St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-09-01
Proceedings of the Police Jury

| The reading Of the proceedings of the last
| meeting wis dispensed with.
! On motion of Mr.. Stagg, recess was taken
! tor hall an hour, to allow the committee to
I prepare their report "n examination If hooks.
| On -esumlng, the committee, through their
| chairman Mr.. Stagg reported as follows:
! To the Honorable President aud members
! OF the Police Jury of the parish of s.! Landry:
lle undersigned. your committee appointed
! to examine the books of the ex.Trpa>urer and
| Clerk. ascertain what is the Indebtedness of
! the parish up to the meeting OF the present
| Jury, I'd July 1888. ami The amount Of money
! turned over to the present Treasurer, respect
| full reuort:
! That they have examined the books afore
| shId with care and diligence and find them
correct and precise III their letter and cyphrrs
showing hat the total debts aul liabilities of
| The parish 70 2d July, 1881. is tnrIy-righl
| Thousand one hundred and eightyninr 6il0o
dollars, .-..-... SiSl8 OF
| That the ex-Treasurer paid in ex-
! cess OF the money received 10y him.- 5 60
Consequently that no money was turned
over to the present Treasurer.
RECApITULATioN.
Amt. due and past due including
| SS297 80 outstanding witness ctrtif-
Gates and including current expenses
OF tins year up to ID July. credited
acc'ts. on parish books, also the two
first quarters of 1888 for magistrates
and colIstahles- $325l07s
Amt. due Chas. ID. Stewart out Of
| funds of 1888 and 1889 .-......-...... 10000
Contract with 5. A. Oliver Bro. to
build bridge at Washington. La, pay
able in five equal annual instruments
when completed according to
tract. Interest to he paid by Wash.
ington. Bridge not built yet....... 5000 90
second payment on Courthouse due
LIST JAN, 1889, ..--..--.-... .$6i25.0G
Balance due on cash paym't.
OF $4,000, which was to have
| been made by the town Of
Opelonsas gu completion of
courthouse Il1u. ~
Interest due by parish Oh bal
ancc OF cash payment up to
ddte- 1If,2S 9lI2bS
Am {. due j. -. Chachere tor money
dlsbursed III excess of amt received $50
Iot2l.-- ...---..-...-........ SiS, 1879 %
To which must necessarily be added the
current expenses of the parish from I'll July,
1888 to Jan. |, 80, and in which will figure he
criminal expenses of one term of the District
Court. To the credit of all of which stands
the taxes, licenses. etc, due and culleciible
FOR this wear. which will probably realize the
sum of S3500000. and when the town of Opel-
"usas or snretirs pay the balance due upon
he cash installment of the price OF Court.
house, the amount sn paid will then operate
as a credit 1t is thus detnonstra that the
revenues of the parish to he collected during
The p esent year are NOT sufficient TO pay the
aforementioned indebtedness and that on the
LIST day of Jan, SO there will be u resultant
debt staring us in the face not dollar in the
treasury-cOtnpelled tn walt upon the collec.
ton of the taxes and licenses of the year 'S9
to meet current aud past due indebtedness.
In other wur.ls-Will I've forced to begin the
new year 50, in debt and on trust.
The financial operation of the parish. has
for a long time past, been conducted on a
credit basis the revenues of each wear have
been anticipated appropriated aud expended
in advance OF their collection. thereby neces.
stating he making of contracts for all the
needs OF the parish at credit prices. which eIl.
tailed an expense far in excess OF what the
same COM tracts would have cost on IL cash basis
The difference bet Ween the two systems,
cash and credit, i'll a few years amount to an
aggregate equal t" 1he present parish debt.
SO that the present debt may be directly
trar+able and due to this biiud system of
credit on the flu ure.
1t may not be ainiss to remark, that very
large portion OF the present Indebtedness has
been forced Oh til" parish for and in the trial
of C iminal cases i'll the District court espe.
c'ally III the matter of witness fees. and we
would respectfully suggest that your Hon.
Bmiy earnes ~ request the District Judge and
District attorney t" Use in the future every
means in their power to reduce said criminal
EXPENSES in The parish.
What is the rrmed y 2 and in what manner
can the parish of st. Landry be best and sunn-
est extricated from its pieseut financial eul- |
barrassnlents The problem is one ut morals |
and fnance aud under both heads. every man |
must find it Ii matter of personal interest. 1t |
is difficult to resolve. but should Do solved |
On motion OF Mr.. Durio the report was ac- |
cepted.
On motion Of Mr. P. Robin res0ved-That |
whereas the committee appointed tn examine |
the books Ut TIE ex-freasurer and clerk have |
reported that they find the same correct. BE |
it therefore resolved that We tender our
thanks to the members and officers of the for
mer Police Jury for he able and Efficient man.
her in which they administered the affairs of
the parish.
On motion of Mr.. Dossman, Resolved. that |
committee of three be appointed to ascer- |
tain il the change of road from Vile Plate to
Washington, according to petition Of A. r.
tontenOt, the change commencing at the end
of D. Maibrough's lane nearest Vile Plate and
west between lands Of A. r. Fonte-
not, Hyp. Spencer and AureIie Vidrne rs far
as corner Of r. Fontenots lands. thence
south between lands Of A. K. Fontenot and
Samuel Haas to end of lane known as Eos
ters lane; would prove satisfactory to the
inhabitants of that section and the public in
general. The following committee was ap-
pointed: I. Reed, Damon Devllle aud Y. vi
drne.
On motion Of Mr.. Haas, L. j. BOSNIAN was
added 10 the committee.
The committee appointed to sell the con-
tract to repair the bridge at bayou Petite
Passe, reported, that the contracf was sold
to law to Mr.. D. w. Wilson, the
lowest bidder for the sum Of one hundred and
ninety dollars t$l90.00), that the repairs were
made according to contract and accepted by
them. When on motion the report was &C.
eepted and the committee was discharged
On motion Of Mr. observation-disclosures Mr. G.,
Satterly has applied to be appointed Benef.
;lary Cadet from st. Landry parish be it rec
solved, that although we regret to be forceda,
70 refuse the said appointment, we are forced /
o do SO by reason of the embarrassed condi +
ion OF the parish. -
On motion of Mr.. Mlburn, Messrs. Simeon
Ardoin, Ed. J. Conway and j. Il. Bacon were
appointed a committee to examine and sscer-
ain the cost to repair bridge over bayou Gro.
odile on the public road leading from Vile
late to Whiteville, as prayed for in petition
nj report at next meeting.
The following road Overseers we're appoint.
d Leon Pitre in place of James McCleunan
u public road from Deieans bridge to Nal.
1t bridge and to John B"t,lreau's
Pierre Carmier-from ChiIti's plantation to
heodule f. Richards
Edgar Sayoie--from Dick Smiths place to
. Il. crossing.
Gaston Guillaumin in place off. W. Seeley,
ON Friiots bridge to j. b Arloins.
On motion OF L. j. BOSNIAN the Police Jury
iJnurned until Monday the Sth of Oetober,