Year: 1868

| 49, ~'As-S ~ vS PUstpOneu W PaEuCAAOL


A motion to postpone indefinitely was
lost:


Yeas 8; nays I3.


=, Mr.. Wittgenstein: | move that it be made
/ She special order OF the DAY for next Friday.


Mr.. Darrall: move to amend that it be
mace the special order of the day for next
Wednesday.


The motion to postpone until Friday was
adopted.


An act for the relief of Albert Lastraps
being under consideration


Mr.. Anderson: This gentlemen was the
| Librarian of the State in i65, 66. '67 and 6S.
up to the election of Governor Warmoth.
The library was then in the City Hall. When
this building was rented it was removed
from that place to the hall here. These
books were removed, put into the library
and arranged, placed in their proper places,
and an alphabetical index made by him,
he performed great deal of labor, and
had to employ assistance, and there was a
Dill introduced for his relief which passed
the Lower House and came to the Senate,
where it was lost for want of time, and he
now comes before this body and asks for the
compensation that is justly due.


The bill was passed.


a bill to incorporate the town of Alexan-
dria being under consideration, motion to
lay it upon the table was lost.


Mr. Campbell: Mr.. President, when this
bill was before the committee the Senator
from Rapides (Mr. Kelsol asked that action
upon it to be postponed. We gave him, be.
fore the committee reported upon it, almost
twice the time that he asked. In addition
to that he has secured the cooperation of
certain friends of his here to exempt his
property from the operation of the bilf and
now why should he come forward at this
time to defeat the bill


Mr.. Kelso: I would ask the gentleman if
he knows that the Republicans of my parish
are in favor of the bill?


Mr.. Campbell: They are. The Senator is
opposing the wishes of the majority of his
constituents. Notwithstanding all the favor
| given TO him at his request, he is endeavor-
| Ing to hneuster upon this question in an
improper manner. As the bill is now before
the Senate, ask that it be taken up and
| adopted.


Mr. Bacon: Mr.. President, desire to saw
in the presence of this Senate that there Is
no Senator on this floor that has acted with
more prudence and honesty, and at the
same time with more firm adherence to
what may be considered his party obliga-
tions than Senator Kelso, of Rapides. And
perhaps many of US could initiate his ex.
ample without injury to our reputation in
the community.


don't know anything about the facts of
this case except one thing that there is an
| evident desire to draw in within the cor
porate limits of the town of Alexandria a
large district of country around it, which
| consists OF plantations, and to subject the
Alexandria to pay the expense of
maintaining a government in that little
town. That is precisely the object
of this bill. know 1t is an iniauitous bill
for that reason. The object of the bill is to
subject the valuable plantation property in
the neighborhood of Alexandria, and the
| people who occupy it, and live by their
| plantation labor, TO the expense of support.
| ing the government of the town. / de.
nounce any measure the object of which is
to help men to hold office and make money
out of it.


Now, sir, we have usually followed this
course, that when Senator comes to us
| and says that bill is entirely of local
| character, and is injurious or beneficial to
the interests OF the people he represents,
we have voted with him. Shall we now
deny this privilege, this courtesy to Re.
publican Senator because some other Re
publican may want the bill passed? Shall
we snub him, and refuse to take his
opinion and his word upon this floor?
Now, sir, Think this is treat
ing as modest and unassuming
man as Mr.. Kelso very uniustly and yery
unfairly. I have reason to speak upon this
| because ! know something of the condition
| of things in Alexandria. l know there is a
disposition to subject the prouerty of those
who live around the town to tie expense of
maintaining the offices to be created for
that little town, and for this purpose to turn
the rural portion of that parish into town
property. For that reason know that Mr..
kelso would be justified without any opin-
ion on the part OF any one to oppose the
passage of this bill.


Mr.. Blackman: Mr.. President, have this
TO state in reply to Mr.. Campbell. Private
individuals wish to carry this bill through
in order that they may benefit themselves
by it, and as said on day before Yesterday
when the bill came up, so far as | am per
sonaly concerned, it is a matter of indiffer-
ence to me-: But, sir, these gentlemen from
the town of Alexandria have sent a petition
asking that we defeat the bill, and it is signed
by nearly all the property holders of the iown
OF Alexandria. And in view of this fact
| can not see for my life why-Senators who
have no interest in the matter should enlist
themselves so zealously against bill which
is approved BY the Senator from that district
and by the property holders of the town,
This bill was introduced in the House for
certain private reasons and has been car.
ried through the House for the advancement
of private interests entirely. 1t is a strange
thing to me that gentlemen not in the least
interested In the local measures of that
parish should be so much interested in this
bill. The action of the Senator is strange
indeed to me, and hope that the members
of the Senate will refuse TO pass this bill,


Mr.. Poindexter: / should not have taken
any interest in the bill but that some gentle
man said the House passed the bill for Ger,
tain reasons. Every bill passed in this
Legislature is passed for certain reasons. |
am informed that only three gentlemen in
the House of Representatives voted against
that bill, and it seems to me it must be a
good bill to receive such unanimous support.
l can't see anything against this bill, and
gentlemen have entirely failed to state any
reasons why we should vote against it. The
House has passed the bill by an oYerwhelm.
ing majority, and gentlemen are afraid to
tell the reason why the House of Represen.
tatives passed this bill. think it must be
a good reason.


MIR. Campbell; Mr.. President, will state
the reasons which have impelled me to SUP.
port this bill. have no personal interest
in this matter, but | have been repeatedly
solicited by Republicans from that parish
to support the measure, and have been told
that It is the almost unanimous wish of the
citizens of that parish that this bill should
be passed. As far as the statement of Sen.
ator Bacon is concerned, am informed by
a gentleman now on the floor that the gen.
tleman is mistaken in. his statement.
] am informed that the territory de-
scribed in this bill includes no plantation s.
These one hundred land twenty nine nan ca
signed to this petition opposing this bill
are but one hundred and twenty.nine out of
five hundred, the others are in favor of IL.
Mr.. kelso also told me that his only reason
for opposing 1t was that certain property of
his ewn would be included in the corpora.
ton as enlarged by this bill and would be
taxed more highly, and he then admitted
Nl.Ee Al. Al