The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1910-06-09
AboIishinf Attorneyships.


We have maintained for number of
years, in fact since our early inception into
the field of journalism, that among the
offices, or 50 called Offices that could and
should be done away with, was that of at
torneyships for every board or commission
of any nature whatever. Every board has
its attorney, and very few if any OF the
attorneys so employed are ever called upon
to render any legal service. For these
positions the salaries range from S7OO to
$1,000 and even $4,000 year. Every Levee
Board, to begin with, has its attorney
whose greatest trouble is to attend the oc-
casional meetings of the board and draw
his salary. The same is true of every
board or commission in the State.
The truth of the matter is the government
is run solely for the purposes of politicians,
first, last and always. Political favors and
obligations must be paid at the expense OF
public money, and rather than not repay
the most faithful, Offices are created,
whether necessary or not, so as to COM
pensate them either wholly or in part. That
this is an undeniable fact is attested by the
scores of offices created with no reason for
existence and no excuse for being allowed
to continue. We firmly believe that the
idea conveyed in Representative Samp-
sons proposed Constitutional Amendment
will make itself apparent and that ere long
the good people Of this State will realize
that it is high time to run the affairs OF
this State on a better and higher plane,
paying more attention to business than to
politics and debts attending the successful
politicians induction into office.-IHibo-
daor Commercial Journal.
We are in favor of economy and the
abolition of all useless offices, boards,
commissions and fancy priced attorney
ships; but we are opposed to the proposed
consolidation, on the plea of economy, of
the Levee Boards of the State. We be-
lieve the system of consolidation would,
in the end, prove more expensive than the
parish system, properly regulated by law,
preventing the payment of exorbitant SAL
aries, an outrage justly denounced by the
Commercial Journal.
The Consolidated Boards would doubt
less start off with grand stand flourish of
economy, but we venture the assertion that
at the first meeting of the next Legislature,
if not at the proposed special session OF
the present Legislature, the Consolidated
Boards would be found loudly clamoring
for more clerks, stenographers, attorneys,
etc., for their "over-worked' boards, and
they would get what they asked for.
In addition, consolidation means central
ization, and taxation without, perhaps,
adequate representation, and is subversive
of parish or local rule. With home boards
the people can take hand in the legisla-
ton in which they are concerned.
The Levee Boards of Bossier Parish, for
instance-their members being some of
our best citizens and largest land owners
have, with the organization of the first
board to the present time, worked faith
fully, intelligently and honestly for the best
interests of the people. Because a few
Levee Boards have proved unfaithful or
extravagant or, perhaps, dishonest, is no
good reason why the worthy boards should
be put out of commission, and the levee
system of their respective parishes prac-
tically placed under alien rule.
Let US have more parish government and
less State government. Let us wipe cut
the autocratic work of the Department of
Education and Politics and re-establish
our parish lines.