The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-10-23
REF0RM-FACTs AND FIGURES.


A writer in6.le last number of NJ
the People, over the signature OF
Paul Pry," seeks by disingenuous
comparisons of facts and figures, to
bring discredit upon the retrench
ment and reform policy of our last
two sessions of the Legislature. He
must have been INDUCING in Rip
Van Wrinkle sleep Of almost twenty
years, if he does not know how to &C
count for the increased expenses Of
1877 and 1878 over those of 1855
and 1859, or he has garbled these
particular items in order to mislead
the public. 1t is a we'll known fact
that the per diem and mileage of the
Legislature before the war were
smaller by half than arter the acces.
sion of the Republicans into power
in this State. Besides, the repre-.
sentation was smaller then than now
the enfranchising of the negroes
increasing the numbers entitled to
representation in both houses of our
Legislature. =
He passes very adroitly over the
heavy burdens imposed upon our
people by the spoliatory acts of the
odious Radical Legislature during
this interregnum, all of which went
to increase the expenses of our State
government, and hurries on to com
pare the expenses of the Radical
Legislature during its last session
(1S76) with the Nichols Legislature
of 1877 and 1878; and although the
expenses of the regular sessions for
each period we're smaller by $27 1902
and $4,000 respectively, than for
the session with which he compares,
yet he does not appear to notice this,
but Jumps in the extra session Of
each of these last named years in or:
der to swell up the amounts above
that of the regular session Of 1876
He could have stated, if he would
and if be had wanted to tell all the
facts in the case, that when the Nj
cholls Legislature, as he is pleased te
term it, was struggling for existence
and succeeded therein during its ex
ira session, there were great many
contestants for seats among its mem
bers, brought about by the anoma
lous state Of affairs following the &C
lion of the infamous Returning
Board. Most of these contestants
had to be paid, and this helped ,to
swell the expenses of that session.
Why did be not state, if be wanted
to do, the fair and square thing, thai
our Nichols Legislature did, at its
last session, reduce the per diem and
milage OF its .members2-this to go
into effect with the next Legislature.
He also makes a comparison fthe
total receipts and expenditures Of
1855 with those of 1877; another big
jump-like the COW jumping over the
moon. In 1858 there had been no
Radical misrnle to increase 80 heayi-
ly the expenses Of the State govern
ment-no odious Leyee Bills aud
multitudes of other bills of spoila-
ton, which go to increase our taxa
ton and expenses. We would adj
wise ''Paul Pry" to read Senator E.
D. Whites ,speechon "Retrenchment
and Reform of the last Legislature, y
and be will see where it comes in.---
1t will not he necessary for him to
go back to the days of George Wash
ington or Widow Machree to COM
pare with the present time. We
have to deal now with the incubus of
debt left US as a heritage by the now
defunct scallawag and carpet7bag
government of the State.
--.-o~.-
b, A DEAD IssUE.-"We the People:
last week displayed the good, taste
to publish several extracts from the
Caucasian, to the effect that this is a
white mans country and that white
men shall rule it, and seeks to make
the polnt.that the ELEVEN Editors,s
as he is pleased to term it, have
changed front since then. He il
very much mistaken. We maintain
and advocate the doctrine to-day
that the Caucasian did in 1874, tina,
the white people of this country
owning ninety-nine one-hundredths
of the property and very nearly al
the intelligence, ought notand shall
not be subordinate to the negro, with
no property and no intelligence. I'VE
won upon that issue in 1874 1877 4 and y, "
will win upon it again. If "We thu