The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1880-03-06
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Il NEW tIRLEANS, RCD. 80, IoSO.
4 10 the Editor of the Lake Charles
II EoHo:
4 Our Legislature is in session. .Judg-
ling by the appearance of its members
they are very busy, but to one whohas
taken care to follow them in their Ia
bors, they are making haste slowly"
| In fact more than one-half of the time
allotted them by law, has alreatly eex-
8lpired, and hardly any of the necessary
constitutional bills have been passed
land become laws. 1f they do not, at
lonee, realize the necessity of very
strict application to thcirIlabors, an iex-
ira session will have TO be called in Or
der to pass the necessary Legislation to
put our new constitution in operation.
Until now, they haveIhad under con-
sideration only unimportant bills, and
the onessupon which the greatest care
will have to be bestowed, have not yet
been reported upon by the different
committees before which they are
pending.
We have, for instance, the 'sCiartcr
of the City of New Orleans Thein-
aebtedness of the CITY amounts to some
thing over itwenty4two millions of dol
lars. The necessary acts TO put in
operation .onr new Judiciary, and in
fact nearly all the necessary measures
are yettto beFconsidered As the con-
stitution prohibits the railroading of.
bills through the legislature, as was
customary under radical regime, and
under the constitution of 1865, our
Legislators will either lave to set to
work in earnest or an extra session will
be called. The only important bill
that has, as yet, been presented 10 the
Legislature for consideration is the
aRevenne Bill" and 10 the honest mo-
tiyes, patriotism andintelligcnee of our
friend S. j. Henry, of Cameron, the
same was trecommitted to the commit
tee on Ways and Means, with instruc-
ttions to report bill, as far as the con
stitution of 1879 would permit, mod
seled upon the revenue act of 1866.
The revenue bill in qucstionwas one of
the hardest, most sweeping and most
unjust to onr poor people that overthe
republicans, in their best days, dared
to impose upon the people. Its pro-
visions were so sweeping that nothing
was held sacred or private. The col
lector had the right, under the bill, to
make the most minute search into the |
most secret affairs Of the family; the
family portrait, thatiis held in rever-
ence by the little ones, raised gtoFespect
the memory of the one it represents,
was made the subject of taxation; the
family trinkets, lheirlooms, brought |
down from generation to generation,
and considered more objects Of venefa-
ton than Of value, were subjected To
the most unjust search of the tax col
lector,; at his knock the afmoirs were
to be opened, and taxable value placed |
upon relics of the dear ones, long gone
to the land Of the departed. Il
The constitution of 1879 had re-
daced taxation TO six mills on the dol /
lar, hut the Revenue Bill referred to
would have practically raised the tax
to at least fifteen or sixteen mills on
the dollar, and the constitution for
which VIC all struggled so hard and so
long, would have proved as disappoint-
ing as the apples of the dead seilsso the
hungry traveller.
a am happy to see Cameron and Cal I
casien represented in the llegislaturebyI
mcn.of ability andintegfity. Withmen
who have at heart the trne interests of |
their constituents and of the people at |
large, in our general assembly, the .af-
fairs of the State will prosper and the
people willIbcib lest with a larger share
Of prosperity than they have expo
fienced for many years past If time
permits, 4 will write anotherIletter next
week, upon the edoings of onr legisla,
tors. Yours, DC, 20.