The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1880-12-18
An Extra Session,

session and new Convention is
booming up considerably of late.
The following is clipped from
the st. Landry Democrat.
Eve are opposed to an extra
session Of the legislature. 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 80 during an extra ses-
sion. The people have already
paid for, or been saddled with
the ,trbt for having the i"gisla
ture work done. ami they should
not pay a second time Tor the
mere chance CT having it done. 1t
might serve a. a bid for extra ses
-ions hereafter. We doubt If any
profit accrues from extra sessions,
except to those who are paid tor
holding them. 1t would be best
not to have even another regular
session until a rev Legislature is
elected, in view Of the neglect Or
iuroN peteuoN oi the present one.
1be G~o'tfax is simply a fraud
q b&s4aoug 1t is neither uni
tpgm pir equ4t. Only the proper
t. holders. AS 4 rule, pay it. 1t
is a tax on voters, but it's pay
meDt is not required AS a pre-re>
qnisite to vote. 1t is Il law with
no means Of enforcing it against
;he votrr who owns no property
and property owners only are
forced to pay it.
The present constitution NAV
be the "poorest" we ever had, not
excepting the constitution of 1868
bnt what guaranty have the peo-
pie that another convention would
not frame a ~Orse onei The prin
clple objections urged against the
constitution Of 1868, were, that it
was framed and imposed on the
people by Radicals. and that the
salaries Of officers were too high.
But in remedying these defects,
4 Democratic convention gave US
one still more defective, ard the
first Legislature elected under it
misrepresented the people see
extract from the Marksviile Re
view. The people paid for II good
constitution, aud did not get it;
they elected Il Legislature that mis-
represented them. Whom there
fore are they to trust9 Should
they be taxed for the chance of an
other good constitution that may
be worse than the present, and
for an extra session OF the legisla.
ture that has already misrepre-
sented them! Wisdom say they
should not. They had better bear
the evils they now have and
know, than pay for further aud
may I've greater evils hereafter.
If we did not have another consti
tutional convention in fifty years,
nor another session of the legisla,
ture in ten years, it would be jnst
so much gain for the taxpayers
and people generally ; for they
may rest assured of one thing,
that the politicians who make the
laws and rule the country, will
look after their OVID interest first,
and that of the people afterwards
whenever they have the oppor.
tunity. Constitutional conven-
tions and sessions Of the legisla
ture furnish the opportunities,
therefore the fewer of them We
have the better"
We do not 60 as far as our st.
Landry contemporary.
The new Constitution has not
had q fair trial. We believe it
to he infinitely superior to the
late one. We know that it redu.
ces the expenses of tue State AMI
Parishes very materially and is
20 far q relief to the tax payers.
There is no use in calling an ex
ira session. It is easier to bear
the ills We are now subject to
than to rush into others We know
not Of. The growler must growl
and growl. The lawyers many Of
whom are the at bottom If thes
complaints have e~urichened them
selves by sueiug out mandamuses
and injunctions until every poin,
has been settled BY the courts.
aud their peculiar labor is over
until new laws are made 80 that
they ca" find new work.
The poll tax is u nuisance. TIE
planter is not = tax collector aud
cannot be made one. The city Of
New Orleaus ID in y bad Hx. Row
will an extra session re.ieve har I