The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1915-03-13
STATE Administration LIVES Up TO
GOOD GOVERNMENT LEAGUE PLATFORM
EXAMINATION OF THE RECORD SHOWS
BROUGHT ABOUT MANY IMPORTANT REFORMS IN SPITE
EFFORTS OPPOSITION.


cedure in Louisiana cannot be thorough
ly and fundamentally reformed without
amendments to the constitution and
that the only method of changing the
constitution during the present admin
istration is through a convention are
leading observant politicians to the con.
clusion that convention will be held
the coming summer or autumn. Many
other reasons for a convention have
been advanced, most of them tending
to thorough and complete revision Of
the organic law in convention of I'M
limited powers. That the complete
fulfllment of the Good Government
League platform requires a conven-
ton has attracted some attention and
through that interest has been renew
ed in the platform, which has not been
reviewed, with mention of the respond.
ing legislation, for over two years.
A review of the platform and the
Legislation Immediately concerning it's
several planks indicates substantial
success in carrying it out except in
matters of taxation and court pro-
cedure, though some advance was made
in the latter and two efforts to make
the present system more pliable in the
hands of defense attorneys in the Grim
inal courts were defeated by vetoes.
The following review was prepared
by friend of the state administration:
Most of the platform was designed
to prevent the construction of a new
state machine on the wreck of the one
about to be smashed. AS a result some
legislation complies with more or less
directness to more than one pledge.
The total reduction in appointive
jobs, according to Speaker Lee Emmett
Thomas, was 176; and with the reduc-
ton of other salaries this saved the
state $660,00O for the four.year term.
This economy answers the first plank,
which declared in favor of the radical
curtailment" of the Governors patron
age, and the demand of the second
plank for the elimination of superfuous
offices. The appointive power was fur
Their reduced in making SUGGESTIONS
to statutory officers whose unexpired
terms were less than year elective,
and applying the same to constitution
al officers in Orleans by constitutional
amendment,
In addition to the abolition of the
176 appointive jobs, the second demand
was complied with by transferring the
work Of the many special attorneys to
boards to the Office of the Attorney
General Several boards were consoli-
dated into the Conservation Commits
sion, the state insurance board abolish
ed and the consolidation of the Board
of Appraisers and the Board of Equali-
cation into a tax commission of three
members twice defeated by methods
which have been given considerable
advertising of late.
Dual Office holding, condemned in
the third plank, had been recognized
as an evil before 1893, when the consti-
tuition Of that year declared against it.
The evil of permitting the Governor
and local politicians to control the Gen.
eral Assembly by controlling the best
paying jobs of members reached it's
height during the previous administra-
ton. Dual Office holding was abolished
in 1912.
The appropriation bill of 1912 was
roundly denounced by the administra-
tons opponents as in violation Of the
fourth plank of the platform, which de-
manded that all appropriations shall
be kept we'll below the prospective
revenues of the state" 1t was criticized
as a record breaker" and attempts
were made to distract attention from
the fact that the considerable increases
were In compliance with the thirteenth
pledge Of the platform calling for the
liberal support of all the educational
and eleemosynary institutions of the
state and the full maintenance of its
levee system" Subsequent develop
ments evidenced that the bill of 1912
fell over 100000 below the actual rev.
enues despite the fact that large de-
felt left by the previous administra-
ton had to be cared for. Governor Hall
vetoed most Of the excessive appropria-
ton bill of 1914, making an extra ses-
sion this spring necessary.
The fifth plank pledged the admins
tration to reform the states system of
assessment and taxation. The need
for this has since been recognized by