The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1879-03-08
The State Debt!

Had the policy adopted in the
Town of Thibodaux, and i'll the
Parish of Lafourche for the pnr-
pose of paying their indebted
ness, and at the same time treat
all the creditors of boil. corpora
tons with some show otrlegal JUS
tice and honest dealing, without
prejudice or partiallty, and by
which both Town and Parish
have paid of all claims against
them without any clashing or col
lision of debtors aud creditors,
been the one adopted by the
State of Louisiana, her finances
would have been in Il much more
healthy condition than they exhib
1t at the present time. and the
thousands up0u top Of thousands
of dollars expended in inimical
and Infamous lawsuits in defence
of the policy, 81 called. by which
the State has been miSmanaged,
would have been used for the ex~
tinguishment of the debt that is
weighing down the hopes and spir
it's of the untortuL ate tax payer,
whose hard earnings have to foot
every bill.
That policy was very simple
one and required no extraOrdila-
ry genius to develop and put it
in force. 1t was simply to have
every claim that was legal audi
ted and numbered from l up to
any requisite figure, and compel
the Treasurer to pay the number
one before he paid No. .. to pay
No. ?, before he settled Nc. ),
and SO on ad intnitim.
If the State Auditor was made
to audit every claim when pre-
scented, and as they were present
ell and number them in rotation.
and the Treasurer made to pay
them in rotation, everything
wOnld work along smoothly ant
satisfactorily. except to the har
pies who are lowering externally
about those offices, and whose
claims are satisfied in preference
to those who honestly earn theil
claims, and are showed back Ou'
of those offices when seeking pay
mtnt without ceremony or cOnSil
Grafton.
1t is Il notorious fact that tn
man who works for the state
| giving his time and labor Cal
rarely obtain Il dollar for his Sc
, vices, until his claim is disposed
l of to one of the ring about tn
TreaSurer's Office, who can wall
. up in ten minutes like a little ma
and have his claim, bought at 4
or 80 per cent of face value, pai'
t. in full, dollar for dollar. A ge1
tleman of LafOurche having a
n gal u%ndisputed claim for service
I rendered the State, went with tn
tax collector OF this Parish +
New Orleans. had his claim tran
fere. into a proper warrant, Il
companied the Tax Collector t
G the Treasurer's office, stood b
b whilst that officer handed tn
Treasurer several thousand dt
lars, then presented his warran
and was informed that there wa
no money IN the Treasury. Th
maxim of the third commant
mtnt is net much needed in thu
:, office. This occurred in Dubuclet
Q tiue, but is it any better at pre-
a ent7 1t is extremely doubtful.
IT. 1t is to be hoped that the Co
- stitntional convention will so z
70 range the duties Of the offices
% the Auditor and Treasurer thu
n they will treat all creditors
the State alike in the futur
Al This thing of running the Sta
y. Of Louisiana for the benefit of
Internal ring in New Orleal
d must be stopped by some meal
aud some policy adopted
which honesty and fair dealir
j. can be had in the settlement
,s the States debts.