The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-03-26

annually Is S15,OO0. Inc WnOle feglSCraGlOn
Gates OF registration abolished; In the city
simpler provisions rendered operative. An
estimate Of the saving to the State alone by
the new registration law amounts TO- $2o, 600.
beeye Mr. fsae ater snd
ton laws exist in this Union than the ones
placed upon the statute book by this General
Assembly-laws drawn with the sole object
of allowing free expression and just ascer
tainment Of the will Of the people.
JURIEs.
The jury system of the State has been re-
vised and security thrown around the selec-
ton of jurors so as to purify and facilitate
the administration Of justice.
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR.
This useless office has been abolished in the
country parishes, and in the city of New Or
leans the fees have been materially curtailed
and all the odious features of the former law
removed.
have been re-enacted. The securities
of parochal or municipal officers are
compelled to reside in the parish for
which the officer is elected or appoint
provided for, and giving, of bonds rendered
compulsory by proper legislation. Whilst
thus legislating many odious laws have been
repealed, to numerous TO mention, such as
the law. providing for the calling out OF the
police force of New Orleans as militia; for
the division of land, in case OF sale into lots of
not less than ten nor more than forty acres
1t is true no general reform has been es-
tablished in the purely civil law, but this
subject, as the acts Of the last and this year
privileges, of provisional seizure, of divorce, of
sale OF succession property, OF appeal, OF sale
of property, Of tax on foreign heirs, and of
transfers Of stock have been re-enacted and
snI cn a- fn vic oh In
the criminal law many reforms have been
reached. A comprehensive bribery law, a law
Furnishing the destruction, mutilation or re-
moval Of public records, law regulating and
other allowing the working Of convicts in GER
tain cases, have been enacted. Nor have
works of public improvement been over
looked. The statutes Of 1877 and 1878 will
bear witness to the desire of fostering and en-
couraging works OF public Improvement and
enterprise. / question, Mr.. President, wheth-
er the statute books of any State for
similar time contain as many acts of this
character, and | question also whether in
any OF them the interests of the State and
people have been better guarded than by the
| provisions OF the acts on this subject which
have been passed by this General Assembly.
Whilst mentioning public improvement, see
what, has been en- done as to the levee system Of
| abolished, the tax done away with, the COM
| pany RENTED to the courts as to it's claims,
with a proviso that the claims, even if judi
| cially established, should be paid at the rate
of sixty cents on the dollar, mostly from the
proceeds of the tax already levied. Sir, one
of the most difficult problems to be dealt with
was this one. We found the Levee
Company in possession of fran
chise giving them the right to construct
the levy Of tax OF three mills on ali the
| property therein. This right to last for
twenty-one years from 1871. The work done
| by them to be paid for at the rate of fifty
| cents cubic yard. The company made
claim against the State for Sl,50O,000, or
| Whereabouts, for work which they alleged to
have been done. They made claim to the
arreared tax, and their claim was evidenced
up to 1874 by vouchers, which had been au-
| dited under an act of 1875, and amounted to
| 81, 100000. Under the provisions OF the act of
| 1877, all claims growing out OF this auditing
| and these vouchers were waived. The en-
| tire question was remitted to the courts, not
only SO as to the States liability for work
done, but also as to whether work had been
done, and whether, if done, the contract with
| it imposed any other obligation on the State
| than that of paying over to the levee COM
pany the tax already levied. True, sir, the
| tax under the Levee Company act has con-
| tinued during this year, but it was because
| the company had. under it's charter, antic-
| pated the tax in part. With this year this
| tax disappears, and who can calculate the
benefits resulting to the people by the change
| Having abolished the Levee Company by the
compromise already referred to, in its stead
the Board Of Engineers was organized, saw
ing in salaries alone over the Levee Company
act the sum shown by the following table: