The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1878-06-06
We publish the following article
by request of a citizen from Bag
dad, La:
Mileage and Reform.
LAFAYETTE Advertiser, Feb. 2, 1875

Lafayette Advertiser, Feb. 2, 1878. |
Article 80 of the Constitution reads
ms follows: 1.-The members of the Gen
ersll Assembly shall receive from the
public treasury compensation for
their services which shall be eight dol
lars per day during their attendance,
going to, and returning from the SEES
sions, to their respective houses. This
compensation may be increased, or d.
minished by law, butno alteration shall
take effect during the period of service
Of the members of the House of Repre-
sentatives by which such alterations
shall have been made" The law en-
acted In 1872 provides, that the com
pensation shall he eight dollars per day,
and declares that every thirty miles or
fraction thereof, from the domicil of
the member, to the State House, shall
be computed rs one days travel. going
and coming, for which the members
shall receive eight dollars per day, and
also, twenty cents per mile going and
coming. This law also fixes fictitious
distances to each parish.
The distance to this parish is pnt
down at $50 miles. Under that law of
1872, this distance entities our member
in the House of Representative to pay
for nine days to go to New Orleans and
nine days to return home from there,
making Sl44, which added to the mile
age of twenty cents, 500 miles going
and coming. makes 81 total Of 1914. The
actual distance from here to New Or
II. I o,,.1
is more than ample time to go and re-
turn. The only compensation allowed
or contemplated by the Constitution is
eight dollars per day, and four days
would be S32 instead of S244. This
salary grab in favor of members, from
other parishes. is still more extravagant
and outrageous.
The attempt made to amend the act
of 1872. to make it conform to the Con
stitIltion, was defeated in the House of
Representatives by the votes of the fol-
lowing members:
Bridger, Burton, Brown, Barron,
Barrett, Bosley, Brooks, Brice, Carlos,
CafVille, Como, Cole, Detiege, Drnry,
burden, Dayries, Drew, Dickinson,
Desmarais, D'Avy, Dejoie, Duke, Fobb,
CAN'T, Gary Gaskins, Gillespie, Gra-
Glen, Hill of Ascension, Holt, Ham
nlond, r. NJ, johnson. Robert John
son, Keeting, Kelly of Winn, Kidd,
Leonard of Caddo, Lewis. Magloire,
Martin, Means, Miion, Nnnez, Peralta,
Pitts, Richardson, Rouion, Randolph,
Role, Raby, Souer, Singleton. Self,
Snaer, Semmes Stagg, Sellers, Toiiver,
nN<xla. UnAV.i,1nc on
Watson, Washbnrn, Walker, Wood,
Wilde, and Young of Claiborne.
The amendment proposed was essen
TALLY measure of reform and retrench-
ment and was intended to repeal the
unjust and obnoxious features of the
law, inflicted upon the State by an un-
scrupnlous and corrupt Radical majori-
ty. The reasons, or rather pretexts,
given by those who voted against the
measure, viii not be accepted by the
taxpayers and people of the State.
The Democratic Conservative party is
pledged to establish thorough and sub
stantial reforms. and to correct abuses
of all kinds, and the legislators or other
agents, who fail to do their duty to-
wards redeeming these pledges, will be
disowned and repudiated by the party
The people, and not the politicians,
constitute the party, and they expect
and will exact fair and honest execu-
ton of their wishes. Those legislators
who voted to pocket the money allowed
by that Unconstitutional and infamous
act of 1872, will be held to strict &C
connt by their constituents. The peo-
.,tln o..o s,ro.,coo and ara IN 1aa,, oct
in their determination to obtain reform
and retrenchment in all matters and in
every detail