The Opelousas courier., 1907-11-09
COST OF SESSION IS BUT A TR|FLE
Well-Aired Subject as to Wheth.
er or Not the Governor Over.
stepped His BOunds-Call for
Meeting of Legislature Is Not
Well Received BY All.
LAFOURCHE COMET

LAFOURCHE COMET
Governor Blanchard has issued proc
lamation calling an extra session of the
State Legislature
The call specifies the consideration of
eleven objects, inc,ading, among others,
the readjusting of EXCESSIVE fees and sala-
ries of existing Offices, decreasing the cost
of collecting revenues of the State and of
assessing propertyfor taxation, the aboli-
tion, of unnecessary Offices and consolida-
ting others, and directing that the pub
lie funds be deposited in solvent banks
offering the highest rate of interest. These
are the most important matters recon-
mended by the Governor to the consider
alton of the Legislature, and every one
of them will be found in the platform of
General Jastremski, issued and published
long before the other candidates for
Governor had been heard from.
1t is true that the other candidates
afterward fell in line and endorsed these
measures, so clearly enunciatd by Gen
eral Jastremski, just as other candidates
four years ago were compelled to accept
the views of the General on the primary
question and the curtailment of guber-
material patronage.
But there is one measure for which
General Jastremski stands which the
Governor seems to have overlooked and
which he does not include in the objects
set forth in his call for an extra session of
the Legislature. We refer to the extra
ordinary powers now lodged in the Rail-
road Commission
Governor Blanchard in issuing his call
must have overlooked the fact that the
Railroad Commission of this State has
under our present Constitution more
power than the General Assembly itself.
Art. 288 of the Constitution provides that
upon THE RECOMMENDATION of
the Commission the Legislature may add
to or enlarge the powers and duties of the
Commissioners or confer other powers
and duties upon them
This means that the Legislature can
not pass any legislation whatever relative
to the powers and duties of the Commits
sion unless anduntil the Commission it
self condescends to the passage of such
The Legislature may pass laws affect
ing the Supreme and other courts, and all
other State officers, but the Railroad
Commissioners are sacred and supreme,
and the Legislature is prohibited by the
from passing any laws rela-
tive to their powers and duties, unless the
Commissioners themselves see fit to gra-
,lously extend their permission. In
other words, the three men composing the
Railroad Commission have more power
han the Legislature itself, and their d.
les cannot be increased or diminished
Without their special permission and con-
ent
General Jastremski favors the amend
ng of this article of the Constitution by
aking this extraordinary power from the
Commissioners and permitting the Legis-
ature of this State to have something to
ay as to powers and duties of three men
the Railroad Commission.
We grant that the special objects for
which the extra session of the Legislature
las been called are important, but it
trikes us that the Constitutional amend
nent proposed by General Jastremski,
elative to the powers and duties of the
Railroad Commission, is of equal, if not
reater, Importance than the legislation
recommended, but, as we have already
tated, this matter must have been over
ooked by the Governor. /
Had the Governor included this i'm
subject in his call, we would feel
bic b-,t IL