The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1919-05-30
Special Session Urged to
Provide Road Leg
islatlon
Buie Says Disaster Threatens
State Highway Build
ing Program

\ special session of the Legisla-
| ture to draft constitutional amend
ment, clearing UP the legal confusion
as to the powers OF the parishes to
levy road taxes. is being urged as
the most effective means OF averting
the disaster which highway workers
III Louisiana declare threatens the
/ states road building program
Loss of the federal good roads ap-
preparation amounting in the next
| three years to approximately $4,000
900, is one of the possibilities which
Louisiana faces as a result OF recent
| decisions OF the State Supreme Court
On the subject of road taxes.
Reversal or modification Of these
decisions in similar cases now under
Amusement in the Supreme Court,
and in which opinions may be handed
down at the regular opinion day
Monday, will not be sufficient to re-
establish the parish road bond issues
IN the eyes of the bankers and other
| investors. according to the belief ex.
pressed by Duncan Buie, chief of the
State Highway Department. He and
many other persons, who have studied
the problem, believe curing the fe.
gal defect through special 1egisla-
tive session and constitutional
amendment voted on by the people
at the next election. or at a specially
called election, if possible, is the on
ly method by which the selling value
of the road bonds can be completely
restored.
These arguments in favor of a spe-
cial session of the Legislature are be-
ing given serious consideration by
Governor Pleasant. who said in New
Orleans Thursday evening that he
appreciated the seriousness of the
situation. A large number of COM
munications on the subject are OF
his desk awaiting his return to Baton
Rouge, and prominent men from dif-
ferent portions of the state have
called to see him in this connection ;
in the past few days
The G, vera. -a'd th-t he cam. -.
decide i,Imed; l..y whether te VII
issue a call for the special session,
nor when it would be held if he did
70 ,zt
In the event that the session is held
the road bond measure will no doubt
be an important issue, although sew
eral other matters have been pro-
posed for consideration at such a
session, notably the pipe line situa-
ton in the Caddo oil fields.
Recent decisions of the Supreme
Court mean in substance that every
road bond issue which has been voted
during the past. twelve months and
those which are to be voted in the
near future will become null and
void, and the money that every par
ish contemplates appropriating for
road construction to meet the fed
eral governments appropriation will
not be Forthcoming" said Mr.. Buie
Thursday. The law provides, he ex-
that where a state fails to
meet the federal dollar for dollar
hey are diverted to other states.
1T is the opinion of the Highway
Department and of eminent coun-
'el," said Mr.. Buie, that the only
method of satisfactory relief is an
session of the Legisla-
ure, which can provide either for
convention or a con-
amendment In my opin-
on a reversal or modification by the
Supreme Court of its previous de-
,isons will not remove the stigma
which has been placed upon parish
ponds Money is the most tmid
hing in the world The situation
must be thoroughly cured or the par
shes will not be able to sell their
road bonds"
The Louisiana Supreme Court
iealt the bodybuilding program a
leavy blow in a decision in the case
If Haynes and others versus the AS
SCISSOR of Red River parish. decided
May p. 1918, with Chief Justice Mon
oe as the organ of the court On
Iune II, 1917, elections were held
n Red River parish to take the sense
of the qualified voters upon the
question Of voting a 5 mill tax for
live years in aid of the building of
roads throughout the parish; and up-
IN the same day a similar election