New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-01-29
DO THEY WANT REFORM?

Let me add that the experience of tn
past two years has strengthened the opin
Ion expressed in my inaugural address
Namely: That the executive is investe,
with TOO much patronage. and that it woul.
be better for the executive, and better fo
the State, if large amount of patronag,
were RENTED to the people, to whom i
properly belongs.
This is an extract from the annual mes
sage Of the Governor of the State. Itis
one OF the rare examples in which ar
officer possessing power and patronage
has voluntarily offered to abdicate either,
1t is not the less remarkable that the
present incumbent has been in no respect
responsible for the accumulation OF
patronage in Executive hands, He has
found the powers of Office, as he did the
debt and taxes, ready made by his pre-
decessors, and might thus have continued
both without any personal responsibility
for the creation of either. As we under
stand this proposal it is to diyest the
executive department Of all those powers
OF political or municipal appointment,
which are peculiar to the constitution of
Louisiana, and are not to be found in the
constitutions of other Republican States
Of the Union.
This proposal on the part of Governor
Kellogg not only in our opinion furnishes
eminent evidence of his moderation, and
official self-denial, but would, if carried
out by adequate legislative action, tend
greatly to pacify the people, and remove
the unjust imputation that the Republican
party is actuated solely by mercenary
motives.
We may digress from the particular
purpose of this article so far as to remind
the Republican Legislature that to relieve
our political contests from the rapacious
demands of such opponents as look to
Office as means of subsistence would en-
nance the influence of conservative men
of all parties. It would aid greatly in !
solving the suffrage question, because the
colored voter, innocent Of any purpose to |
tax the people or property Of the State,
would be permitted to cast ballot which |
could really bestow no Office whose per-
quisites would be worth taking his life |
about.
Can not our Representatives see that, in
allowing these exorbitant official gains by
which man may be raised in one year
from manual labor to an income greater
than that of the President of the United
States, they are furnishing not only the
inducement but the very means for prose-
cutting acar against the Republican
party? Remove this incentive. Disable
these resources, and while the colored man
would 60 to the polls to guarantee his own
freedom, the politician would not trouble
himself to pursue game which would
offer no compensation for the trouble of
its prosecution. We have, in reasoning on
his subject, come to the conclusion that
Nth the reduced debtand taxation, now
by the Republican admins
ration, there should be such scaling of
salaries that political service would offer
10 higher compensation than the wages of
business, and we should have peace. Even
he Jarndyce case came to an end when
ne subject OF litigation had been all alb {
orbed in costs. Let our Legislature make I
he trial; let them accept the recon-. I
nendations of the Governor, and relieve !
be executive department of a LARGE =
mount of patronage which has brought
tile strength to the executive and i'm. i