St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-05-16
The State Finances.
C,iuton Waterman.

"The conference between the committee of
the Mexican Exchange and committees OF
other commercial bodies, in regard to the
Board of Health's endeavor to secure loan OF
5,OG0 to aid IN establishing lower quarantine
station at the mouth OF the Mississippi River,
the Board pledging $4,000 worth OF State war
rants for the loan, took place last night The
question agitated at last nights meeting,
which was held in the rooms of the Mexican
Exchange, besides side talk on quarantine was
how to raise 81 500 in aid of the Board the1r
State warrants being good for S750e.r'-N. O..
City Item, April "a.
Such spectacle of deprecated credit
is humiliating, not only to the last ex-
trelne, but it is very suggestive of other
and even deeper humiliations the
question comes naturally up "if the
Board of Health backed by the intlu-
ence of all the Exchanges and the COM
mercial bodies of New Orleans can OBJ
tain but $500 by piedging $4,000
worth of State warrants !; how much
without any such influential backing,
can the Lunatic Asylum Board obtain
for the 100000 of State Warrants APP
propriated by the last Legislature :?
Will DR.. j. w. Jones enlighten the
tion, by telling us how much the Asy-
+ lum has realized. and which of the
large hearted and charitable brokers
has consented to divide the sWag with
the unfortunate inmates of the Asylum ?
In our remarks concerning the State
Finances, we positively dlsclalm in
tending any reflection upon Maj. E. A.
Burke, in whose capacity for usefulness
as a capable and conscientious public
servant, or in every capacity. whether
public or private we nave held and
| demonstrated unueviating confidence
Not, however, blind confidence, as
there have already occurred occasions
when our confidence in the Major has
been badly shaken up. In the last cleo
| ton when he was on ticket, the ma
terial of which was held in undisguised
contempt; and because we were not
willing to surrender gentleman OF
acknowledged intellectual power to un-
reasoning political prejudice and public
clamor without proofs, we still advoca-
| ted his nomination and election, to the
end. Now, he is Treasurer with our
full aequiesence but the condition of
the finances has grown rapidly so de-
ranged, the credit of the Common
wealth has fallen so low, that we. are
constrained to the opinion that there
is something rotten in the management
| of the Treasury. Who is responsible
for the shabby figure Louisiana repre-
sents among the Commonweaiths OF
the Union, we know not positively; but
a suspicion is dawning upon our mind
that our confidence has been misplaced;
and if the charge recently made,.. that
ordinary warrants have been paid in
full to some of the blood-sucking hang
ers around the Treasury, shall be sus-
/ tanned in that event, we shall not hes
itate to say to Maj. Burke as the He
brew prophet said to King David
''THoU ART THE MAN y Possibly the
ordinary warrants which have beer
unfairly preferred may have been thoss
issued in favor of the Board OF Healtt
and the Insane Asylum. If so, we shal
! forgive a deviation from the law, fOl
the sake of the great public benefactioI
conferred.