The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-06-29

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our dire necessity, to NSone to aid us In this pc
which we elected you2 Wy cut re trust Tor &C
relief for which we ha7se is the promised ba
years until now, in vain? Ssted 50 many "
: The gentleman from OrA tn
length, and eloquently, the otK spoke at ca
Tie pighted faith, the honor OF thlay, upon ~
yolved in this issue. | do not state, IN sc
would impute to any delegate on thf4ee he W
the question any less regard lol ~ HING 9, III
feels But let me ask him put thealHl go
ton to every member OF the ConVentio1-HSIl
there is any lack of honor in refusing W pyF
an illegal claim; to pay 9 claim growing on
Of q Contract made contrary to our wishes, |
which did not inurs to our benefit, and mace
Id violation of law? 1t 10 only such claims
the majority Of the COMMITTEES on Inc nt re-
Debt propose to repudiate, Ii may use tue
word in such connection. We propose TO re-
pudiate any and every claim against the State
based upon d violated law, made In spite q
constitutional prohibitions, and none others
Is there any want OF honor IN sueh posi-
tien-in such reputation But We, 90
further. IF 1t can be shown that the State
has derived any benefit from any issues OF
bonds, we are willing. to make good tnat
benefit thus conferred, even though inc Dohus
were issued In violation Of the cansutu.1olli
already repaid the amount thus expended IA
their behalf Is not this all that equity, az
we'll as honor, can require?
The legality of the debt must again pc con-
L
port and on the floor, and i any one Item s.,
ported against by the committee has been
shown to have been legally contracted, am
for one, willing, nay, | Insist upon the pay
such item been shown? ! say, not one, and
! therefore can vote for the payment, for the
recognition OF no item Of State Indebtedness
reported against by the majority Of the CON- com,
mittee. Gentlemen say the State contracted aad
| The Legislature and The Executive conbineed!
| are not the State. They, as well as the nut
ciary, are but the agents OF the State Inc
scope Of their authority Is fixed. Within tnat
scope. within the letter OF their mandate, the
State may be considered to have contracted
the debt; the public faith may be held to have
been pledged. All debts contracted within
the scope Of that authority, the committee tee
committee report that the public faith should
be kept to the utmost farthing.
But when we find that the Legislature has
transcribed its authority, has, for Instance,
contracted debt beyond S10o.ooo WltnonII
providing means for the payment OF principal
and interest; when the Legislature, having
imposed conditions on the issue. Or bonds,
the Executive has issued them, although the
condition remained uncomplied with, In an
cases where the constitution had been, vlo-
, lated and the provisions OF the law dlsre-
garded In every case OF violated law we nave
:. repudiated all such issues OF bonds; have re,
pudiated all such unWarranted acts 81 our-ol
" AtNtp
be violation OF the pledged pubic
faith, With this position we desire to
!, 20 before the people, confident that they vii
not ratify the unWarranted acts Of our agents
. that these acts were not our acts, nor are WI
,, bound in honor or equity to give them reeog
, milton. Such, their acts, were not the acts .
7 the State, nor did they nor could they linus
; pledge the political faith. One word more a.
to the honor of the State involved IN ms {. con
q troversy. / hold it to be dishonWabte in u
: lis representing the sovereignty Of the people
!. torecOgnize as binding any debt contracted Il
/ violation Of the constitution | hold it h1ghl
!, dishonorable 10 us. hold it TO be q betraya
\ Of the sacred trust, to ratify the acts Of an
!. legislature, Of any executive, OF any court
9 whether de fttcto or de ietre which shall hay
+ disregarded constitutional prohibition, an
! | attempted to create, or to perpetunte, q deD
= or to impose 1t as debt upon tne people
Il the State.
> hold that we, representing the sovereignt
!, J Of the people, would be dishonorably derelit
our duty to sanction even by sienee an
:, ton In any Of the officials who have hereto
i ali the three departments Of the government
: We are now assembled as the grand inques
Of TIE people as tne Peep aopiet bntr ebnae
O. delegates, to take cognizance OF our,o1 the
ID agents: and I, for one, desire to lind such
- bin as shall not only enable the people
= punish, as far as may be, the wTong-doer
=
~ sible, from the contamination OF the deslgl
n Of spectators, and provide. ample protect,,t
"A for the future In q warning BY our actlt
NJ here and by a verdict at tne pols against
~, NJ future Legislatures, and executives, al
&, IS money lenders; SO that henceforth they ca
u u not, with impunity, again or ever iatten upf
~ the hard earnings Of their constituents,
=. their masters, the people OF LOUISIANA.
&C. Every claim, every item OF lndeptednes
' II therefore, not created with all the forms
y, -, law and III strict conformity to the constlt
~ tion, we, in duty, in honor, are bound TO stan
~ with nullity, and we do repudiate. In mono
II II in Justice, under a full sense OF our oDllg
90 lions to the people whose representatives
90 all their sovereignty we are, we should rep
-, date all illegal issues Of State debt al u
81 gally contracted obIigatonnsi all others sasa
he pay to the last dollar rms 10 my ldea
No No Justice; this is what think honor and pub
y =, faith require of US. On the other hand.
~ ~ nv mind 1t would be an act OF gross 1nJt
h ,is tice, would be dishonorable act In us, ev
10 by our silence, to compel an honest, legal de
~ to be satisfied with sixty cents on the doll'
- ID order that illegal claims could receive u
-, ~ percentage The State is able to pay In Il
nd every honest debt, but it is not able to pay
a. dishonest one Of any amount. ~
W The gentleman from Orleans gave 10 deG
70 70 figures showing the Increased productions
mr. the State, and IN the same speech Inc gre
~ nc declinati6n In the values Of property tina
him for his showing.
or II the soil produces larger crops ana 2
ta
80 great reduction in values Why are 9
~ lands unstable? Why are the produce
m poorer, year by year? There must pc :, so
- cause for this anomalous condition OF INN
,ad # production is an evidence Of prospect
IN, hi Why, according to the gentemans shpWll
are we not prosperous people why
ont our lands uncultivated and unsoughC K
nd Why are the houses in New Orleans unsalat
untenanted, valueless
fts Let me tell the gentleman.,let me 1mpr'
ND ND it upon every member Of this Convention
ar. an is not for the want Of q State credit. Had
, had constitutional provisions absolutely 2
zen hibiting the State from contracting any az
n nts Of taxation to five mills on the dollar for
vet purposes, compelling the government to 3 7
ey. itself on an economical basis, had y, me o.
In no credit whatever-that Is, had vested no rit
lie power IL any one t ts; contract IT, DEBT
IT that the State would not now be prosE
far or Gus, notwithstanding all the results q
ore war from 1861 to 1865, and notwithstanding
Al~o Cko@n r!r,