The Meridional. (Abbeville, La.) 1856-1906, 1888-04-28
Eligibility 80 Hold Office.

At the request Of some Of our
readers we publish the following ar
ticles from the Constitution OF the
State of Louisiana, for the iuforma-
ton Of the public who wish to be
posted on the subject. The consti-
tuition Of this State says:
ART. I'll. No person who, at any
time, may.have been a collector Of
taxes, whether State, parish or MUM
cipal, or who mayhave heenotherwise
intrusted with public money, Or any
portion thereof, shall be eligible to
the General Assembly or TO any
Office OF honor, profit Or trust under
the State government, OF any parish
or municipality thereof, until he shall
have obtained a discharge for the
amopnt Of such collections and for
all public moneys with which lie may
have been intrusted.
This question has already been
passed and adjudicated by two
branches Of our State government,
once by the legislature Of this State
in a case reported in the SD An
Dual, at page 7l8, wherein the de-
PENDANT, who had been nstrusted
with public moneys in the capacity
of tax collector for 1871 and 1872,
and tax collector for 1872 and 1873,
and had not obtained his G%uietus up
to the year 1879 when u present
constitution was adopted. The de-
fendant was elected sheriffa at the cleo
ton of 1879, aud in a contest for the
Office his eligibility was questioned,
and that high tribunal held that he
was ineligible to hold any Office OF
honor, trust or profit under the State
government, or any parish or mum.
cipality thereof, to have been, there
fore, not legally elected.
In another case the house Of repre-.
sentatives Of this State in 1880, we
believe, decided a similar question in
the same manner by refusing to admit
in its council a member elected from
one Of the northern parishes Of this
State who was in about the same
position as was the party in the case
decided by the Supreme Court.
ART. %. Every elector under this
constitution shall! be eligible to a seat
in the House Of Representatives, and
every elector who has reached the
age of twenty-five years shall be
eligible to the Senate; prooided, that
no person shall be eligible to the
General Assembly unless at the time
of his elections he has been q citizen
Of the State five years and an actual
resident Of the district or parish
from which he may be elected for
two years Immediately preceding his
election. The seat of any member
who may change his residence from
the district Or parish he represents
shall thereby be vacated, any declar-
alton of a retention of domicilc to
the contrary Notwithstanding; and
members Of the General Assembly
shall be elected for a term of four
years.
The survey OF the St. Paul, Alex
andria, Lake Arthur and Gulf Rail
road was commenced last week.
Lake Charles Echo.
We have all assurances Of the
building of this road, and it will be
continued on from Lake Arthur to
the gulf, passing several miles north.
west of Abbeville. This will be a
sad blow to our town unless steps
are soon taken to have a railroad
running from some point on the
Southern Pacific to this place. Our
people should be up and doing and
provide some means by which they
will be able to retain the large trade
they have already secured for this
place, aud not allow new towns