The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1883-08-18
OUR CONSTITUTION.

perS about the present St8t0 COu
stitution. aud even . demand has
been made that the Governor call
the Legislature together to pass .
law authorizing Nm election Of dele
gates to form y new Constitution.
What improvements these growl
ers propose to accomplish, they ore
very careful not to mention. One
of them wants q new constitution
that will give the people q suitable
Homestead Law, but what kind OF
a law is meant is carefully conceal
ed in the Imagination of the writer.
Now, any man who has a Home
stead worth $2OOO.O0 al 60 into
the Recorders office and place it
on record, provided it is free from
debt. This ought to be satisfacto
rs. But it is probable that a Law is
Fdesired BY which . man can create
debts on the strength of his prop
erty, and then by claiming his
Homestead let his creditors whistle
"Pop goes tho Weasel"
A little examination aud investi
CATION would be advisable before
these Constitutional GROWERS shed
auy more crocodile tears than are
absolutely necessary for sanitary
purposes.
We propose to print q few facts
relative to the Parish of Lafourche
in reference to the workings Of our
present Consultation. Doubtless,
every Parish has q similar history.
When the new Constitution went
into power, Lafourche had . debt
of about $5O0OyOO that had been
hanging over her for years. The
court house was IN need of repairs.
the public roads were in bad con
dition, bridges over the interior
bayous we're gone OF unsafe, Parish
Scrip was hawked about thej street
for 80 or 80 cents on the dollar, no
public works were being done,
there were but few public schools in
the Parish, and mono in Thibodaux
for white children, whilst the tax
payer was paying ten mills or more
taxes on his property. The enor
nous fees fixed under the old Con
stitution in criminal cases absorbed
the taxes annually, leaving no mar
gin for the Police Jury to inaugu
rate any public enterprise for the
benefit Of their constituents, who
were merely an automatic machine
to see that the taxes Of the people
were collected to pay these oatra
geous expenses created by q consti
tuition over which they had no con
troll.
The new or present Constitution
went iuto effect. The infamous ex
penses created under its predeces
sor were stopped. A new order Of
things was insugursted. With tax
es barely half of what previously
had been assessed upon the tax
payers, the debt of the Parish has
been liquidated, the Court House
repaired, a new iron fence placed
around the square, stone walks put
down in front, until it is the most
elegant and handsome Court House
in the State. A new and handsome
Jailor's residence will shortly be
erected instead of the rotten build
ing now known as such, the roads
have been greatly improved. brok
bridges have been repaired OF
rebuilt, schools have been located
in all portions of the Parish, &C
that all children can attend them
who wish to do 50, and a system o.
Drainage has been conceived by
the Police Jury that in less thar
five years. time will uncover 5OO,O O(
acres of swamp lands in this Parish
heretofore the abode of crayfst