St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1880-12-11
Affairs of State.

In another column we publish the
opinions of several papers of this State,
on the subjects Of circuit courts, an
extra session of the legislature, the poll
tax, and another constitutional conven
ton.
We agree wirh our contemporaries, that
the circuit courts are expensive and
useless. They perform no duties that
could not be done by the district courts;
and in fact, they seem to have very
little to do at all. No one who is anx-
ious to have his case terminated, would
care to 90 to the circuit court, if an
appeal lay to the supreme court; for
such " decentralization office of courts
might delay the final termination of
suit beyond the ordinary life of man.
Like the Bossier Banner, we are OPP
posed to an extra session of the legisia-
ture. If the members Of that body
could not, would not, or did not know
how to perform their duties during a
ninety days session, they will hardly
do so during an extra session. The
people have already paid for, OR been
saddled with the debt for having the
legislature work done, and they should
not pay second time for the mere
chance of having it done. 1t might
serve as bid for extra sessions here
after. We doubt If any profit accrues
from extra sessions, except to those
who are paid for holding them. 1t
would be best not to have even another
regular session until new legislature
is elected. in view of the neglect or in
competency of the present one.
The poll-tax is simply q fraud and a
humbug. It is neither uniform nor
equal. Only the property holders, as
q rule, pay it. Il is tax on voters,
but its payment Is not required as 4
prerequisite to vote. It is a law with
no means of enforcing it against the
voter who owns no property and every
property owner should resist its pay
ment, because property owners only are
forced to pay it.
The present constitution may be the
poorest we ever had, not excepting
the constitution of 1868; but what guar
anty have the people that another con-
vention would not frame a worse one 7
The principle objections urged against
the constitution of 1863, were, that it
was framed aud imposed on the people
by Radicals, and that the salaries of
officers we're too high. But in remedy
ing these defects, a Democratic con-
vention gave us one still more defec-
tive, aud tho first legislature elected
under it misreprcsented the people-see
extract from the Marksyille Review.
The people paid for u good constitution.
and did not get il; they elected legis-
lature that misrepresented them. Whom
therefore are they to trust7 Should they
be taxed for Tie chance OF another good
constitution that may be worse than
the present. and for M extra session of
the legislature that has already mis-
represented theme Wisdom says they
should not. They had better bear the
evils they now lave and know, than
pay for further and may be greater
evils hereafter. II we did not have
another constitutional convention in
Fifty years, nor another session OF the
legislature in ten years, it wonld be
just 10 n,ucl, gain for the taxpayers and
people generally for they may rest as
eured Of one thing, that the politicians
who make the laws and rule the coun-
try, will look after tlieir Own interests
first, and THAT of The people afterwards
Whenever they have The oppor-
tunity. Constitutional conventions
md sessions OF tile Legislature
furnish tic opportunities. therefore the
fewer Of tlleiu ase have tue better.