The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-07-20
THE NEW ORLEANS DEMOCRAT, SUNDAY, july 2o 1879

b NEW ORLEANS DEMO-
!, Warmott, Williams OF Grant, Young OF Con
cOrdia--18.
Less than q majority OF all the Delegates
elected to the Convention having voted In The
affirmative, the President declared the ordi
nance lost.
From this decision Mr.. Robertson appealed
The President stated the reasons for his
decision, quoting the following rule OF the
/ Convention:
| RULE 36. The yeas and nays on the fna
passage Of any ordinance or proposition to be.
come q provision In the new constitution shall
| be taken and recorded and no ordinance shall
be passed unless O majority OF all the mem.
bers elected to the Convention arc recorded az
voting In the affirmative.
The question was put:
"shall the decision Of the Chair stand ae
the judgment Of the Convention, the appeal
therefrom by the gentleman from ST. Landry
notwithstanding 7"
Before the vote was taken. Mr.. MeGloin
moved that the appeal be laid upon the table,
which motion prevailed, and the decision Of
the Chair was sustained.
The following named members, by unani-
nous consent, had permission to record in
the journal the reasons for their respective
votes on Ordinance No. 429:
| We, the undersigned Delegates, offer the
| following explanation for our votes on the
third reading OF Ordinance No 429, relative to
/ the State debt:
/ 1. Our votes are cast In the affirmative be-
cause, after d long and arduous struggle, we
are convinced that the ordinance affords the
best terms for the holders OF the consolidated
1 ,do ftuf tlf,r ay,y ff5frrr III r.,
2. Because we deem 1t proper to offer some
terms on which an adjustment of the debt
may be arrived at rather than to leave the
matter In greater doubt and uncertainty.
While we concur In the above views we do
| not feel that such terms MS would be entirely
satisfactory to the bondholders on the one
hand, or within the ability of the State to offer
! On the other. have been accorded by the ordi-
nance.
| We still adhere to our original conviction
g three per cent bond for live years, and q
| four per cent bond TIL .reafter, with an annual
tax Of three mills, would be- both within our
means to pay and satisfactory to the holders
OF the State consols.
IN voting for the ordinance we do not intend
that it's acceptance by the Convention in
wolves or implies an acceptance by the bond
holders.
We leave It's acceptancs entirely to the
vOlltion Of the boDdholders.
JOHN PHELPS,
HENRY T. KERNOGHAN,
HUGH BREEN,
JOHN CHAFFE,
THOS. j. sEMMES,
d. CAFFREY,
WIN. A. BELL,
GUS. A. BREAUX.
Reasons Of Mr.. Byrne:
Mr.. President Prior toand since the assem-
bling Of this Convention. gave this matter
OF the State debt my serious and thoughtful
consideration. | examined and studied close
ly and critically the Auditor and Treasur-
er,s reports for the past years reviewed the
origin, composition and action OF the Funding
Board, and from every source possible gath
cred in all the information obtainable upon
the point at Issue.
As the result OF my investigation discov-
cred that debt OF six millions Of dollars had
In about eight years time been increased to
forty millions Of dollars; that 50 fragrant and
VIGOROUSLY Infamous was the manner Of it's
creation that It's authors acknowledged its IL
legality and fraudulency, and of their own
motion proposed to and did scale the amount
forty per cent-thus contrasting their own
eriminality and maifeasance in office-but |
still leaving to the taxpayers OF Louisiana, as |
q memento Of Radical domination, the present |
so-calied debt Of twelve millions Of dollars
then took 8 careful survey Of the State to |
SET what could find to represent the millions |
Of money that had been spent by the State |
authorities Ia the name and for the benefit Of
the people. Whether from imperfection OF |
Vision or mental inability to comprehend, |
failed to observe even the most insignificant |
evidence OF eli honest. economical and Judi |
cious Investment Of the States funds. There |
were no railroads or canals built to open up |
new avenues Of trade, To bring business en- |
ployment and prosperity to the people, there |
were no levees constructed or repaired to pro-
tect from overflow and devastation the |
fairest and most productive portions Of |
our grand old commemorative there were no |
public buildings, with their towering spires, |
lofty dOmes, Or modest turrets, giving evil |
dence OF returning thrift and some sense Of /
State pride. Nothing met the view but one |
unbroken waste Of deserted fields, abandoned
homes, diapidated and suffering institutions,
unemployed and starving people, business
PROSTATE, cOmmercs stagnant progress ar
rested and financial bankruptcy and ruin
through the lend.
but believe that this deplerable gloomy and |
painful condition Of Louisiana must be the
result Of the most barefaced prostitution Of
power, the most flagrant violation Of public
faith, the most shameful abuse of sacred |
trusts, and the most UNANIMOUSLY corrupt ap-
plcation of the peoples money.
The dark suspicion grew In my mind that
the wealth Of the State and the substance Of
the people had been absorbed and consumed
by q reckless horde OF mara'lders, whose sole
object was spolation, and whose watehword
was "booty." In the guise of the law and
under It's name and authority they ruthlessly
plnndered the people. Otherwise there could
not have been that wide discrepancy between
the tribute paid b. the people to the govern
ment and the material benefits received by
them In return for their forced contribution. /
felt then that II others had thus considered the
situation as / had done, they would "take
up arms against this sea Of troubles, and, by
opposing, end them Failing In the effort
to trace to legitimate source the foundation
Of this enormous debt or to ascertain the
consideration for which the bonds
pnrport to have been issued, and with grave
aroused that a diabolical scheme
had been concocted to deliberately and
Systematically rob the treasury, resolved,
Mr.. President, to pursue my Investigations In
another direction. Then bethought myself
Of the bitter and ceaseless denunciations of
the Warmoth and Kellogg administrations
that daily filled the columns OF the Demo-
cratic press Of the State. Carpet-bagger and
thief were the inseparable. epithets with the
"a mes Of these ex- Z inxerunrs "A lleQatinns Of |