Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1878-04-17
The Legislature Defended.

made q speech just before the ad'
journment of the Legislature, in
which he summed up tho reform
labors of the Legislature and seems
to have proven satisfactorily that
the Democratic administration and
Legislature have saved the State
over three million dollars. We re.
greet that we have not the space to
publish in full the speech of Mr..
White. We have no reason to be-
lieve that his statements and fig.
ures are untrue. Indeed we have
not at present all the data before
us to aid in examination of the
question.
In order to give hearing to
Legislators side of the question we
append the following extract from
the speech of the Honorable Sena-
tor. After going exhaustively in
the reduction in all departments of
the State government, tho cities
and parishes of the State, he con-
cludes with the following summing
up:
In my examination of the lcgisla.
ton at large, have hitherto made
reference to constitutional difficul-
ties in the way of greater reduction.
Sir, this also has been remedied,
and whilst do not now propose to
reopen discussion as to the wisdom
of calling convention or amending
the constitution, l desire TO say that
the course pursued in submitting
amendments to the people is that
which was adopted, if my memory Is
correct, by all our sister Southern
States, at least, until they had pass
ell by several years from the mists
of reconstruction. Their example
we have found worthy of imitation.
We have thought that the part of
wisdom, as well as the part Of expe.
diency, dictated that we should not
open up new struggle until time
had cured many of the evils under
which we suffered; until. forgetting
the miseries gone by, we would be
engaged rather in lOokidg to an aus
picious future than in meditating on
IA suffering past. BE this as it may,
the amendments proposed strike out
many evils, prevent the occur.
renee of wrong and make salutary
restrictions. They extend the veto
power to the limit to which it has
been advanced in the most recent
we'll digested constitutions. They
remodel the judicial department;
: thew restrain the Legislature, in as
complete a manner as any constitu-
ton i'm the American Union. They
mako the sessions of the General
+ Assembly biennial and modify the
. constitutional compensation in &C
, cordance with the experience OF our
own and sister States. They will, il
adopted, afford the means of econo
4 MIXING from 100000 to s225,OOt
t per annum.
Sir, the review which l have
1 made, ! have endeavored to state
= with all the fairness possible. TIT
!, figures to which | have referred ART
!. ali, whether estimated or not. if no
literally accurate, correct substan
TALLY. If error there be in them, j
J. is inviting. Necessarily, in man.
instances, have referred to 1871
:, as the legislation OF 1873 is not, II
IL the matter of appropriations, ye
Q. perfected. -,
D. l know it will he said that tn
N fruits of the reductions to which
" have referred should be made man
fest BY a decrease in the rate (
taxation. The tax rate has bee
~ reduced one and a half mills for tn
= year, which is a reduction of mol
u than one third total general fun
IT taxation, the remainder being di
Id tributed as follows:
bo Five and one.half mills intere'
tax.
80 Two mills school tax.
he Three mills levee tax.
of Thus leaving q mills for the ge
20 eral fund for this year. rms rate
ite taxation is practically lower thu
Tia before the war. In 1856, 1857, 1S'
of and 1859, the general fund taxati'
ma was II mills upon an assessme
of s35S, OOO, 900 in lS56;Aand S37
III a., onn e, r0ST xyh;lo thio yaar IL