New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-02-08

fixes the compensation of clerks of the
district courts in this parish at four thou
sand dollars year. There was not much
debate on the clerks bill, but the PROPOSE
ton to limit the civil sheriff to forty thou
sand dollars per annum called out the
Conservative members of the Senate in
strong force.
This debate elected the fact that the
bill requires the civil sheriff to make
monthly reports to the City Council of
all sums received, and the excess over the
amount named in the Law must be turned
over to the city treasury. This limits the
total expense to be paid by the people for
the services of the civil sheriff and his
deputies to forty thousand dollars year.
Mr.. Ogden urged the constitutional OBJ
lection that as the sheriff's compensation
is to be received in fees, and not stated
salary, the Legislature could not put a
limit to the gross amount 1t did not oc-
cur to the Senator to propose to meet this
supposed difficulty by pro rata reduction
Of the several items. The opposition
seemed to proceed from wish to let the
Office remain undisturbed, without max
ing an effort to effect modification.
Other Senators limited vaguely at reduc-
ton of fees, but no practical suggestions
in the way of amendments were proposed.
Senator Grover voted for the Senate bill,
not because he approved it, but because
he was anxious to get it before the House,
where he was satisfied it would receive
such investigation as it deserves"
Here, then, is sample of the sort of
reform which may be expected from the
Democracy. In all matters of patronage
which are enjoyed and controlled by the
Republicans, they are ready to apply the
pruning knife with unsparing rigor. The
police and public schools are to be put on
the lowest regimen consistent with pos
sible existence; little or no provision is to
be allowed for public printing; tax col
wages, and a general policy of economy
which might well be mistaken for parsimo-
ny introduced in conducting allpublic bust
ness, except that which is regarded as safe
for the Democracy. Let the hair ola Dem
ocratic official be threatened, or his pecu-
mary interests endangered. and there is a
very lively commotion all along the line.
The leaders do not like to see patronage
alienated from the political household,
and do all in their power to prevent it.
Practically, We know very little about
the receipts and expenses Of either the
cl erks' or the sheriff's offices. We have
n ever seen an estimate, founded upon
statement from the books of either, which
throws any light on the Subject. But al
ays about election time, we know that
these positions constitute an important
item in the political pools A penniless
nominee for either, especially for sheriff,
receives ample credit for all pur-
poses of party assessments and the many
small and great expenses inseparable from
an election. We have known clerks of
court who went into Office poor, come out
in four years the owners of handsome
and not word ever said against
their integrity, even by political OPP
ponents. Furthermore, it is generally
conceded in political circles that the
clerkship of a district court is petty
affair alongside Of the civil shrievalty.
These things alone, about which there |
can be no doubt, are enough to satisfy
anybody who cares to examine the SUBJ
ect, that these parochial officers are over
paid When man can afford to spend |
IS much in running for an Office as
would pay the salaries Of two or three |
book-keepers in a store, an
insurance company or bank, we think |
be has reasonable expectation of salts |
factory return for his outlay. The bonus |
thus paid for an Office might easily be
saved to litigants, and the incumbent be |
none the worse off for it. Those who OBJ |
lect to the two bills, however, are unwil-
ling to relinquish these sources Of revenue
which supply the party fund. 1t is not
exactly the sort of reform they ara after.
Anything which transfers an advantage |
from Republican to Democrat is regu-
lar and in order 1t is in accord with the |
fitness of things; but, gentlemen of the |
Senate, hands off from the political ad- |
herents of this one-sided reform party, if |
you please. If you pass bills to denude |
their Offices of the expected profits, the |
House is ez ecte to set them right. And |
30 the work of reform threatens to come |
to naught for want of sincerity.
MR.. GIBsON'S LEVEE BILL.
We have received from Washington a
printed copy of the bill just introduced in |
Congress by Mr. Gibson to appropriate |
money to rebuild the Mississippi levees.
Five million TWO hundred and fifty thousand
dollars is named as the amount required.
This is a great sum, but not greater than |
the interests involved. 1t is proposed in |
the bill that the work shall be done and
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