The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-01-10
MESSAGE OF THE GOVERNOR.

Gentlemen of the Senate and House of Repre-
| senatives
| The circumstances under which your
present session opens differ so greatly from
those OF the last few years, that they will at
tract general attention and give rise to uni
versal congratulation throughout the State
and country. A year ago you entered upon
the discharge OF your responsible duties un-
| der difficulties such as have rarely been en-
countered by Legislative body. Not only
had your deliberations to be directed to the
correct solution OF problems of the greatest
gravity and importance, but those delIbera-
tions had to be conducted amidst the feyerish
anxieties which attended the temporary
struggle to resist your rightful authority.
| To-day peace and quiet prevail through
out the State-poltical excitement has
ended; the voice Of the people is every
where respected; the rights Of all are fully
guaranteed; the laws, through the instru-
mentality of the courts, are properly and i'm
partially administered and enforced and in
spite of the unproptious season, which has
disappointed tho expectations of our agricul-
turists and narred to some extent the bright
material prospects Of 1877, there exists q
strong feeling OF hope, relief and content
| among Bill Glasses In LOulS1ann.
The situation is, therefore, favorable for
the prompt dispatch of public business, and
for the calm discussion OF the best mode of
administering the affairs OF the State. Your
iudicious course In the past, and the great
measure of relief which has already resulted
from the same, have caused public hope and
public confidence to be centered on your
action at this session.
/ am satisfied that everything will be
accomplished which the occasion permits.
ATTORNEY GENERAL.
Resulting from the past confusion of pub
lie affairs, tho Attorney Generals Office has
been burdened with great and important
labor, which has, by his own and the AS
sstant Attorney Generals exertions, been sue
ceessfuily conducted.
Your attention is called to any recommend
ations he may make.
SECRETARY OF STATE.
The Secretary of State having submitted
to me his ANIMAL report, transmit 1t to you.
You will observe that he asks attention to
the abstraction from his Office Of the stand
ard weights and measures, provided for un-
der existing laws, which calls for replace
ment therof, proper appropriation on your
part being necessary to that end.
FINANCE.
| The reports OF the Auditor and Treasurer,
not having been submitted, 1t Is impossible
for me to state with certainty the fiscal oper-
ations of the government during the past
year. / shall not, therefore, attempt to do 30.
However, from the information which has
been conveyed to me, 1t seems that the belief
may be justly entertained that all the war
rants issued for the year 1877 will be paid
from the collections made during the year.
The value Of warrants for 1877 has ranged
from ffty-hve cents in March to ninety-nine
seven-eightS In December, and finally par,
which is a marked Improvement over former
years. This fact is largely due to the redue-
tion of expenses and OF the aggregate of ap-
preparations made by you at your last $685.
sion, and is an indication Of what may be an
ticipated from q like course in the future.
The bonded debt is stated fully in the report
of the Board of Ligudators, which has been
duly made. By it you will see that the total
present debt of the State, represented by out
standing consols and fundable certificates is
sued at par in lieu of fractional parts Of bonds,
| is 81, 730 66; amount Of outstanding old
bonds, January /, 1878, SG53,s0 sixty per cent
Of which is S302,2SD; amount Of general fund
warrants outstanding, according to Kellogg S
statement of May 81 1876 ,720 90; sixty
per cent Of which Is $113,232 IS; making u
total of consolidated interestrbearing debt,
when funding shall have been completed, Of
$t1, ,7s5, ,293 q,
Which does not include unpaid interest
| Iua In nd
outstanding interest warrants, amounting,
In all, to about one hundred thousand dollars.
Nor does it include the bonds commonly
known as the Property Bank Bonds, which
the Board OF Liquidation, as will be seen by
their report, have decided to be not properly
| fundable.
| There are a certain number Of interest cou-
pons, matured in past years, which are un-
paid The amount thereof am not able, for
the reasons above given TO state with pre-
cision.
These coupons were not paid, owing to the
insufflcien' collection OF revenue for those
years, and are necessarily claim against
the uncollected interest tax for such years,
which, as it is collected, is applied to their
extinction.
Could they be constitutionally funded into
consols and thus retired, 1t would be meas
ure of wisdom; but this, it seems, under the
constitution, is impossible, and they must
therefore be provided for in some other way.
The assessment for the year will be between
S176,000,0O0 and S1so,000,OO0. The interest on
the consolidated bonds is to be paid from a
levy Of five and one-ha1f mills on that amount.
In consequence of the abstraction of the
books from the Auditors office, it becomes i'm
possible to learn the amount of what Is known
as the floating debt, and the first step to be
taken on the subject is to ascertain it's am ount,
character and classification.
/ would suggest the appointment of COM
mission composed of State officers, or to be se-
lected from your own body, before whom the
holders of any claim OF that nature should be