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LOUISIANA. 



ences were held. A proposition was made that 

 the lottery question should be submitted to the 

 white voters of the State at a special election, 

 and that, in case the result should be in favor of 

 a lottery, a special session of the Legislature 

 should be called and the necessary lottery legis- 

 lation should be passed without opposition. The 

 anti-lottery members finally rejected this propo- 

 sition and no agreement was reached. The legis- 

 lation desired by Mr. Morris was introduced to 

 the House early in June, in the form of a pro- 

 posed constitutional amendment, authorizing 

 him to conduct a lottery for twenty-five years 

 by paying to the State $1,000,000 annually, of 

 which $350,000 annually should be devoted to 

 the construction and maintenance of levees, 

 $350,000 to the support of public schools, $150,- 



000 to charitable purposes, $50.000 for pensions 

 to Confederate soldiers, and $100,000 for a sys- 

 tem of drainage in the city of New Orleans. 

 While this bill was under discussion an offer 

 was received, on June 18, from Benjamin New- 

 gass, by which he agreed to pay the State $1,- 

 250,000 per annum for the lottery franchise for 

 twenty-five years. The House rejected this offer 

 and passed the Morris bill on June 25 by a vote 

 of 06 to 29. In the Senate the bill received sev- 

 eral amendments, among others one increasing 

 the price of the franchise to $1,250,000 per an- 

 num, the increase going to the general fund of 

 the State, and was passed in its amended form 

 on July 1 by 24 to 12. On the following day the 

 amended bill passed the House and was sent to 

 the Governor. It was returned by him, accom- 

 panied by a veto message, the concluding por- 

 tion of which is as follows : 



So far as a claim for the necessity of the present 

 measure is sought to be predicated upon the assumed 

 condition of the poverty of Louisiana, I, as its Gov- 

 ernor, pronounce it totally without justification or war- 

 rant. Some other motive for this measure must be 

 found than that her people are unable honorably to 

 carry out for themselves the duties of statehood. 

 Knowing this contemplate'd measure as I do, as one 

 dishonoring and degrading Louisiana, it has met, as 

 it will continue to moot, my most determined oppo- 

 sition. At no time, and under no circumstances, will 



1 permit one of my hands to aid in degrading what 

 the other was lost in seeking to uphold the honor of 

 my native State. Were I to affix my signature to the 

 bill, I would indeed be ashamed to let my left hand 

 know what mv right hand had done. I place the 

 honor of the State above money, and in expressing 

 that sentiment, 1 sincerely voice that of thousands of 

 brave and true men, of good and devoted women of 

 the State. 



On July 8 the House passed the bill over the 

 veto by a vote of 66 to 31 ; but in the Senate the 

 lottery people could not count upon the necessary 

 two thirds majority. They, therefore, did not at- 

 tempt to pass the bill over the veto, but secured 

 the passage of a resolution denying the right of 

 the Governor, under the Constitution, to veto 

 any bill proposing a constitutional amendment, 

 and returned the measure to the House. The 

 latter body reconsidered its former vote, passing 

 the bill over the veto, and ordered the bill to be 

 sent to the Secretary of State for promulgation. 

 The reason for this action is founded on the 

 omission of anv reference to the veto power of 

 the Governor in the section of the Constitution 

 prescribing the method for its amendment. 



Whether this interpretation of the Constitu- 

 tion is legally sound, the courts have never de- 

 cided, and under such circumstances the Secre- 

 tary of State notified Mr. Morris that he should 

 refuse to publish the amendment. On Dec. 15 

 Mr. Morris filed in the district court of East 

 Baton Rouge a petition for a writ of mandamus 

 to compel the Secretary to make such publica- 

 tion. A hearing on the case was set down for 

 Jan. 9, 1891. 



Agriculture. The following table shows the 

 agricultural production of the State for the 

 years 1888 and 1889, as reported by the State 

 Auditor : 



Education. At the Southern University for 

 colored students, the attendance for the past 

 four years has averaged 399. This institution 

 was established in 1880. The Legislature of 

 1886 appropriated $14,000 to aid in the erection 

 of a permanent school building. With aid from 

 other sources, and with $12,000 additional 

 raised upon a mortgage, a building has been 

 erected at a total cost, with the land, of $36,- 

 033.20. At the State University and Agricult- 

 ural and Mechanical College at Baton Rouge 

 there were 140 cadets in attendance in June, 1890. 



Charities. At the State Insane Asylum at 

 Jackson there were 515 patients in June of this 

 year, of whom 200 were colored. The institution 

 is overcrowded, its normal capacity being 450. 

 There are also large numbers of insane patients 

 in the parish jails without proper treatment. 



The Institution for the Blind and the Institu- 

 tion for the Deaf and Dumb have been united 

 since 1888, and have occupied the university 

 building at Baton Rouge. The Legislature this 

 year accepted a gift from certain trustees of land 

 and buildings at Baton Rouge, and to these the 

 blind pupils have been removed. The number 

 of deaf and dumb pupils cared for during the 

 two years ending in 1890 was 68. 



The State Soldiers' Home contained 50 soldiers 

 in June, 1890. During the two years ending in 

 1890 the total expenses of the institution were 

 $18,946, while the Legislative appropriation was 

 only $15,000. The deficit was paid by private 

 liberality. 



At the Charity Hospital in New Orleans 6,445 

 patients were cared for during 1889, the daily 

 average being 588. The receipts for the year 

 were $138,199.87, and the disbursements $136,- 

 324.45. The legislative appropriation for the 

 past^two years was $40,000 annually. 



Militia. The Louisiana National Guard 

 numbers 418 officers and men, and the special 

 militia force, composed of 15 companies, aggre- 

 gates 704 men. A commendable interest has 

 been manifested in the militia, which has in- 

 creased steadily in numbers, and in the past few 

 years has risen from 18 to 23 companies. 



