The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-07-24
THE CON Y .ENTION.
Completion Of the Work Of the
Session and Adjournment
Of the Body.
THE Work Performed Yesterday
Adoption Of Number OF Or
dinances on their Third
Reading.


quorum present.
CRY GOVERNMENT, DEBT AND DRAINAGE.
The report Of the Committee on City Gov
ernment, Debt and Drainage was taken Up
On its second reading.
Delegate McGloin offered the following
substitute for the entire ordinance:
ARTICLE 1. Tho citizens of the city of New
Orleans shall haye the right OF appointing the
several public officers necessary Tor the admin
filtration 81 the police VI sald city, pursuant to
the mode 81 election which shall be provided by
Arr. !. The General Assembly atits next ses-.
sion alter the adoption OF this constitution shall
enact such LEGISLATION as may be proper to
fiauidate tho Indebtedness of the city Of New
Orleans and apply itp assets to the satisfaction
thereof. 1t shall have authority TO cancel the
charter OF said city and remit its inhabitants TO
another form ot government Il necessary. ID
any such new form Of government no salary
shall exceed $1,000.
# Delegate Stone favored the adoption Of the
substitute. He know nothing Of the merits of
the ordinance submitted by the committee.
Tt was presented just on the eve of adjourn
ment. and members had no opportunity TO
know wfat the people Of the city thought OF
III. The Legislature would have ample power
to do everything needful and ample time 70
maturely consider what was best to be done
Delegate Young opposed the substitute.
The ordinance proposed measure of relief to
che people OF the city, and it was proper that
it should be adopted. 1t was not the fault Of
the Republicans that the question had not
sooner been presented TO the Convention. 1t
would not do to remit tho question to the
Legislature The Convention should take it
UP and settle 1t at once.
Delegate Bell opposed the substitute and
advocated the adoption OF the regular orul-
nance. 1T the question was remltted TO the
Legislature and the ten mill Limitation was
fixed in the constitution, the debt Ut he city
would be virtually repudiated. He had at
first favored the ten mill limitation. but upon
examining into the question closely he had
discovered that that amount OF taxation
would not be sufficient to cover the necessary
expenses OF the city. Either the bonded debt
would be repudiated OF the city would Pc TN
able to carry On Ito government and give
proper protection to the lite and property OF
ton OF the receipts and expenses of the city,
and argued that the limit fixed would be en-
tirely ,nadequats to carry on the govern
ment. The present limit Of fifteen mills
ment and he urged that that limit be adopted.
Delegate Selnmcs favored the remission of
the entire question to the Legislature, with
an amendment allowing the tax limit to be
ten mills would not be sufficient for the ex-
penses of tho government. He also Thought
Eome provision should be inserted by which
the people should be guaranteed the right to
elect their own officers. With these amend
Slents he would favor tho substitute.
Delegate Forman favored the substitute.
He hoped the Convention would not leave the
peoule Of the city in the hands OF five or six
little empires In the form OF bureaus, aud
would not give them the power to grind the
people by increasing the tax limit from ten
Go fifteen mills.
Delegat Mcttlolu urged the passage Of his
substitute, with the amendments proposed by
Delegate SeInmes which he accepted. It had
taken wo-thirds of the session to settle the
question OF the State debt, involving S120op,-
600, a1d bearing upon all the property OF the
State. It was now proposed In O single day
to settle debt of S24, 000 600 bearing only upon
a fraction of the property of the State lie
insisted that tho settlement proposed In the
ordinance would entail unbearable burdens
upon the people Ut the city, END mop, that
the matter would be left to the Legislature. to
give such relief as was necessary ana possl-
bic.
Pending further consideration of the SUBJ
stitute. the hour for the special order arrived
and the ordinance on
IAIpT ACHMFNrs AND REMOVALS FROM OFFICE
was taken IN on Its third reading.
Deie rate Catfrcy moved to reconsider the
vote by which article was defeat 4 on It's
third readinr, which motion prevailed.
Delegate Robertson moved that the ordi-
nance be now adopted MS O whole.
on article S. which the Convention refused to
order.
The yeas and nays we're then called on tho
adoption OF the ordinance as a whole, result
ing--yeas So, nays %. aud the ordinance was
Hnally adopted.
CITY GOVERNMENT RESUMED.
Consideration of the ordinance on the city
government, debt and drainage was resumed.
Delegate Robertson moved to amend the
pending substitute by adding the following
additional article:
Arr. 8. The General Assembly shall pass
necessary laws to prevent sailors or others OF
the crews Of foreign vessels from working on
the wharves or levees of the city of New Or
leans provided, thers is no treaty between the
United States and foreign powers to the con-
trarY.
The amendment was adopted So, nays
aT.
Tho yeas and nays were then demanded Oh
the adoption of the substitute as amended, re-
sulting-yeas N, nays 2S.
The ordinance was then put on its third
reading under 4 suspension OF the rules by q
vote OF % to IL.
A separate vote was called for on article 8,
When the Convention ordered.
Delegates Collins and Long urged the adnn-
tion OF the artiele
A separate vote hcing taken, the article was
adopted~-yeaS IA, nays 80.
The yeas aud nays vert, then taken on tho
adoption OF the remaining two articles of the
ordinance. resuiting-yeas 80, nays IT, aud
Gne ordnance i0Ally passed
THE INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE
Delegate Paraec presented the following "a
port from the connttee appointed To inves-
dgate charges against members OF the Con-
vention:
TO the Honorable President and Members Of
the Constitutional Convention:
The committee TO investigate grave rumors Of
corruption of memhees and the speculation OF
members IN State conaols. pending the consia-
GRAFTON ~ the Convention OF the question Of
the State debt, respectfully submit that over
forty. witnesses 20 whom repurts and rumors
could be- traced have been summoned and ex-
anltned.
From the evidence of the witnesses the fact
that rumors derogatory to the purity OF the Con.
yention were in circulation is we'll established !;
hut these rumors could ba traced TO no reliable
source either by direct evidence well autlen-
fiGatad haarsay. On the contrary it appeared
to our satisfaction that these SANDERS upon the
Convention and its members were originated
and circulated by the bulls and bears. spec
ulators in State bonds, for no other purnose
THAI to affect the market value OF such bonds.