The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-02-10
assist any laborer who win agpee to emigrate
with portion Of his passSee money.
FINANCIAL DISCRIMINATION OF
THE STATE,

oomIoTt III Inc rel1ectl0n that the attaches
and employees OF the General Assembly will
not be paid, and thinks that Judge Houston
d Co, petitioners, deserve thanks for pro-
ducing this result. But, In Its defense OF the
judges and their Injunction, the Times failed
to note other and more material matters re-
ferred to and resulting from the judicial
assault upon the treasury.
III the Times chuckles over the fact that the
clerks, sergeants-at-arms and porters of the
Legislature have been "done" out Of their
hard earned pay, can 1t restrain Its laugh
when 1t reflects that the three hundred mani
acs in the State Asylum and their nurses and
attendants are also done for by the sweep
ing injunction OF Judge Rogers?
The Injunction order issued by Judge
Rogers at the suit of his judicial brothers de-
prives the Charity Hospital of every dollar of
support voted to it by the appropriation bill.
Insane and suffering humanity are stricken
with like impartiality; the blind and deaf and
dumb are kept away from the treasury until
the constitutional officers have been filled.
Every operation of the State government
connected with its general fund Is paralyzed
except the payment Of salaries to the preferred
class Of judges and other constitutional Of
ficers.
The Governor can be paid his salary, but
not his contingent fund; and his one-armed
messenger and his private secretary must
stand aside from the feast. The Executive
may and has offered rewards for the appre-
hension Of murderers, but they cannot be paid
until the Governor the judges, and the other
preferred officials have been gorged at the
treasury.
The Injunction allows the Treasurer and
Auditor to be paid In full; but, with judicial
severity, their clerks are ordered to stand
aside until their betters have feasted. The
Treasurer and Auditor keep the accounts Of
what Is supposed to be the State treasury,
but which is now In fact only an inSolvent's
assets In the custody Of the courts, and yet
these officers cannot buy pen or bottle of
ink, or single book.
The Secretary of State may draw his salary,
must certify to and make publication OF laws,
an absolute prerequisite to their enforcement,
he must do 1t In spirit OF charity by doing"
the clerks out OF their labor, and the stationer
out Of pen, ink and paper.
Gen. Beauregard the Adjutant General,
and his clerk must work for nothing, as they
do not belong to the preferred class and may
realize that the civil duties OF the staff imply
more privations than the poor Confederacy
imposed, which. at least, was generally able
to provide half rations.
The collection Of the public revenue Is eff
fected by the labor and faithfulness OF many
men; but neither the assessor, who makes
the assessment roll, nor the country news
paper which makes the publications neces-
sary to make 1t legal, nor the tax collector,
who collects the revenue and brings 1t at his
own risk and expense, can receive a single
dollar of the sums paid by or through them
Into the State treasury, until our constitu-
tional aristocracy have been feasted to re-
pletion.
These wonderful results have been attained
In the simplest manner.
Four judges sue, showing, not that the
State owes them a cent for the year 1879,
but that they expect the State will owe them
In 1879 Though the first dollar the State will
owe them will be on the first OF April next,
provided they live so long,, and that, ex-
pe6ing the State to become their debtor on
the first Of April next for one quarters sal
airy, amounting then to only $4,000, they fear
that the General Assembly has appropriated
$3.50, 900 In excess of the revenues of the gen.
eral fund Of 1879, and they therefore ask the
mere triviality Of stopping everybody else
from getting cent OF public money until
they and their constitutional brethren shall
be paid. "Only this and nothing more"
IL a,-,H I'd
without moments hesitation. No ono Is
called In to contest this equitable soiicita-
ton. 1t Is done e1 parte and without mo
ment's delay; and all the sovereignty of
o State and all the control Of the legislative
and executive departments of the govern
ment, even it's finances. are subverted.
In the first place it may be asked, how did
Judge Rogers and his judicial confreres ascer-
tain that there was an excess Of appropria-
tions over the revenues Of the general fund for
1879?
1t Is true that he might take judicial notice
Of the amount of the assessment rolls OF the
State, and calculation would show that the
two and half mills would be under the
amount OF appropriations. But what about
licenses? what judicial knowledge existed to
clearly establish that the revenue from IL
censes would not, when added to the two and
a half mill tax, equal the appropriations? In
fact the unfortunate precpitancy of grant
ing an Injunction OF this character &c parte
and without notice is manifest from the fact
that the license law was only promulgated
three or more days after the Injunction
issued.
But under what clause Of the constitution
does the judiciary Of the State constitute
itself into General Assembly to consider,
one year In advance the revenues and dis
bursenents of the State?
convention Is about to assemble just after
the first quarters salary of the judges, plain
tiffs, becomes due; and who can say but that
before the second or third quarters salary be-
comes due the convention may not diminish the
salaries Of the class of otfice-holders deemed
by Judge Rogers to be preferred, 50 that the
revenues of the general fund will be in excess?
We will be much disappointed if the con-
vention does not reduce our expenses largely
ax~or coon non