The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-04-27
TOO DEAR FOB DUB WHISTLE.

We suppose that hut few of our reader
understand the interior workings of legisla
tive bodies, and fewer still comprehend
exactly what is hidden under those mystic
rious words, "per diem and mileage"
All who will take the pains may know thai
. member of the Legislature is by law emit
tied to eight dollars per day during the SEES
sion, be it long OF short-that is, for instance,
our city members get eighty dollars each fol
the ten days they sat during the extra session
If they were the only members, it would be
easy to state to dollar the per diem of the
whole Assembly.
But the point comes in when the honorable
member from Goose Hollow comes along and
rakes in his ten or twelve hundred dollars,
as follows: The Radical act of 1872 made, we
will suppose, to support the finances Of the
honorable member above named, specifies
that he shall draw twenty cents per mile each
way, and in addition eight dollars per day
during his journey coming Or returning, and
that he shall be supposed to travel at the rate
of thirty miles per day. From this basis it
will be easy to see how much the gentleman
draws, if it is once ascertained what distance
the law presumes it to be from his parish
seat to the capital
And here it may be mentioned that these
distances are generally fixed on the most ex-
travagant scale and in the most arbitrary
manner. For instance, we understand that
the parish seat OF Lincoln is fixed at $50
miles, while the parish seat Of Claiborne, 35
miles farther, is fixed at $50 miles.
Whether the publication Of the Had at the
latter place had anything to do with making
the distance SO great or not is more than we
can tell.
Let us see, however, how much it costs
the Taxpayers to bring our Goose Hollow
friend to assist at the ayes and noes. Sup
pose his parish seat is established at 600
miles. That would be forty days, at SIS
1920. Six hundred miles at twenty cents
doubled makes $40, and ten days session
makes $50. Total s64O. A regular session
Of sixty days would, Of course, yield him
$500 more
We understand that the stationery expenses
of the regular session of the House exceeded
500 per member, and are informed that, in
addition to clerks, necessary or otherwise, |
some chairmen Of some committees of both |
Senate and House get SIG per day. The
strength of the moral is in the application of
t. Let taxpayers make a note and wonder no |
longer how it takes Sl77,OOO to run ten-day
session.
Think Of it, ye taxpayers Of the city and
State Gaze ye with satisfaction upon the
'prodigious mouse brought forth by this
legislative mountain Contemplate the i'm
nense amount of reform effected in voting
ach member, on an average, the sxm Of
$3.50 GO, for his ponderous services for ten
lays session. session called in the interest
# reform. but which was FILTERED
way in vain reachings after the un-
and frantic plunges after the
impossible q session in which the
,ain object seemed to be show not to do it. !"
We regard the failure Of the Senate to pass
be bill known as the City Funding BILL as a
Misfortune that cannot be estimated in dol
'rs and cents, and the person or persons ,
no caused its defeat are responsible for most :
the sense of bitter disappointment felt by :,
NJ people at the barren result of session
ON which they had been led to hope so much. :
ad that bill passed, relieving the city for !;
70 years of all interest tax, and funding the :
tire bonded debt in five per cent bonds,
caring date January l, 1877, great weight
ould have been lifted from the people who = :
build have seen daylight in thenear distance;
al estate would have at once advanced, and
the material interests Of the city have ex-
rienced sensible impulse forward. :
Regard this session from any standpoint
d we have paid vastly too dear for our ::
,istle. =,