Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-04-15

ACTUAL repud1atton, and further takin
into account all the constituent ele
ments Of the body polite and the pre-
vailing tendency TO extravagant legisls
tion, 1t was felt that an amendment @
this nature, which does not exist ia an,
other State, and which, perhaps, coult
not have been secured in this State but 70
our extraordinary surroundings during
the past four years, would be an efftc
tusl bar to extravagsnt legislation
growing out Of ignorance and inexpe
rieHce on one hand, or intelligence apC
dishonesty on the other. The people In
dorsed these views at the late election
and now that the political working o
the system has been tested,
am gratihed to know that the course
which has been taken is generally re-
garded as the only one which the State
could have pursued with justice to her
self and to her creditors"
He recommends q change of the
law, 80 that the funding board
shall not be composed OF State
officers; and further, go as to en-
/ able the officers OF the State, and all
Taxpayers and creditors of the State, to
resist the funding OF any Illegal evil
dences Of debt by sdducing evidence to
establish their invalid character.
With regard to the public debt
he says; 'iI am glad to be able
to state that the public debt
is steadily decreasing from the
highest point reached during the term
Of the present administration, namely,
| S24, ,634 407 80, in 1873. 1t has been di-
minished as follows: By redemp-
ton OF seventy-two past-due
bonds, $4,000; by retirement of
old outstanding warrants. 81 ,106, 900;
by exchange OF SIS, 374 of consolidated
bonds for $42,290 OF old outstanding
bonds, $l6,9 ,9l6; by exchange of 1894
564 SO of consolidated bonds for $780,
$40 So; Of old outstanding warrants,
Sl96,376 "a; total reduction, $685.
976 "a. While the public debt has thus
been lessened, taxation, State, city and
parish, within the same period, has been
materially reduced"
With regard to the financial diff
culties of the city of New Or
leans, he says: "rhe city, with an
assessed valuation for its own purposes
OF taxation of much less than half the
valuation OF the whole State, has q
bonded and floating debt as great as the
debt of the State was before the passage
vi lAlC luhuilk ioWY II AOI SICdlSls 1uC
interest upon this debt, and the expenses
of the city government, including the
necessary cost OF paving, repair
ing and lighting the streets, in
vOlve an annual outlay larger than any
revenue the city is practically able to
collect. This condition of things under
various city governments-Republ
and Democratic, but chiefly Democratic
has been growing up for many years,
and each year the debt OF the city has
increased and its resources have dimin.
ished. To correct this evil the last leg
islature, on my recommendation, sup.
ported by the chamber OF commerce and
the then city council, passed, and the
people have since formally adopted, a
constitutional amendment limiting the
debt of the city to its present amount,
and prohibiting the issuance of any war
rant or evidence OF Indebtedness in the
future, unless against cash actually in
the treasury. This amendment will pre-
vent the city from getting deeper into
debt, but it will not release it
ftom its existing embarrassments,
which are very serious. Its interest is
in arrears. 1t owes large sum to its
employees, and bonds to the. amount of
several millions of dollars have fallen
due, or are about to mature, which it has
no means of meeting. In conclusion,
permit me to say that your action in the
session in which you have entered will
be watched with great interest, not only
by your fellOw.citizens, but by the en-
tire country. / venture to indulge the
hope that by wise, prudent and saluta-
ry action on your part, the troubles of
our State will be substantially ended,
and that out of them will spring 8 con-
dition of harmony and peace unhoped
for few months since. This result at
tanned, believe Louisiana will speedily
take the position she ought TO occupy,
as the most progressive and prosperous
State in the SOUTH"
After the reading of the message, the
speaker announced that since the ad-
jOurnment three members had come for
ward and been sworn in.
Mr.. w. w. Carlass, of Webster, an
nounced that he did not recognize the
legal existence of the Hahn house.
The speaker called for those members
entitled to seats to come forward and be
sworn in, and Mr.. Carlass was among
the first. All the other Conservative
members took the oath.
The speaker then announced that
there was a question Of membership re-
garding the parish of st. Landry The
board had returned four men,
bers from that parish. A contestant not
returned was seated, which left him to
decide as to which of the three out of
the four he would swear in, and he had
shut out the man receiving the smallest
number of votes. This action shut out
Mr.. Vidrinne.
A motion was made and carried that
a committee OF three be appointed to
notify the senate and governor that the
house was ready to proceed with busi-
ness.
Mr.. Matthews offered the following
WHEREAS, P. R. Beasly and E. F.
Dugas, of the parish Of Assumption; SIS.
Brice, of the parish OF BienvilIe; J. F.
Scales, c. Schuler, of the parish of De-
Soto; E. Kidd, of the parish of Jackson;
Jas. Jeffries, r. G.. Luckett, and G.. W.
Of the parish of Rapides; Ed.
ward M'Callum and w. 81. Keys, of the
parish of Terrebonne; and George A.
Kelly, Of the parish of Union, respect
fully claim that they were elected at the
last general election in this State to seats
in this house, from their respective par
ishes, but that said seats were not award
ed to them by the returning board, there
fore be it
Resolved, That the committee on
elections and qualifications be directed
10 inquire into the validity of said claims
and report their conclusion
to the house at the next sitting.
A motion to suspend the rules to con-
slider the resolution was adopted, on a
call Of the yeas and nays, by a vote of
to five. The resolution was
then unanimously adopted. This resolu-
ton covers the ground OF award, as far
Is the house is concerned. The COM
mittee will doubtless report in favor Of
seating them.
A communication was received from |
the clerk of the national house Of rep |
enclosing the preamble and |
resolution adopted relative to Louisi- |
ana, including the resolution recogniz- |
ing Kellogg as governor, which was re-
ferred to the same committee and or |
iered to he spread upon the minutes Of
the house.
Mr.. Stewart, colored, wanted to know |
II the award was before the house The |
speaker Informed the member that he, |
rs speaker, did not know anything !
about the award.
Mr.. Stewart-Aint we sitting under
the award?
The Spesker-No, we are here under !
the call OF the governor and under the
Mr.. Stewart-Then l move to have a
Al