Louisiana capitolian., 1880-08-14
LETTER FROM NEW ORLEANS.
New ORLEANS, Aug. 8. 1850

| NEW ORLEANS, Aug. .. 1850.
Editor Capitolian;
You are aware that the people Of this
city ore engaged in signing q memorial
to the Governor, or in his absence, to the
Lieut. Governor, mtitioning him to re,
convene in extra session tho General
Assembly with the object, among other
pressing matters, to have the present
Warmoth charter superseded by rep.
rescntativc and an economical city gov.
ernmcnt. AS concerns its application
to our city, the new constitution is SO
far dead letter to Ills. We are denied
all of its reform features, and to all in
tents and bArposcs, are forced to live
under the charter made by Radicals and
retaining all the cxtIavagancics, and
open to all the corruptons attaching to
that terrible epoch.
1t is made the duty, and an imlmru-
tive one, Of the General Assembly to
provide for an election in this city ",lu.
ring the year ls'O," and If deemed nee
essary, that body was also required to
provide n new city government or gov
ernmcnts, and in this latter contingency
the constitution provided that no salary
should exceed 81, 500 per annum. This
limitation Of $500 il only operative
and binding upon change in our form
of city government. The maintenance
Of the WarmOth charter entails the OK.
cessivc salaries and the great cost and
the irresponsible character of this mren-
hcadrd to 3 system Of government.
Now, it was well known to onr Cen
eral Assembly, that to carry on our
city administration and meet all Just
demands Under tho tcn-mills c0nstitu-
tional limitation, new form Of city
administration on an economical and
non-paying representative system WAS
IN imperious and unavoidable necessity.
Accordingly, the recently adjourned
General Assembly gave our city new
city charter aud provided in the same
for an election as required by our new
organic law "during the year 1880"
This wise measure was, however, vetoed
BY the Governor shortly after the ad.
jonrnmcnt Of the Legislature, and TINS
the urgent necessities OF our people for
relief have been tramplcd upon, and this
positive direction Of tho constitution
itself evaded and practically cxpuDged
by this extraordinary action under the
circumstances.
On yesterday the Lieut. Governor, on
the advice, as is generally udcrstood,
Of the Governor himself, issued his proc
lamatinn calling for city election here
under the dcspicable Radical charter
foisted upon ns during the Warmoth
regime--a charter hated for it's too well
remembered associations, and loaded
down with Objectionable, extravagant
and irresponsible features, that no one
dreamed q Democratic State adminstra-
tion wonld retain against our wishes, or
force upon us in spite of orr constant
protests. Whence the Governors au-
thority springs for this unprecedented
course lifelong Democrats are inquiring
in vain. This proclamation is in com
plctC defiance of our new constitution
and seriously undertakes to set it aside
aye, to assume on his part the consti-
tutionally required work vested alone
in the representatives, the elected and
accredited agents Of the people Of this
State.
BY such course the constitution itself,
and for the time being at least, the Gen
eral Assembly have been most unccre-
waved out Of sight and par
alyzed into silence. If this be not usur-
patton nndisguiscd and bald headed,
where shall we find it
by this systematic course of seeming
contempt for the organic law and the
Legislature elected Hereunder, and the
late decision Of our Supreme Court by