498 



LOUISIANA. 



Governor and Lieutenant-Governor declared by it to 

 have been elected according to law, together with 

 the appointees thereof, constituted the only govern- 

 ment recognized by the United States, or any branch 

 of the government thereof, as representing Louisi- 

 ana in the Federal Union, or accepted by the courts 

 or the people of this State as entitled to obedience or 

 recognition, and had alone exercised the legislative, 

 executive, and judicial authority of the State sipce 

 its induction into office, without resistance or im- 

 pediment. 



Be it further resolved, That the provision in the 

 Constitution of the United Stales for two Senators 

 from each State, "to be chosen by the lega ILegisla- 

 ture thereof," was plainly intended to refer to that 

 Legislature recognized by the people of the State ; 

 and that by the admission of William Pitt Kellogg 

 said requirement not only remains unfulfilled, but 

 the Senate of the United States has committed a dan- 

 gerous infraction of the rights of the States in recog- 

 nizing a body which has no existence, and aggra- 

 vated the evil of the State being unrepresented by its 

 chosen Senator by seating a pretender, who misrep- 

 resents her people. 



After debate the resolutions contained in this 

 report were passed yeas 60, nays 39. In the 

 Senate, on January 28th, the joint resolutions 

 were passed yeas 21, nays 7. 



The bill before Congress at this time, popu- 

 larly known as the "Bland Silver bill," the 

 object of which was to make silver coin a 

 legal tender, was strongly recommended by 

 the passage of the following concurrent resolu- 

 tions : 



Whereas, The attempt to commit the Government 

 to the payment of the principal and interest of the 

 public debt in gold, while the Government clearly 

 has the right under the law, and without the slightest 

 deviation from public morality or national faith, to 

 discharge these obligations in silver coin of the weight 

 and fineness provided for by law at the time the 

 bonds were issued, can have no other design than to 

 augment the profits of the creditors of the Govern- 

 ment at the expense of the industry and the labor of 

 the country ; and 



Wfiereas, To persist in the futile attempt to enforce 

 the so-called resumption act would entail upon the 

 country unparalleled suffering and universal com- 

 mercial and industrial disaster : therefore, 



Be it resolved, etc., That our Senator in Congress 

 be instructed to vote for and use every effort to as- 

 sure the passage through the Senate of the bill pro- 

 viding for the remonetization of silver known as the 

 Bland bill, and of the bill to repeal the so-called re- 

 sumption act. 



Be it resolved, etc , That onr Senator be instructed 

 and our Representatives in Congress be requested to 

 vote for and to use every effort to assure the adoption 

 of the resolutions defining the relations of the Gov- 

 ernment toward the bondholders on the question of 

 payment of the bonds and interest thereon in coin, 

 known as the Matthews resolutions. 



They were introduced into the Senate on 

 January 19th, and passed the 21st yeas 24, 

 nays 2. In the House they were passed after 

 discussion yeas 51, nays 37. 



The following amendments to the State Con- 

 stitution were reported by a joint committee 

 of both Houses, and adopted by & large major- 

 ity. It was also provided that they should be 

 submitted to a vote of the people, for approval 

 or rejection, at the next State election. At 

 the same time when the amendments were 

 adopted, a bill was before the House to pro- 



vide for a State Convention, to amend the 

 Constitution, which, however, failed to pass. 



The following is the substance of the pro- 

 posed amendments : 



1. Submits the question of location of State capi- 

 tal Buton Eouge or New Orleans. 



2. Provides that Representatives shall be chosen 

 on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in No- 

 vember, every two years, and be elected on one day ; 

 the General Assembly to meet on the first Monday 

 in January biennially, unless a different day be 

 fixed by law. 



3. Limits the power of the General Assembly, the 

 city of New Orleans, and the parishes to levy taxes. 



4. Fixes the salary of members of the General As- 

 sembly at $500 per session of ninety days. 



5. Prohibits the General Assembly from passing 

 local or special laws changing venue in criminal 

 cases, etc. 



6. Fixes the salary of the Governor at $7,000 a 

 year. 



7. Fixes the salary of the Lieutenant-Governor 

 at double that of an Assemblyman, 



8. Relates to the veto power, and authorizes the 

 Governor to veto one or more items in any bill ap- 

 propriating money, the remainder to be valid. 



9. Prohibits a salaried officer from having fees. 



10. Relates to the judicial power, and creates a 

 Supreme Court, district courts, and justices of the 

 peace. 



11. Fixes the salary of the Chief Justice at $7,000 

 a year, and of the associates at $6,500. 



12. Authorizes the General Assembly to divide 

 the State into judicial districts, which shall be un- 

 changed for four years, with a judge learned in the 

 law, to be elected by a plurality of votes, and the 

 number of districts to be not less than thirty nor 

 more than forty-five. 



13. Fixes the salary of the district judges at not 

 exceeding $5,000 a year in New Orleans, and not 

 less than $2,000 nor more than $3,000 in other parts 

 of the State. 



14. Abolishes the office of District Attorney, and 

 establishes a State's Attorney in lieu of it. 



15. Where the judge may be recused, and when 

 he is not personally interested in the matters in con- 

 testation, he shall select a lawyer, with qualifica- 

 tions described, to try such cases. 



16. Provides against the evils of an interregnum, 

 and fixes the time when the new system shall take 

 effect. 



17. Abrogates Article 132 of the Constitution of 

 1868. 



18. Provides a salary of $3,500 for the Superinten- 

 dent of Public Education. 



19. Prohibits a license tax by the^State, parish, or 

 municipal authority on any mechanical trade, manu- 

 factory, or factory, except such as may require police 

 regulation in towns and cities. 



20. Authorizes the Legislature to exempt from 

 taxation household goods not exceeding $500. 



21. Provides for maintaining the university, to be 

 composed of a law, a medical, and an academical 

 department ; the law and medical to be in New 

 Orleans, and the academical and other elsewhere in 

 the State. 



The regular session of the Legislature closed 

 on March 7th ; but it was convened in extra 

 session on the next day by a proclamation of 

 the Governor, and finally adjourned on the 

 19th. The most important legislation for the 

 State related to the retrenchment of expendi- 

 tures in every department. A statement of 

 the following retrenchments was made in the 

 Senate : " $6,000 in the Governor's office ; 

 $36,740 in the Auditor's office ; $2,000 in the 



