St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1909-07-31

II
improvements to the City wharfage
a resolution which the practiced
legislator and able lawyer, Senator
Barrett, could and doubtless did draw
up, without any necessity whatever
for calling for outside legal help.
And yet in the face Of a deficiency
of revenue, which it was at the time
demonstrated would occur, $4,000
Of the peoples money was given
away to the two lawyers employed
by that Commission. In addition to
this fragrant raid upon the peoples
treasury, that legislature set the
new and dangerous precedent Of au-
thorizing legislative committees to
employ lawyers to draw up legis-
IatiYe acts for them, a service which
they are supposed themselves to per-
form and for which they are paid by
the people. Consider for a moment,
if this precedent be condoned or
passed over in silence, how much
more legislation will cost the people
in the future than it does even at the
present high rate. And consider
also what a convenient door would be
opened for dealing out juicy jobs to
attorneys, who may be supposed to
have a pull or political influence Of
any kind.
Take the case again Of the crea-
ton Of a Commission to revise the
Civil Code, consisting Of three law
yers, each TO receive $4,000, with
$4,000 additional for expenses, maxi
ing a total of $4,000, when there
was no existing necessity for a reyi-
sion of the Civil Code, and no general
demand from bench or bar for such
revision, as was demonstrated at the
State Convention Of lawyers at Alex
andria by the universal disapproval
of the scheme.
Consider again the act providing
for the appointment of three lawyers
as a commission to draft a Code Of
Criminal Law, for a compensation of
$4,000, with $4,000 additional for
expenses and for which, / believe,
there was as little demand from
bench or bar as there was for a re-
vision Of the Civil Code. I predict
that the work Of that commission
will be as unsatisfactory as the pre-
vious attempts in that direction, and
that the work will be rejected by the
common Judgment Of the bar.
The three acts that / have mem
toned involve a misrepresentation Of
$1,000 Of the peoples money.
I have time left TO comment on
only one other instance Of legislative
graft, namely the establishment Of q
Commission for the protection Of
birds, game and fish," While that
act does not provide for the pay Of
the commissions numerous appointees
throughout the State out of the funds
Of the State Treasury, yet it pro-
vdes for the exaction and collection
Of numerous licenses, fines, ETC., to
be paid by hunters and fishermen
throughout the State, the aggregate
Of which amounts to a great sum,
and which the act directs shall be de-
posted in the State treasury to the
credit of the game commission.
There are sixty parishes in the State,
and some idea may be formed of the
amount collected from the people fol
the maintenance of that commission,
with its vast army of wardens and
employees, by the fact that in The
Parish Of st. Landry alone $3107
have been collected in the way d
licenses for the last year. The con.
servation Of the game and fish Of The
! State could be better left to The
police juries Of the parish, and to The
land owners. The act creating that
commission is now universally ridiculet
and denounced, and justly so, as an
example Of legislative graft pure and
simple.
Since the adoption Of the Consti
J tuition Of 1898, I find that more thai
$40 new Offices have been created b
legislative enactment, more than hal
J Of this entire number, namely 100
having been created by the last ses
sion of the legislature. That body
has unwittingly laid itself open tt
one of the most greyious charges
brought by our fore-fathers in thu
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