dur
| ing its last session, the adoption of the
policy of restricting the revenues OF each
| year to the expenditure of the same year,
| and of declaring null and void all appropria'
| tons made in excess Of revenue. These
| recommendations were adopted, and con
| stitutiOnal amendment was proposed to be
| submitted to the people to carry them into
! effect
The appropriation bill passed last winter
! contained many items which were believed
| to be unnecessary and imprOvident. The
payment of these items has been enjoined
! by the courts on the application of the At
| torney General, and the appropriations OF
| the last Legislature-in themselves much
less than the appropriations of previous
years-have been reduced within the
amount of the estimated receipts. The
| large amount of $2,3G0,0Q0 OF outstanding
! warrants remaining unpaid when the pres
ent government took charge OF the State
| consisted of warrants issued year by year