The Opelousas courier., 1882-05-27
An Act.

TO PROVIDE FOR A CONVENTION TO
FRAME A CONSTITUTION OF HIS
STATE, N MAKING AN APPRoPRIA
TON TO PAY EXPENSES THEREOF.
Louisiana Democrat.
Be it enacted by the General Assem-
bIy of til. State of Louisiana
Section |. That an election of dele.
gates to a Convention to fame 81 Con
%stitution of this State shall I've held on
Tuesday, the 9TH day of November
1882. which election shall he nrdeted
by the Governor by pr"c!amatI"" rah-
lished in the official journal Of the State
at least thirty days before the ai'"ve
day and shall be regulated by the laws
now in force for elections; that the re-
turns Of this election shall be made as
now required, and the Secretary of
State and the Governor shall together
open and compile them, and cause t"
be- published the names of the delegates
in the official Journal of the State.
Sec. 2. That the number OF delegates
shall be ninety-eight, VIII" shall bs ap
portioned as Representatives IN the
Lower house of the General Assembly
are now appertioned. each Parish and
representative district being entitled
tn the same number of delegates that il
new has of representatives that each
| delegate shall receive two hundred and
fifty dollars for the whole sessi.n eI all
the sessions, 0i the Convention, how
ever prolonged, which sum shall be- i n
full aud in lieu of per diem and travel
ing expenses, and all other expenses.
Sec. 3 That the delegates shalHneet
in the State House at Baton Refuge, at
10 o'clock Nj. Oh the first Monday oi
January, 1883, and the Secretary ot
| State shall deliver to them the roll al
elected delegates certified under the
seal of tue State.
See A. That the sum of twenty -four
thousand five hundred dollars is here
Ivy appropriated to pay the delegates
aud three thousand dollars err so mnci
thereof as may he necessary, is appro
ptiated to pay all other expenses OF lh'
Convention.
The ineffieiency, costumes an'
clumsiness of the. government unde
the Constitution of 1879 is conceded b,
all. 1t il not susceptible of amendmtn
hecanse its defects are too numerals
The above Bill secures a new Consti
tuition, ard has these merits:
/. The election of delegates will eos
-.. ~ .1.nfi,, ~ PnntasaR.ru
tives in Congress must be held mex
November. The expense of that cleo
ton must be incurred.
The election of delegates is fixed OF
the same day, and entails no additional
expense.
2. At present there is no officer to ID
elected next November except the Con
gresham. There is danger of apath.
and Indifference unless ii LEGAL incentiv
be applied, The election of delegate
supplies that incentive
3 The number af delegates is a ms.
dunn between two extremes They ar
apportionrd precisely as is the Repre-
sentative body, and will be- he mos
perfect expression of the popular will
!. The absurdi,y of combining SENATOR'S
and representative delegates in on
!. body has been recognized always. h'
has been sometimes adopted for Con
{ titafional Conventions tn satisfy til
: clamors of the too numerous asPirant
for seats.
4. The pay of delegates is usual
: the same as Representatives, j. e. fou
dollars "A day. and not than thiu
] dollars for travelling expenses. If tn
Convention shall sit fifty days the sa|
ary of each delegate as fixed in The hi
is sufficiently liberal. The Constitt
ton of 1852. the best the State has hat
t was made in less time.
5. Economy is of the highest consid
~eratiOn for a paor people. Ii the Cor
vention should cos $4,000 more tina
the sHm mentioned in the bill, it wi
! be less than a single years cost of til
t Circuit Judges.
6. The Constitution of 1879 with it
265 articles, meddling with details
every conceivable kind, has produce
t the same effect that all n~ficioHs an
r preternaturally busy bodies do. 1t
not 4 coherent system, bat III i'll d
gested mass of crudities, IA congloml
= ration of separate and inharnoilioi
. Plans which were not pruned and sinai
d ed into symmetry, nor $ o adjusted !
to be capable of practical working.
J The era of hair splitting is over
the South. Its politics have becsn
practical and are likely to remain 8
"A III