The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-01-25
ACT NO. II OF 1877.


body.
Mr.. Wainoths speech seems to have beer
the leading feature Of the wrangle. The ok
| Governor was sarcastic, witty and audacious
He Is not a man given to bushes and ht
seems as little troubled by gualns Of con
science az If he were Mephistopbeles himself
| Referring to the opposition of 50 many Demo
| Gratis 10 the repeal Of the scailalous act No
III Of 1872 Gov. Warmoth said In substance
that, "as Governor Of Louisiana he signed the
bill. 1t was one Of the choice fruits of his
much abused administration. Surely IL must
he good act, since seventy-two members Of
| the Legislature, composed of majority Of
| reform Democrats, are willing and anxious to
draw the pay for which 1t provides. He was
| quite sensitive, he said. on this score. He felt
| particularly soietuus to have the measures
of his administration come fresh and green
down tho smooth course of time to be appre-
| clated and Endorsed by the great, pure and
now triumphant Democratic party Of re-
trenohment and reform"
There IL bitter sarcasm In these words not
entirely undeserved. We freely concede that
act No. II Of 1872 has been sustained BY
Democrats with more earnestness and aspet-
ity than Is pleasing 10 us or promising to the
great cause of reform But we most emphat-
icaly denounce the assertion that Gov. War
moth has found In the Democratic party any
endorsement Of this or of any of the other In
iquitous measures % bis proiligate administers
tion. We trust that no Democratic member
of the Legislature has lifted up his voice TO
affirm, or cast his vote to maintain the justice
or prupriety Of the act In question. If there
he does NOT represent In that respect any con
siderable portion of his constituency.
The Democratic members Of the LeglsIa-
ture who oppose The several bills introduced
for the purpose of abolishing the act Of 1872.
for having signed which the Ex-Governor
SO wttily and complacentlv congratulates
himself, base their opposition entirely upon
constitutional grounds. Article 40 Of the con
stitution teads as follows
The members Of the General Assembly shall
receive from the public treasury compensa-
ton for their services which shall he $s per
day during their attendance, going TO and re-
turning from the sessions of their respective |
houses. This compensation may be Increased |
or diminished by law, but no alteration shall |
take effect during the period Of service Of |
of the House Of Representatives by |
which such alteration shall have been made |
Now the constitutiunality Of an act TO re- |
peal the act OF 1872. or to modify ii 40 rs 10 /
deprive the members Of the present Legisla- |
lure of the money or any part Of the money
which it accortis them, depends (conceding |
that there Ia distinction between compensa-
zion and reimbursement of travelling er-
ion, whether the extraordinary constructive
mileage provided for in the scapdalous act Of
1879 WAS intended to increase the compenaa-
ION of members. or to reimburse their actual
travelling Expenses. We think there can be
10 doubt that the purpose of the gang of plum
lerers who passed the act was TO increase the
1t Ia absurd to cay that
he object was simply to reimburse the
members theirs travelling expenses. The M
,er day allowed In the constitution was
imply sufficient for that, and there was not q
member OF the Legislature who could not travel
Il leisure, with tirst-class accommodations,
nary allowance for mileage made by the act
hows that the object was an increase Of com
ensation; the history OF the corrupt body
1hich proposed IT, Of the protligate admin
'tration which made 1t law; of the
of the times In which it was enacted,
,aves no doubt that the object Of It's passage |
'as, under that clause Of the article of the con
titution which we have quoted. which permits
he compensation to be decreased or increased &
y law to plumber the treasury for the benefit {
the swarms of half-saNages and {
ogues whom Federal bayonets and War e
loth's ballot-box suffers sent to New
,rleans as members OF the Louisiana
legislature, The great men of the
republican party, the leading rogues, the {
cad plunderers, the statesmen Of the era of
ublic crime and iniguity were here always in {
10 midst of the spoil accum ulated through the
* -gatherers. Day i'm and day out. month
tier month, from year to year, they were in | t
10 ring with their arms shoulder deep in the I
nblic treasury, organizing their rings and I
onopolies. selling and squandering the fran
lises ofthe State, and taking bribes from the !
Oldest and best" They were the kings and q
rinces of the golden age of Radiealism But I
ley were generous princes. considerable chiefs {
The hewers of wood and drawers of water |
the parishes; the "nigger" politicians, the
nported rogles who organized the "nigger :.
,te' and became members of the General
ssembly had to be provided for. Eight dol
rs per day for sixty or seventy days WAS not |
Efficient, apd so act No. IL Of 1872 was passed
+ their benefit Its extraordinary allowance :,
mileage and its apparent discrimination
yainst city members are made plain by this .
story Of it.
The act is, In our opinion, constitutional. !;
we have a constitution, and under the pres
IT. constitution, If 1t be II constitution, can
1T be repealed or modified 30 as to deprive :,
10 members of the present session of any !.
art of the compensation provided for un-
sr IL.
Wesee nothing, however in all this discuss |,
on on which Gov. Warmoth can congratulate n
msclf; the iniquitous act Of 1s72is the crea- |;
on of himself and his party; and the consti- II
tion which pins it upon the State for an n
her year Is their work also. Both are d
rises the era of crime and profligacy has t