The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-01-26
THE NEW ORLEANS DEMOCRAT SATURDAY JANUARY 49, 1878

House. who we're taken to and put In
durance In the Custom House: the departure
Of the Democratic Senators VIII hepupliean
Senators on board OF the United states revenue
cutter Dix and Y rious OTHER cifcumsbah9es
State government Of which he was the head e
as nsa tex S a e9Ry and read
agreement made between certain Republicans,
headed by John Ray, and the Democeratie sena-
every Democrat In the Legislature. except
Messrs. Moneure and Bryan voted Tor act no.
Il of 1879. Hence. he said, the editor Of tne
DEMOCRAT Was in error when he wrote his
article.
Mr.. .Warmoth then asserted that the Demo
OF reform that he did not know whether he
meant now or then he did not say that the oct
Of 1879 gave ~ day to members OF the Legisla-
ture for travelling expenses-eompnting thirty
miles travel as one day-and forty cents mile
besides. This law. he said. gave the members
M P 6s grs orssng g sH wsfe rs
valuable and competent. got only $3.50 for their
services for the same lme. He then shouted
men to de. nounee q law and ACCEPT the money
for which it provides. Away" he said. with
Democratic vested rights"
favor of the bill reported by the committee. HIS
argument was almost entirely 3 legal one, in
which he quoted from the several constitutions
of the State since 1919 TO show that mileage had
been drawn by members Of the Legislature, and
cited peculiar instances where constructive
spectacle Whig and Democratic Legislators.
He also showed that since 1912 the eompensa-
ton Of members had never been increased or
diminished from the constitutional provision.
He gave his views of what he considered re-
trenchmeDt and reform, and said that economy
did not mean parsimony. and could not be
reached by reducing the pay 81 the pages and
employees of the Legislature. He asserted that
the Demoetaio-C onservative party had kept It's
pledge to the people to reduce the expenses OF
the i State government, producing the following
In support of his assertion: .
BY act No. &c Of 1877 the salaries OF the gu
preme Court judges were brought down TO the
amounts fxedi b., the constitution. effeeting u
saving annually of s12.5oo
By act No. IS the salaries OF the parish judges
were reduced to All extent which saves the State
Act No. IS reduces the fees of sheriffs and
clerks In criminal eases In the country parishes
so per cent, saving annually at least s00.0oo.
fine reduction In the expenses Of the free
school department by abolishing the division
superintendents and cartailing other expenses,
offsets an annual saving OF s35 900.
The change In the printing law saves annu
ally at least 100000.
and holding elections has been reduced at least
$50 0g0
The repeal of the levee bill saves in the item
of salaries alone annually $40 600.
The reduction In the assessing and collecting
of taxes Is annually at least 800 900.
The retrenehment in the Land Office saves
BY abolishing fees of witnesses in criminal
cases on committing trial. $50 900.
Reduction OF fees OF clerks in Auditors.
Treasurer's and other departments of the gov
| eminent $4,000.
| Making total of $500
| This. he said, was only about one-half of the
saved e adnhhna and s one @
saved to the State annually by the new order oil
things.
| He then read the following statistics to show
! the profigaey Of the legislation of the Radicals
! In 1B6s-For mileage and per diem. 500 900
State printing. sl25ooo; contingent expenses
| $4,000: total $64t 900.
In 1859 Mileage and per diem, $3.50 900
mileage and per diem and contingent expenses
s75 600: State printing, $4,000: tota. si75 900.
diem, $500 900: extra session-mileage and pei
diem, s75 900; printing, 100000; total, so75.ooO
In 1s71-Mieage and per diem. $500 900: con
tingent expenses st25, 600: printing and adver-
Using, s250.ooo; total. $4,000
In 1879 Mileage and per diem, 1885,. 1923 ~
extra observation-disclosures and per diem. $4,000
State printing and reporters of newspapers
size, 200; total, s4s7 023 AZ.
And now it was proposed by the bill he sup
Of the General Assembly. After speaking o
the difficulty OF equalizing the com pensation o
the legislators, Mr. Young closed by advisinf
the House to vote against Mr.. Bushs substi
Mr.. Bush took the floor and began by asking
Mr.. Young whether since, 1912 any statute hat
| been enacted giving to the members the three
| eompe Stations granted in the act of 1872
Mr. Young replied that, as he had said q 2 2
| HIST. ne nau not nh6 tltne 10 examine fne sun
utes fully. and That he. had in his argumen
considered only those Of 1872 and its constitu
| tionaity, and not expedients.
| Mr.. Bush then argued in favor OF his substi
| tute. which dos away with the mileage oil the
members, He dwelt particularly on the fact tina
| until 1879 no statutes existed giving the three
compensa ions to members that that statute
| does He did not consider that the compensa
ton OF members was intended to pay then
as hirelings, He held himself higher than the
| position OF q hireliDg: nothing could pay him
He and all the members wei 9 here to serve theil
mistress. the State. and their master. the people
He treated the argument that there was con
which entitled the latter to the compensation
provided for in the act of 1879. as q piece
| of casuistry with which members sought u
| screen their conscien es He argued that, /
| there were contract it entitled the members t
only s. day and 90 cents per mile, according t.
was adopted by the people Mt the last election
| 1t was principle which should pervade tht
! business OF the State az we'll as that Of ndivid
uals. that contract should be adhered to to the
| letter.
The debate being closed. Mr. Bush moved t.
ABOUT the first section of his substitute =,
| Mr. Young. of Claiborne, moved to lay the
motion on the table. Carried-yeas g. nays ST
The original bill OF the committee lin favor o
milssge), was then taken up. read and adopted
section by section. and then considered en-
crossed, and finally passed by vote 81 68 to 81
communication from the State Treasurer
was received. showing the condition OF the
State finances.
| A communication from Mr.. e. B. d. Julio. in
viting the Legislature to visit his studio to see
the portrait OF Gov. Nichols, was received.
The House adjourned
THE SUGAR PLANTERS ASSOCIATION