Louisiana capitolian., 1880-01-24
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, JANUARY a. 1880

work done for their benefit. The bene
ticent object of this article is to give in
creased assurance to laborers that the,
will be paid for their work, and it com
mends itself to your favorable attention
accordingly. Care must be taken, how
ever, that in extending the lien AM
privilege of laborers no injustice sha1
be done to the capital invested by indi
viduals, companies and corporations
Labor and capital are equally entitle,
to the protection of the law. Any PAL
tiality to either must eventually work
disadvantage to both.
STATE MEDICINE AND QUARANTINE.
Article 178 requires the General Assem-,
bly, to provide for the interest of Stat
medicine in all it's departments, for TIN
protection of the people against unquali
fled practitioners of medicine, for th
protection of confidential communica
tiOns made to medical men, and for tn,
establishment and maintenance of a Stat
Board of Health. Whatever iudiciou
laws you may enact for the protection
ola most useful and ighlymeritorius pro
fession will equally benefit the genera
public.
A competent and responsible Board O
Health, with proper authority and under
suitable restraints, seems to he held as ;
public necessity. Under we'll considered
and carefully guarded statutes, such q
board cannot fail to be beneficial in 6
high degree. While preservation of the
public health must depend chiefly upor
the intelligence, care, vigilance and or.
derly habits of the people, and upon thu
thorough enforcement of enlightened
sanitary regulations by municipal and
other local authority, a well organized
Board of Health, composed of eminent
practitioners and citizens, ought to af
ford assistance and information at AL
times useful and especially valuable dur.
ing the prevalence of epidemic mala-
dies. Its primary duty must be to warn
the people of the State against dangers
from abroad and at home, and to advise
all necessary precautions and preventa.
tive measures. Its authority should cor.
respond with the importance of it's func.
tions.
In immediate connection with tile fore.
going is the vitality important subject OF
quarantine. In behalfof the CONNER.
cial interests of the city, and of the
whole State, l invoke your special and
serious attention to our existing laws
and local nsuages upon this matter. 1t
is conceded that some system of quaran.
tine is necessary, but that system should
be adapted to everyday life, to COM
merce and to human interests. Its aim
should be to keep foreign disease out of
the State without the suspension of all
intercourse with the outside world.
There is no reason why New Orleans
should be walled up as by an impassa-
bic barrier.
Humanity and necessity call for some
species of quarantine. Infected ships
and diseased passengers must he kept
out of our ports and harbors. No pains
or reasonable expense should be spared
in carrying out a well arranged preven-
tative system. Thorough cleanliness
and rigid sanitary regulations at home,
seconded by rigid exclusion of infection
and cOntagOn, must be the chief reli-
ance of the public for safety; but these
may be secured etfectually without put
ting an embargo upon all commerce and
all intercourse with the external world.
Between those measures of precaution
suggested by experience and sanctioned
by science and sound Judgment, and the
measures dictated by fear or caprice,
there is a wide difference, which you
cannot fail to appreciate. In behalf of
our industrial and commercial interests
we must find some means of adequate
protection that will not paralyze the
business and blockade the ports and
thoroughfares of the State.
NEW BASIN, CANAL AND sHELLRoAD:
Article $50 places the New Basin canal
and shellroad under the direct control of
the General Assembly, which is required
to enact laws for the regulation, mainte-
nance and management of the same, and
provide for superintendent thereof, to
be appointed by the Governor. All ex-
penses of the canal and road must he
paid from their tolls and revenues. The
order of the convention will be only par
TALLY accomplished by making this im-
provement sclf-supporting. Every pos
sible facility and immunity ought to be
given to the important trade that comes
from Lake POntchartrain through this
canal to the city. This trade should be
relieved from all needless charges, while
the property is kept in suitable repair
without expense to city CT State. Your
orders in the premises will be carefully
executed for the benefit of all concerned,
and growing business of the canal and
road. The superintendent to be appoil,-
ted should be required to make monthly
reports of receipts and expenditures, ac-
companied with reports Of repairs. He
should give sufficient bond and security,
and be removable for cause at any time.
Suitable legislation and summary pro-
cedure are necessary in order to secure
tie arrearages of rent due to the State
by the late lessee and his securities.
SUFFRAGE.
Article 1856 prescribes the qualifications
of voters, and article 1856 makes it neces-
sary to enforce the provisions of the pre-
ceding article by statute. Laws npon
suffrage and elections should be brief,
clear and simple. No abridgement Of
the sacred right Of suffrage ought to be
tolerated underany pretense whatsoever.
The broad and magnanimous decree of
the constitution must be carried ont in
good faith and to the full extent intend
ed. The exercise of the right Of suffrage
must be kept free from all improper in
tluences. The right to vote is the found
alton wall of our institutions. As long
as that right is kept free, sure and
complete political liberty will be secure,
and no longer. TO maintain the integri-
ty of this right and secure the purity of
the ballOt-bOx are among the highest
duties of wise and patriotic Legislators.
FEDERAL ELECTIONS.
Article l91 requires an act of the Leg
stature fixing the time of holding cleo
lions for Representativesin in the Congress
If the United States, and regulating
such elections; also an act prescribing
he method of choosing or manner and
:ime of electing presidential electors.