St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1884-09-06
ACT SIS.

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1t is an axiom in political economy,
and likewise cardinal maxim of sound
governmental policy, that the admins
tratiOn and control of public matters
and public things, in which the people
are interested, should never be left nor
be intrusted to few for their sole, ex-
/ elusive, personal gain and advantage
but that they should ever and always be
administered fairly, openly and econ0m-
Ically by the government itself for the
benefit of the people. Works of public
necessity come within the scope Of these
maxims; and therefore should never be
mOnopolized by One individual nor by
one set Of individuals; for in such
case. great wrOnSs and injustice must
| in eVitably follow
1t was ~ view Of the possibility Of
such lniquitous Wrongs that the COnsti-
tutional Convent ton of 1879, under arti
Gle 46 OF tho constitution, which it then
established, especially designed and
provided ''that the Legislature shall not
pass any special law granting to a cor
poration, association or individual any
special and exclusive right, privilege or
immunity"
Has not the Legislature fagrantfy
violated these injunctions of the con
stituti0n by authorizing, in fact by di-
recting the Governor to contract exclu-
sively with the penltentiary lessee and
John McGinty for the construction and
completion of the entire levee system of
Louisiana and upon such terms and at
such prices as the two contracting par
ties alone, in secret council, may deem
it to settle upon. Is this fair to the
taxpayers of Louisiana? Ia it fair to
the numerous other contractors who are
this day willing, and this day prepared
to compete in price, as we'll as in quail
fcatiOns, for the performance of these
works?
There are, as some must be aware,
many advocates and supporters of the
penitentiary ring, and as many more
UNFOLDING the present government re-
gime, who claim that act So was prompt
ed by deep solitude for the public well
fare, and for the safety of the lower
Mississippi Valley from foundations,
and who also claim that the main object
it's promoters had in view was the Sc
curing the execution of these levee
works at the lowest possible cost to the
treasury OF the State. This argument,
or rather this claim to an argument, is
more than speci0Ns; it is hagrantly
false; and merely intended to conceal
GbAG 1SH4 OUJOCU "A4Gu
J Of act IS had in view, when they lobbied
it through the Legislature, and after
ward extOrted the sanction of executive
signature. We may we'll, right here,
J ask the question: How can the Gov
ergor ever ascertain that the contract
pqice agreed upon between him and the
parties designated, and favored by a
statute so m&nifestfy unconstitutional,
is the lowest, most advantageous and to
the best interests of the State, without
first inviting the cOBpetition of rival
Iscontractors : When appealed to by o
lcommittee OF these contractors, the
Governor felt obliged to concede the
4 justice and force of their objections to
Il the extraordinary, provisions of act So
i and went SO far as to suggest that if
4 satisfactory security were furnished in
advance that he might possibly accept
bids andipTopOs8lSsfOr the performance
Of the public works. Why require adj
vaneed security, when these excluded
contractors At ready to furnish this Sc
curity Whenever the work is allotted to
them, add they are also prepared to bid
upon these works, according to the spe-
cificatiOn of the State Engineers The
fact however, is patent, that it is not,
and never was the intention that any,
one sh0nld comesin conflict or in compe-
ton with the favored contractors.
These individuals, VIII tever may have
been the. controlling reasons and motives
preceding the nominations and election
which'0ae of these days will probably
come to light, were the favored and
choseH=s and in the face of undivided
public opinion, against the deep moral
sentiment which speaks aloud from one
end Ofythe Union to the other against
the working OF convict labor in compe-
tition with free and honest 1abOr5 not
withdrawing alltthis the chosen monop-
olists are given the control of all the
leyee{WOTks, and the use OF convict la
Dor toperformlit.
When such methods obtain, when
such Governmental practices are carried
out, it is well nigh time TO ask our
selves, whether we still live under re-
publican form of government directed
by democratic laws and usages, or
, whether we have degenerated and fall
en- into that low condition of society
when, as described recently by bril-
liant moral thinker, the people have
become the mill to supply grist and
bread to the officehOlder and his heneh
men.
We might close right here; but be-
fore doiRg so it is Our wish to ask one
more question, aud that is, by what
right aud under what authority is the
unfortunate onviGt made to work out
side of the penitentiary. By the last
solemn decree of ajudicial tribunal, by
the terms and conditions of his final
sentenee, he was condemned in .expia-
| ton OF his,erime to hard labor for term
of vasRg in the Denitentiary, moi outside