The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-09-20
THE CONSTITUTIONAL sMEN!l-
MENTS.

raj Assembly for pay of members
and their officers and employees and
ali contingents to one hundred and
seventy-five thousand dollars, &nd
fixes the per diem of members at five
dollars and the mileage at tEenty
cents for each mile of sctu&l distance
from Court House of their respec-
tive Parishes to the Capitol.
One of the sessions since the State
has been in the hands Of the RAdi-
calls cost three-quarters of millian.
In 1870 quarter of a million WEI
appropriated to pay the ordinary e&-
penses of the Legislature on the 10th
of January, and that vas exhausted
so sooa that another quarter OF a
million vas appropriated for some
purpose on 2sth Of February o. same
year. 1t is known that some meth
bers computed mileage By circuisous
routes, drew per diem from the day
they started from home, and demon
strated the need OF some such
amendment as the above 10 stop like
practices in future. In 1860 the
Legislature appropriated one hun
dred thousand dollars TO pay its ex-
penses and that is the largest ever
made before the war.
I'd Amendment provides that the
Governor cannot sign a bill after
! twenty days have elapsed from the
adjournment of the Legislature
Under Radical pule, both WarmotL
and Kellogg have held up bills ios
special anil often wicked purposes,
and signed them at any time during
the year they thought fit. The prac'
tice is pernicious, and is not believed
to be legal, and this amendment is
needed to put a stop to it finally
Hereafter all bills must be signed
during the session or within twenty
days from it's adjournment, and ii
would have been still better if the
old practice and principle had been
re established Of not permitting any
bill to be signed wieH the Iegisla.
ture is not in session. Such is the
rule in Congress and in every State
except New York, California, and in
Radical times Louisiana.
Sd Amendment abolishes the Par
ish Courts which saves one hundred
and thirty-two thousand dollars eve
ry year, that ',eing the sum appro-
priated TO pay the salaries Of the
Parish Judges, anG cata down The!
salary of the District Judges to fous
thousand dollars, thus saving nine
teen thousand dollars more, making
reduction OF one hundred and fifty
one Thousand dollars in the annual
expenses Of The State by the adop-
ton Of this amendment. No doubt
when We get 6 new Constitution, a
Judiciary system will be framed bet
ter adapted TO oup wants than that
we have now, or that we shall have
after the adoption OF this amend
ment, but by its adoption We gel ria
OF a nuisance, and an expensive nui-
sance which has never been of any
use except to give twenty-five hun
dred dollars g year OF the peoples
money TO some one in each Parish
who couldn't make that much in any
other way.
4th reduces the Governor salary
from eight to six thousand dollars,
and the 9Th prohibits the Treasurer,
Auditor Attorney General and Dis
trict Attorneys from receiving any
fees OF perquisites. As all Of these
officers are provided With salaries,
the prohibition againsS perquisites
is not unjust, and is is necessary to
prevent extortiop, the fees exacted
by Auditor and Treasurer since 1868
being as much OF more than 5heir
salaries.
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