The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-06-14

Look at this Nieolson pavement bin. taking
100000 out of the State Treasury for the benefit
city offered me . brfbe of $50 900 and ons-slxth
Nicolson Pavement COMPANY. MIR. y. J. Hart Il
the president. and some OF the most respectable
men In the city are among the directors.
The gentleman complained yesterday that
the ancient and respectable people would not
at this juncture join him In speechifying and
people were true to themselves and principle
when they refused to forfeit their manhood
and join him. He Was an alien and an enemy
as they thought, and the corruption he COM
Rlained a % !. of was enthroned tn power at the
est place within the gift OF the people OF Lou
isiana. They were right to disown him then;
they are right to disown him now. Theydid
dsoWn a. him then and know 7. they wl da
very slow, growth, and confidence IN his po-
litical philosophy would be worse than mad
ness. am proud to hear from him that our
people refused his invitation to join him.
This was the condition and degree Of cor
ruption at this time -157o- and had been
the renprt made by a committee appointed
by the Legislature in 1876, and which Ia SC
cepted as being accurate In Its details and
figures, and true in its conclusions:
Your committee feel bound to state that. not
Withk tandinR the great Importance OF the duties
imposed upon the Funding Board" and the
necessity for methodieal and accurate regfstra-
stroyed. @ the arrangements @ for carrying out the
law were. prior to our Investigation. 30 Imper-
feet as to make 1t we'll nigh impossible, BY the
warrants had been funded. by classes and num-
bers, and what had been DESTROYED, sufficiently
to correct y 9f rseord Or qf the fund
If presented for second funding.
The Funding. Board records Of 1874. and the
first four months Of 1875. contain many inaccu-
and the impossibility ct comparing them with
are recorded as funded which are not included
In any. process verbal as destroyt q, and. az de-
81 series seasa q Il nsa
series we're, really funded or DESTROYED. The
numbers-or numbers higher than the whole
number authorlzed-are given.
Itts knoTa that r. 1s7l an large
that great numbers Of them we're sold 10
allow for discounts. besides being haWked about
the streets as sort OF merchandise. Numerous
legislative committees osfensibly for investiga-
sides ali sorts Of committees Of Investigations
and examination, travelling by construction to
CO. e nv aoHed m Clerks ana
arms. etc. and most extrayagant rates
with allowance tor discount int. often = added.
were allowed to members and employees IN the
share Of on a. e. CLERK and
priations for contingent expenses would be-
made In some cases $25o.o0e at d time. for In
same By the STATE auditor. This " would be sold li
for from sixty TO seventy cents on the dollar to
brokeT 7 y Who would pay ior +, part In money
at par. to the warrant clerk himself. thus res
aliziDg double discount. Additional aDpro-s
pr1ations. pr1a one upon the other. followed. and 50.
swelled to allow for discount. the so-ealled
floating debt welled BY mi lions. It Is said. too.
that the uncanceled orders on the warrant clerk.
for which his warrants were Issued. somehow
or other got out upon the market again, and
became merchandise among brokers. thus doub-
pioyes. What are known as ''Pinckney Smith,
warrants and vouchers have been sold on the
s.rests as low a. from tive {. and ! half e I've
Their price auetastsd. a,,eaarding to the hopes
getting an apprspriaion % bill passed I s'i 10 pay ~
them. During the we'll remembered Garter
war" period, serReants- at arms we're appointed
per diem were given to and were disposed of
for what they could get by them. to brokers'
Your committee are informed that nearly the
| ing the floating debt"-styled Floating Debt
dollar for he bonds 1y by the % lind Of oaing debt
above described; for which the State received
1 little or nothing In actual services rendered.
less, and so this kind OF floating debt was aceu-
mulated from year to year, with reckiessnees
o @ almost past ns snd rom
paid by direct appropriations in cash. obtained
at ruinous rates Of discount.
| Several appropriations. from year to year.
rants and vouchers to the extent OF about three-
/ fourths OF a million Of dollars, but after each
appropriation was exhausted = 2. the stock on nana
| Judging by the evidence OF the members Of
the Funding Board, no quorum WAS present
KneWn ,nase as sanford warrants Wsre funded
The secretary OF State AYERS that fully ten ses-
stons were consumed In discussing the ques-
| funded, but that he refused to consent to 1t to
the last. He says that at the last meeting, when
they were n said to hays heen i funded only tne
| himself remained discussing, but still leaving
| unsettled the question. of funding. He left
them still firm. in his dissent, and the next day
heard that The funding had been agreed to.
By whom? 7 he three remaining members?
Four members are required for a GU rum.
and the Governor. Lieutenant ,.overnor. Sec
retary of tate, Fiscal Agent and Speaker ofthe
House deny being present, and deelare that
The Secretary Of State states that the Auditor
engineered" this funding. and issued the bonds
board certainly had no right to fund the war
rantss but why did the other members tacisly
/ assent to 1t by non action afterwards? IL not
directly, was it indirectly agreed to? The fund
| ing was accomplished. at any rate, and thus so
much was added 10 the consolidated debt Of the
State Illegally.
! The supplemental report OF this committee
makes it evidents that bills were changed in
material particulars after they passed, as viii
be seen by reference to the report OF the COM
mittee.
4 Now, sir, taking the history given In this
report and take the history given by the gem
tleman from Plaquemines (Mr. Warmothl. Ia
his speech OF date third OF February, 1870
and then taking his speech delivered here
/ in utterly disclaiming the idea that we ara
bound by the decisions Of any court. WIZ