The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1880-04-02

There Is no reason to make a different sys-
| tenn Of treasury disbursements for the State
OF Louisiana, and that, too system which
| will derange the financial administration OF
the State, There Is d State treasury pro-
vided by the constitution and State Treas
urer to administer the same, and that admin
istration is for the whole State and for all It's
| people and for all Its creditors. The only ar
gument, attempted to be advanced In favor
| OF the bill is that there will not be money
enough even In the State treasury to pay all
| the warrants drawn against the general fund,
and that the constitutional officers will get
their warrants cashed after the delay OF the
| tax collectors paying over the moneys they
| collect, and, then, In concurrence with the
holders OF other general fund warrants, which
will force them to sell their warrants to
brokers at sacrifice.
II this be true, the holders of the Warrants
will be In the same condition, and the effect
OF this bill will be to make constitutional Of
fcers preferred class OF State creditors, and
| correspondingly to depreciate other general
fund warrants, making the hardships greater
of their holders The above argument leads
to two conclusions:
First-That the constitutional officers Of
the State are entitled to preference or to q
first privilege on the general funds Of the
State. ls this true? Ought the circuit judges
| of this State to be pain In preference 70 the
appropriation to support the Charity Hospi-
taI or la preference to the mileage and per
diem of the members of the General Assem-
bly,. The first bill passed at this session pro-
legislators shall be paid out OF the first
moneys paid into the State treasury, concur
rently with the salaries OF constitutions
officers. On the faith of that bill the Fiscal
Agent has cashed all the warrants drawn for
such mileage and per diem up to this date. Ii
Is unjust now TO make this discrimination.
But, II the constitutional officers be entitled
to such priority, this bill is not the proper
| 4 Ak~t1
bill for their relief should have provided q
special fund, to be called the constitutional
salaries fund.-" should be created, and that
| the Treasurar should place all general fund
taxes and all licenses to the credit OF said
special fund, to an amount sufficient to pay
| all the salaries OF the constitutional officers,
before he pays any other warrant whatever,
and that he should hold said special fund TO
meet the warrants Of said officers.
Second-The second conclusion from the
argument In favor Of this bill i5 that the
State is insolvent, and will continue to be &C.
Yet those who adhere to this opinion are
equally emphatic in declaring that the taxes
aud licenses proposed ln the pending tax and
license bills are excessive.
This committee does not admit and does
not believe that the State OF Louisiana will
be insolvent unless the revenue and license
bills fail of adoption, and such result would
Third-This bill has the seductive title 'to
prohibit speculation In the same'-that 10
the warrants.
But 1t does not profess to prohibit such
speculation except on the part OF the tax COLI
lectors themselves. It does not prohibit the
| taxpayers from buying the same at sacrf-
| flee, and 1t does not prohibit brokers from
specializing in these warrants. The truth is
| that 1t will not prevent speculation but will
| encourage 1t. IL sheriff or tax collector is
required to receive money, and prohibited
| from receiving anything else, he cannot spec
ulate at ALL no matter how willing he might
hn n,,& tn
cash than, he can evade the law In some OF
the many ingenious ways that similar laws
| have been evaded and which 1t ts useless 10
particularize here. AS for the brokers, they
tional officers at discount and would get
them cashed by the tax collectors at their
| face values. 1t fs idle to attempt to prevent
spectators from specializing 10 any Warrants.
be paid punctually at sight. This bill changes
| the place where the brokers are to receive the
cash for the warrants In which they specu-
late, but does not present the speculation.
bill will have tendency yy e
GERS to get friendly tax collectors to cash
| their warrants first, and the active and
vigilant will get the advantage The circuit
judge OF the Second Circuit for the short term
might be m ore vigilant than his brother on the
bench, and by superior activity obtain o pri-
ority over him. II the State is to be insOlvent
the Treasurer should pay all salary warrants
pro rata, In the order OF their dates, as rec
commended by the joint committee OF the
House and Senate In their report upon the
| books, accounts and vouchers of the Auditor
and the Treasurer, made March 27, 1880:
1t has been said that individuals are forced
to pay their debts and that they cannot re-
fuse to take their own obligations In pay
ment or compensation OF debts due them
selves, and that governments ought to do the
same. This reason Is fallacious. The State
Of Louisiana has It's powers Of taxation lin
dollar OF Its property values and to gradu-
ated license system. Its powers to pay is
limited to its revenues. Ii its expenditures
exceed Its revenues the result is insolvency
and payment In full becomes impossible. It
Is then assimilated to an in,Solvent eStates
which can be settled up only by reducing Its
assets to cash and making pro yata
distribution among all Its cgeditors. y
ment In full to the proprotionate
injury Of other creditors; and mo- de1tor
should be allowed q preference by off .etslng ne
rants bought for that purpose II ting s.ase
Is not insolvent there Es no necessity for the
present BILL The administration OF s0vo-
reign State ought to be kept In the sole con-
responsible to the General Assembly and to
the courts for the impartial and faithful per-
formance OF all their duties, under proper
laws providing safeguards and penalties.
| SnoT1US ana LaX COllSCCOTS arc uOb LH6
proper officers to disburse the revenues Of q
great State.
Respectfully submitted,
W. W. FARMER, Chairman.
Mr.. jackson. chairman, on behalf OF the
Committee on Health and Quarantine. sub
mitted the following report:
| To the Speaker and Members Of the House OF
Representatives
Your committee, to whom was referred
Senate bill No. 141, beg leave to report on said
bill favorabiy, and recommend that 1t do pass.
| r. E. JACKSON, Chairman. /
Mr.. Ives, chairman, on behalf the Commit
tee on Federal Relations, reported favorably
on Senate bill No. 154.
Mr.. Billiu moved to suspend the rules In
order to take up House bill No. 40.
The motion to suspend the rules was agreed
to by rising vote Of 50 yeas to 16 nays.