The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1877-11-28
SOME MEASURES OF REFORM.

The Session of our Legislature,
which is to commence on the first
Monday of January, will have many
important duties to perform, and viii!
have an opportunity to make for it,
self creditabe and enduring record
for efficiency and zeal in the cause Of
reform. An overburdened and tax
ridden people look to it for. relief
from many Of the wrongs they have
suffered under eight years of radical
misrule, and they will be content
with nothing short Of genuine, sub
stantial reform. There is majority
of the peoples representatives in
both branches of the Legislature,
and any division of sentiment that
may stand in the way of reform, if
any such should occur, will be visit
ed heavily upon the heads of those
who may refuse or neglect to heark-
en- to the peoples demand for relief.
The time will at best be short in
which to do the work expected and,
as both houses are already organized,
it is a matter of necessity that the
two houses should get to work at
once and work with will the whole
of the sixty days session. First and
foremost Of all questions, the inter
ests of the people demand an over
hauling of the whole subject of taxa
ton, which seems to be unnecessari
ly heavy. The remission of all pen
alties except eight per cent. was a
relief, but fourteen and one half mills
appears to be more than is requisite
for the proper administration of the
State government, and the commits
sions and expenses of collecting it
are too much. The fees and salaries
of officers are too large, and should
be regulated so as to give the officers
a fair living, but at the same time to
put the processes of Court within
the reach of poor litigants who are
now practically denied the benefits
of the law, by reason of the expense
attending a resort to the Courts.
The present jury law, which seeks
to cheaper the criminal expenses, by
cutting down the officers fees one
half, and by refusing pay to witness
es and jurors, should be repealed,
and fair and intelligent system
substituted for the present unjust
one. 1t was unfortunate that such
law should have been passed and put
into operation just at this time,
when we had regained possession of
the Courts, and it was 80 necessary
to rigidly enforce the criminal law.
They will find themselves hampered
by hostility to the present jury law,
which is unjust to jurors and
witnesses.
1t was the uniform policy Of the
radicals in this State to increase the
number of offices and they have
made many useless and some expen-
sive ones. The abolition of the Of
fce of Public Administrator by the
last Legislature was step in the
right direction, and should be fol-
lowed up until every Office not abso-
lutely necessary has been done away
with. A new and just fee bill for
Sheriffs, Clerks, Recorders and Nota-
ries should be passed. The expenses
Of criminal prosecutions has been
heavy burden upon the Parishes, but
with proper judges upon the Bench
that matter would regulate itself.
The huge and unjust monopolies
created by the radicals, such as the
Lottery Company, the Sugar Shed
Company, the Slaughter House Com
pany, the Private Market Bill and
others, should be repealed at once,
no matter if Generals Early and
Beauregard are associated with the
Lottery Company. The fair name
of our State demands that these
disgraceful measures should be re
moved from tie Statute books.
1t is left to the Legislature by the
Constitution to regulate the Judicial
Districts and they should be reor-
ganized at once. Four or five of
them may be done away with entire
ly and all of them. enlarged, so as to
keep the Judges and District Attor-
neys at work at least ten months out
of the year. 1t would materially
help in this Encouragement of the
Districts to abolish some Of the
Parishes made by the radicals to re-
ward their friends and restore the
old lines.
These are measures of reform