The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1910-07-10
HIS ESTIMATE OF THE WORK
OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
THE CHIEF INSURGENT
Supported Cheerfully Some Measures of
the Administration but Opposed Sal
ary Raising and Creation of Commits
sions and Officese-Five Issues Which
Must Be Met by the People.

Must Be Met by the People
Hon. L. F. Thomas, one of the mem
bers of the Legislature from Caddo,
who has just returned from Baton
Rouge, was asked by a Caucasian re-
porter for his opinion or estimate OF
the work of the second session of the
General Assembly which has just ad-
journed, and gave the following inter
view:
"The work of the last session was, in
my opinion, an Improvement in some
respects over the work of the first ses-
sion of the Legislature, although both
were completely dominated by the Gov
ernor The first session passed some
very bad legislationh such as the Code
Commission at cost of $4,000, the Gil
more fee of $4,000, the Marks bill CEN
tralizing the school system at Baton
Rouge, and destroying local self gov
ernment in that respect. 1t also raised
sheriffs' and assessors fees and created
the Game Commission which squeezed
$4,000 taxes out of the people to but
little purpose. The appropriation bill
was also in excess of anything thereto
fore, reaching $7,85o,ooo. | have been
denominated the combative Mr.. Thomas
or
THE CHIEF INSURGENT,
and | wish to say have supported many
good measures cheerfully, but when l
saw one my judgment said was bad, |
did my best to defeat it, and that with
out regard to personalities. would op-
pose my best friends measure if l
thought it bad one just as readily as
| would support a good measure cham
pioned by some one with whom / may
not have been in accord. / maintained
absolutely an independent attitude, so
as to do what appeared best.
| cheerfully supported such admins
tration measures as the Panama Expo
sition, the good roads legislation, the
New Orleans steamship proposition, the
State bonded Indebtedness measures,
and some others, while at the same time
| opposed some other bills that did not
appear best for the public welfare. Now,
as to measures where | clashed with
the administration leader, they were not
many. I fought hard to repeal the
Game Commission Act, and to amend
the printing laws, so as to save money
for the State. Opposition.was made to
every salary raising bill where the State
was interested, and sought to reduce
some salaries that were fixed too high,
like $1,000 for the travelling auditor and
game commissioner, and others of a like
kind. opposed the sale of our penal
farms because they paid us 10000 net.
profits during the past two years on
those it was proposed to sell, and they
are in fine state of cultivation, and the
convicts are well cared for. 1t appeared
to be poor business to sell them under
the circumstances.
Il opposed the creation of more COM
missions and Offices, which would lay
heavier burdens in taxes on the people.
| offered to prune the last general APP
bill, as it, with the special
and deficiency bills, carries over 100000
in excess of the prospective revenues,
and | fail to see how we can ever pay
our debts at that rate.
AN INCREASE IN THE TAX RATE
IS BOUND TO FOLLOW.
A comparison of the last three admin
istrations will show that Governor
Heard's appropriated $Io,Io3,o66.3r,
Governor Blanchard's $I3,I66.oo, Gov
ernor Sanders $I6.338IIo.26. This
shows an increase of sixty per cent over
Governor Heard in expenditures, while
the revenues have increased only lit
tie over forty per cent At this rate,
the end of our rope financially is not
difficult to see. My position on the con-
servat1on measures, as heretofore ex-
planned, was that / desired the tax CON
fined to oil, gas and minerals, and op-
posed laying the additional tax on lurn-
Der to create another commission with
a lot of salaried employees who would
have but little to do, like the Game
Commission.
"The Smith anti-1obBy bill was heart
lily supported by all the Caddo delega-
ton, as well as the income tax amend
ment. In fact. the Caddo delegation
worked and voted in entire harmony and
with no friction. Mr.. Smith did splen-
did work, and. in fact, introduced the
largest number of bills of any represen-I
tatives, so that the boys joculafly called
hisr1 sspfff Cy,aitt, J, The H,,ys;cI,ar 49,,