The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-07-10
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS.

until we have gone through with
them all.
AMENDMENT NUMBER EIGHT.
No officer, whose salary is fixed by
the Constitution, shall be allowed any
fees or perquisites of office.
This Amendment proposes to cor.
rect one of the most fragrant abuses
of the radical regime in this State.
1t was part of their policy of plum.
der to create as many officers as they
possibly could, and to pay high sala.
ries and allow exorbitant fees and
perquisites besides the regular sala.
ries. Their purpose was to get all
out of the people they could, and their
party was held together by the cohe
sive force Of plumber and robbery.
We are in favor of paying all officers
a fair salary while performing public
service, but no one should grow rich
out Of taxes paid by the people. We
imagine that there can be no objec-
tion to this Amendment.
AMENDMENT NUMBER NINE.
The judicial power shall be vested
in a supreme court in district courts,
and in justice of the peace. The dis
trict courts shall have original juris,
diction in all civil cases where the
amount in dispute exceeds one hun
dred dollars, exclusive of interest. In
criminal cases, and in all probate mat
tiers, their jurisdiction shall be unlimi-
ted. They shall have appellate juris
diction in civil suits from justices OF
the peace, when the amount in dispute
exceeds ten dollars, exclusive of in
terest. The justices of the peace shall
be elected by the electors of each par.
ish in the manner and with the quail
fcations to be determined by the Gen.
eral Assembly. They shall hold office
for the term of two years, and their
compensation shall be fixed by law.
Their jurisdiction in civil cases shall
not exceed one hundred dollars, ex-
elusive of interest, subject to an appeal
to the district court in all eases when
the amount in dispute shall exceed ten
dollars, exclusive of interest. They
shall have such criminal jurisdiction
as shall be conferred by law. The
General Assembly shall have power to
vest in the clerks of the district courts
the right to grant such orders and do
such acts as may be deemed necessary
for the rurtherance of the administra-
ton of justice. In all cases the power
thus granted shall be specified and de.
termined.
(Strike out articles seventy three,
eighty-fve, eighty-six, eighty seven,
eighty eight, ninety one, and one hun.
dred thirty -three.)
This Amendment proposes to abol.
ish the system of Parish Courts,
which was one of the most impor.
tant changes made by the Constitu
ton of 1858. We had tried it before
under the Constitution of 1912 if oul
recollection is correct, and it was
abolished by the Constitution of ls45
The principal objection to the system
is its expense. Many of the parishes
do not pay as much taxes to the
State as the salaries of the Parish
Judges amount to, and in but few
Parishes is there enough probate
business to justify the outlay. The
bulk of the business is moreover min
isterial only, and the Clerks of the
Court can perform them as we'll as ;
Judge. We don't know what may
have been the experience of the Other
Parishes, but in. Rapides such duties
appertaining to the Office of PARISH
Judge as was not merely ministerial
have suffered at the hands of incom
petent men. We have had but ont
lawyer on the bench Of the Parish
Court, and the idea that anybody bu
a lawyer can possibly be Judge i.
preposterous. Without the provist
that the Judge shall be lawyer, thu
system is a farce, and even will
that limitation, the salary is so small
that a lawyer even in moderate prac
tice, can not afford to take the Office
With the four terms per year of thu
District Courts in every Parish pro
vided for by the Eleventh Amend
ment, there is no danger of any neg
lect of probate business. The adop
ton of the system of Parish Courts
in 1868 was part of the plan of thu
radicals to multiply offices so as t,
reward their favorites, and as it il
now part of our policy of reform tt
abolish all useless officers we are il
favor of the Amendment and hop,
that it will be adopted. We will tax,
occasion hereafter to treat of thi
Amendment separately, and shov
more fully how useless the office is
IGROUPs OF SCHOOLS, REsIDEN
i ~ CES, MACHINERY, &C., PHO
| TOGRAPHED IN CITY or COUN
TRY, by A. ALBERT.