The Colfax chronicle., 1896-01-25
The..Amendments.

are now Dolng advertlS0Q In the
various parishes for the information
of the voters. There are so many
of them and they are so long, that
many persons will not have the
time and understanding to read
them through and get their mean
ing and intention. We therefore
publish the following synopsis of
them, from the Times Democrat,
which collates them in the follow
ing numerical order, it being the or
der in which they were adopted by
the General Assembly:
l. Relative to the Legislature
Amending articles 81, 40, 46, 179,
1872, 204, 121 and 242 of the Consti-
tuition; providing for the manner
in which acts shall be passed by
the Legislature; requiring all sup
plies for the Legislature to be fur
nished under contract, and no pub
lie official in any way to be inter-
ested in the contract; prohibiting
the Legislature from creating or
renewing corporations, except mu-
nicipal, parochial or levee; Great
ing Bureau of Agriculture; pro-
viding that parochisl elections shall
be held on the same day as the
general State election; limiting the
taxing power of the State; regulat-
ing the forfeiture of property for
the non-payment of taxes, and al
lowing the Legislature to authorize
the parochial or municipal authori-
ties, by vote of the taxpayers, to
levy special taxes for public i'm
provements of not more than 5
mills or for a longer period than
10 years.
2. Relative to the Judiciary
Amending articles 95-106 of the
Constitution; modifying the juris-
diction of the Court of Appeals, re-
ducing the number of judges, and
making them elective by the popu-
lar vote in 1900 for q period of four
years; also, fixing new limits to
the several circuits, and fixing the
sessions (the article completely
changes the present Constitution
as far as the Courts of Appel are
concerned.)
3. Prohibiting the lease of con-
victs in the Penitentiary after the
present lease expires.
4 Relative to the Department
of Public Education-Providing for
the appointment or election of par
ish boards of education; authoriz-
ing every parish and every city or
town, not subject to parish taxation,
to levy tax of not less than II nor
more than 5 mills for the support
of the schools.
5. Authorizing the Legislature
to vote pensions to needy Confed-
crate veterans or their widows.
6. Relatiye to criminal Trials
Amending articles z, 81, 100, Ill,
'116, 125, 127, and abrogating arti-
cles 128 and 129 of the Constitution;
authorizing jury of six when the
penalty is not imprisonment at hard
labor or death; fixing the appellate
jurisdiction of the Supreme Court
in criminal cases; regulating the
jurisdiction of justice of the peace,
recorders and district judges.
Z. Regulating cases where dis
trict judges recuse themselves.
8. Increasing the salary of the
Governor to $1,000.
8. Regulating suffrage, disfran-
chising all non-naturalized foreign
'ers and all illiterates except those
paying taxes on $500 of assessed
property.
10. Authorizing cities, towns and
parishes to levy, assess and collect
special taxes for the purpose of
constructing public roads, streets
and parks.
IL. Authorizing cities and towns
to vote aid to manufacturing COM
panies.
A large part of these amend
ments, it will be seen, are more or
less technical, turning upon the
jurisdiction of court, etc, over
which the general public is not
likely to become interested or to
understand. The fact that the
amendments will reduce the judici-
ary expense account of the State
although not as much as it should
have been done-will probably as
sure them getting the bulk of the
popular vote.
Several of the amendment relieve
the parishes and cities of the ex-
treme limitation of power placed