Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-04-15

| tax payers and creditors OF the State 10 re-
sist the funding of any illegal evidences Of
debt, by adducing evidence to establish
their invalid character.
The PubIie Debt-A Large Reduction
Claimed.
With regard to the public debt, he says:
l 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, ,407.90 in 1873. 1t has been diminished
as follows: BY a redemption Off past due
| bonds, ST., 900; by the retirement Of old
| outstanding warrants, S1,1O6,OO0; by the
exchange Of S2,53T, 400 Of consolidated
bonds for 81, ,229, 600 of old outstanding bonds
| 81, ,691 900 by the exchange Of S294,5G4.36
| of consolidated bonds for S49O,94O. 90 Of
old outstanding warrants, Sl96,376.24;
total reduction, $685. ,97624. While the
/ public debt has thus been lessened, tax
alton, State, city and parish, in the same
period has been materially reduced.
The Financial Difficulties of New
Orleans.
With regard to the financial difficulties
Of the city of New Orleans, he says:
Briefly stated, the facts that confront you
are these: The city, with an assessed val
uatiOn for its own purposes Of taxation, of
much less than half of the valuation of the
whole State, has a bonded and floating
debt as great as the debt of the State was
before the passage of the funding law, if not
greater. The interest on this debt and the
expenses of the city government, including
the necessary cost Of paving, repairing and
lighting the streets, involve an annual out
lay larger than any revenue the city is
practically able to collect. This cOndi-
tiOn of things under the various city gov
ernments, Republican 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 diminished. To correct this evil, the
last Legislature, on my recommendation,
supported by the Chamber of Commerce
aud the then City Council, passed and the
people have since formally adopted a con-
stitutiOnal amendment uniting the debt of
the city TO its present amount, and prohibit
ing the issue Of any warrants or evidences
Of Indebtedness in the future, unless
against cash actually in the Treasury. This
amendment will prevent the city from
getting deeper in debt, but will not relieve
its existing embarraSSmeLtS, which are very
serious. Its interest is in arrears, it owes
a 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.
The Conclusion OF the whole Matter.
In conclusion, permit me to say that
your action in the session on which YOU
have entered, will be watched with great
interest, not only by your fellow citizens,
but by the entire country. venture to
indulge the hope that by wise, prudent and
salutary action on your part, the troubles
Of eur State will be substantially ended,
and cut Of them will spring condition Of
harmony and peace unhOped for 4 few
months since. This result attained, 1 be-
heve Louisiana will speedily take the posi-
ton she ought TO occupy, as the most pro-
gressive and prosperous State in the South.
Proceedings Of the House Of Repre-
sOBtRtIVes.
The House was called TO order by Speak
er Hahn. The Clerk read the prOclama-
tiOn Of the Governor, and called the roll.
The Speaker announced that since the adj
iOUrnment three members had come for
ward and been sworn in.
Mr.. W. ". Carlass, Of Webster, an
uOALlLEA Nal1L llC hlNA4 AClit-LALEE ILlE 4t-1l
existence Of the Hahn House.
The Speaker called for those members |
entitled to seats TO step forward and be |
sworn in, and Mr.. Carlass was among the |
first. All the other Conservative members |
took the oath.
The Speaker then announced there was |
question Of membership regarding the |
parish Of st. Landry. The Returning |
L. /
the parish, a contestant. having been re- |
turned, and 1t 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 re- |
ceiving the smallrst number Of votes. This |
action shut ont Mr.. Vidriune.
4 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 business.
Carrying Out the Adjustment.
Mr.. Matthews offered the following res
Olution:
Whereas, P. R. Beasley and E. F. |
Dugas, of the parish Of Assumption; Jas |
Bryce, Of the parish Of Bienyille; J. +. |
Scales and Chas. Schuler, of the parish Of /
DeSOto; E. Kidd, of the parish Of Jackson; |
Jas. JeffrieS, X. &. Luckett and q. W. |
HofOrd, of the parish of Rapides; Edward /
McCallum and w. II. Keys, Of the parish /
Of TeIrebOnne: and George o. Kelly, from /
the parish Of Union, respectively, claim that /
they were elected at the last general cleo
tiOn in this State to seats in this House /
from their respective parishes, but that said
seats were not awarded them by the Re /
turning Board; therefore, be il
Resolved, that the Committee on Elec-
tiOns and Qualifications be directed to in
qUire into the validity Of said claims re-
spectiVely 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 q call
for the yeas and nays, by vote Of 04 to >
The resolution was then unanimously
adopted.
This resolution covers the ground of the
award, as far as the House is concerned.
The committee will doubtless report in
favor Of seating them.
A communication was received from the
clerk of the National House Of Representa-
tives, inclosing the preamble and resOlu-
tions adopted relative to Louisiana, includ-
ing the resolution recognizing Kellogg as
Governor. The communication was re-
ferred to the same committees, and ordered
spread upon the minutes OF the House.
Mr.. Stewart (colOred) wanted to know if
the award was before the House.
The Speaker informed the member that
he, as Speaker, did not know anything
about the award.
Mr.. Stewart-Ain't we sitting under the
award?
The Speaker-No, We are sitting under
a call Of the Governor and under the Con
stitutiOn.
Mr.. SteWart-Then l move to have a
committee Of three appointed to wait upon
the Governor, and to bring the award be-
fore the House.
Several veto messages were received from
the Governor, after which the House ad-
jOurned until tomorrow noon.
AIr. Wheeler was in Gov. kellOgg's pTi-
vate office during the greater part of the
day, doing everything in his power to make
the compromise a success,
YetOes by Gov. kellogg.
NEW ORLEANS, April l4.-The Cover