The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-06-26
THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMEND
MENTS.
AMENDMENT NUMBER FIVE.

| AMENDMENT NUMBER FIVE.
The Governor shall receive q salary
of seven thousand dollars per annum,
payable quarterly, on his own warrant.
Strike out article fifty Sky
AMENDMENT NUMBER SIX.
The Lieutenant Governor shall re-.
ceive a salary which shall he double
that OF member of the General
Assembly.
(Str'ke out article fifty -seven.)
These two Amendments propose
to reduce the annual expenses of the
State government about three thous-
and dollars and, taken by themselves,
are Of no particular Importance, but
as forming one of a series of reduc-
lions, they indicate the general de-
sire for reform. 1t was part of the
policy of the Radicals, while they
were in possession of our State, to
make as many Offices as possible and
pay as large salaries as they could.
The Office of Lieutenant Governor,
while held by the little bullet-headed
negro, Antoine, with its salary and
perquisltes, was worth about ten
thousand dollars per annum.
The salary of the Governor, as
proposed in amendment number FIVE,
is one of the most liberal paid by
any of the States and is largely in
excess of that paid by majority of
the States. We are, however, in ia
vor of paying fair salaries to all off
GERS, so as to place them within
reach of all. The effect of low sala.
ries for high offices is to give the Of
fees to rich men, because men with.
out money cannot support themselves
on the salaries with increased
expenses.
AMENDMENT NUMBER SEVEN.
Every bill which shall have passed
both houses shall be presented to the
Governor; if he approve it. he shall
sign it; if he does not, he shall return
it, with his objections, to the house in
which it originated, which shall enter
the objections at large upon it's Jour
nal, and proceed to reconsider it. If,
after such reconsideration, two thirds
Of all the members present in that
House shall agree to pass the bill, it
shall be sent, with the objections, to
the other House, by which it shall like
wise be reconsidered, and if approved
by two-thirds of the members present
in that House, it shall he law. But
in such cases the vote of both Houses
shall be determined by yeas and nays,
and the names Of members voting for
or against the bill shall be entered
npon the journal of each House respec-
lively. If any hill shall not be re-
turned By the Governor within five
days after it shall have been presented
to him. it shall he q law, in like man.
ner as it he had signed it, unless the
General Assembly, by adjournment,
prevent its return; in which case,
within thirty days, the Governor shall
file the same, with his affections
thereto, in the Office of the Secretary
of State, and give public notice there
Of; otherwise it shall become a law,
rs if he had signed it. The Secretary
of State shall communicate said objec-
tinns and bill SO deposited to the
Honse in which it originated on the,
first day of til meeting of the next
General Assembly, who shall act upon
the same as ABOVE provided. The
Governor shall have power to veto one
or more ite,us in any bill appropriating
money, embracing distinct items,
while approving other portions of the
bill, and the part or parts of tho bill
approved shall BE- law. and the item or
items disapproved shall he voil, I'M
less repassed according to the rules
and limitations prescribed for the
passage of other bills over the Coy
ernor's Veto
(Strike out article sixty -six.)
This Amendment proposes to cor
rect one Of the most fragrant abuses
of power ever claimed and exercised
by the Radicals, even in tue height
of their corrupt rule in Louisiana.
The Constitution of 1868 fixed no
time at which the Governor should
approve the bills passed by the Leg
islature, and it was the custom of
both Warmoth and Kellogg to hold
up bills with money in them until
they we're paid for their approval
Parties desiring to establish mo-
nopoly, such as the Lottery, the
Sugar Sheds, the Slaughter House,
Ship Island Canal aud other jobs OF
that nature, first bribed the men,
bers Of the two Houses and bought
its passage through them, and then
bribed the Governor and bought his
approval. The omission to limit the
time in which the Governor should
approve or veto bill, gave to War
moth and Kellogg an unusual power,
which they did not fail to use to
their pecuniary advantage.
Nor was this the only evil to be
corrected bv tbis Amendment II