506 



LOUISIANA. 



ernment itself is not responsible for the wrongs 

 or negligences or omissions of duty of the sub- 

 ordinate officers or agents employed in the pub- 

 lic service, for it does not undertake to guaran- 

 tee to any person the fidelity of any of the offi- 

 cers or agents whom it employs, since that would 

 involve it in all its operations in difficulties which 

 would be subversive of the public interests." In 

 accordance with this view, the civil suit against 

 Maurice J. Hart, begun in October, 1889, to com- 

 pel him to return to the State $61,000 of the 

 constitutional bonds fraudulently issued by the 

 ex-Treasurer, was decided in the local district 

 court, on March 27, in favor of the State, and 

 the bonds were surrendered. A similar decision 

 was rendered against Miss Laura Gaines, on 

 March 21, and on May 29 the State obtained an- 

 other judgment against Maurice J. Hart for the 

 return of certain consolidated bonds held by 

 him. Thereupon the holders of the fraudulent 

 securities, seeing that they had no standing at 

 law, and deeming it a hardship to lose the pur- 

 chase money that they had innocently paid, peti- 

 tioned the Legislature, on May 28, to grant them 

 relief by issuing to them valid State bonds of a 

 face value equal to that of the fraudulent bonds, 

 but they failed to obtain the desired legislation. 

 Before the fraud of the ex-Treasurer was discov- 

 ered interest coupons to the value of $88,970 

 had been presented to the State treasury and 

 paid. For the purpose of recovering this loss, 

 if possible, a suit was begun, on May 12, against 

 the sureties upon the bond of the ex-Treasurer. 



In the criminal proceedings that were begun 

 in October and November, 1889, against the ex- 

 Treasurer and Maurice J, Hart, the trial of the 

 latter for embezzlement of State bonds took 

 place in January, and resulted in his acquittal on 

 Jan. 25. The other criminal cases against him 

 for publishing forged bonds were discontinued 

 on Feb. 13. On July 5 an act of the State Legis- 

 ture was approved by the Governor, authorizing 

 him to offer a reward of $10,000 for the capture 

 and return to the State of the defaulting ex-Treas- 

 urer, but up to the-close of the year he was still 

 at large. 



Valuations. The total assessed valuation of 

 property, in the State, not including railroad, 

 telegraph, and telephone property, was $208,476,- 

 914 in 1888, and $226,392.288, in 1889. The valu- 

 ation of the country parishes in 1888 was $88,- 

 799,720, and in 1889, $97,123,282 : the parish of 

 Orleans was valued in 1888 at $119,277,194, and 

 in 1889 at $ 129,268,905. In the country parishes 

 the valuation of lands in 1888 was $52.287,279, 

 and in 1889, $55,053,261 ; of town lots in 1888, 

 $11,490,340, in 1889, $12,914,307; of live stock 

 in 1888, $11,752,194, in 1889, $12,721.144; of 

 other personal property in 1888, $13,269,907, in 

 1889, $16,434,570. In the parish of Orleans the 

 valuation of town lots in 1888 was $85,773,509, 

 in 1889, $86.427,023 ; of live stock in 1888, $1,- 

 068,305, in 1889, $1,051.825; of other personal 

 property in 1888, $32,435,380, in 1889, $41,790,- 

 057. The rate of State taxation is 6 mills on the 

 dollar. 



Legislative Session. The regular biennial 

 session of the General Assembly began on May 

 12 and adjourned on July 10. Its important 

 action on the question of renewing the license 

 to a State lottery is considered elsewhere. The 



lease of the State convicts to S. L. James, which 

 would expire in March, 1891, was renewed for 

 ten years from that date, the lessee paying an 

 annual rental of $50,000 to the State and agree- 

 ing to employ the convicts only upon levees, 

 railroads, canals, or other works of internal im- 

 provement, and in no case to use or hire or sub- 

 let them for agricultural work. Another act re- 

 quires all railway companies, except street mil- 

 way companies, 'to provide equal but separate 

 accomodations for the white and colored races, 

 by providing two or more passenger coaches for 

 each train, or by dividing each passenger coach. 

 Conductors are clothed with authority to enforce 

 this act, and to refuse transportation to persons 

 who refuse to comply with its provisions. An 

 act for the suppression of trusts declares " every 

 contract combination in the form of trust, or 

 conspiracy in restraint of trade or commerce, or 

 to fix or limit the amount or quantity of any 

 article, commodity, or merchandise to be manu- 

 factured, mined, or produced or sold " to be il- 

 legal. The Governor was authorized to accept 

 for the State a gift from the Trustees for the 

 Assistance of the Blind of land and buildings in 

 Baton Rouge, to be used by the State solely as 

 an asylum for the blind. An amendment to the 

 State Constitution was prepared, to be submitted 

 to the voters of the State at the election in 1892, 

 authorizing the city of New Orleans to issue Con- 

 stitution bonds, not exceeding $10,000,000 in 

 amount, to run for fifty years at 4 per cent., for 

 the purpose of funding* its bonded debt, the 

 premium bonds alone excepted, and authorizing 

 that city to levy an annual tax of 1 per cent, to 

 pay interest and principal at maturity. The 

 State tax rate for 1891 and succeeding years was 

 fixed at 6 mills, and important amendments were 

 made to the law regulating the assessment of 

 property for taxation. As a result of the charges 

 of bribery of members made in connection with 

 the efforts of the State Lottery Company to secure 

 a renewal of its charter, a law was passed impos- 

 ing a penalty of both fine and imprisonment upon 

 persons bribing or attempting to bribe public 

 officers or voters, and upon persons receiving 

 bribes. Another act requires all checks drawn 

 by the State Treasurer to be countersigned by 

 the State Auditor, and imposes other checks upon 

 these officers. Other acts of the session were : 



Fixing the maximum tariff rate for passengers on 

 railroads in the State at three cents a mile (children 

 under twelve years being charged halt-rate). This act 

 does not apply to local or branch lines operated inde- 

 pendently of the main lines, nor to roads in course of 

 construction or to be constructed until five years alter 

 their completion. 



Giving to persons who labor on logs or other tim- 

 ber, or who cook for persons engaged in such business^ 

 a lien on such logs and timber, concurrent with that ot 

 the furnisher of necessary supplies. 



Granting to bicyles, tricycles, and other vehicles 



R repelled by hand or foot, the same rights oa the pub- 

 c highways as those enjoyed by carriages with horses. 

 Making train robbery, or the attempt at train rob- 

 bery, punishable by imprisonment at hard labor not 

 less than five nor more than ten years. 



To authorize administrators, executors, tutors, and 

 syndics to sell stocks and bonds at market rates and 

 at private sale, with leave of court first obtained. 



To provide a method by which insurance compa- 

 nies may reduce their capital stock to its actual value 

 when it shall have been impaired. 



