514 



LOUISIANA. 



nected by cross-pieces. A later form consists 

 of a welded cylindrical vessel with only one 

 opening serving for both inlet and outlet, closed 

 by asp'millL'-vulve, with conical seating, similar 

 to an ordinary safety-valve. The six cylinders 

 nro reduced to four in a newer form of the 

 locomotive. Colonel Beaumont claims for his 

 system an economy equal to or greater than 

 that of the steam locomotive-engine. The fact 

 that the work done by the ordinary locomo- 

 tive requires three sets of machinery in a com- 

 pressed-air locomotive the engine for driving 

 the compressing apparatus, the compressing 

 apparatus itself, and the expansion-engine 

 which drives the locomotive militates against 

 such a claim. The advantage of the sta- 

 tionary steam-engine over the locomotive 

 steam-engine amounts to the difference be- 

 tween If pound of coal per horse-power per 

 hour, which is the highest duty yet attained, 

 and three pounds per horse-power per hour, 

 which is the consumption in Daniel's locomo- 

 tives. This economy must be more than coun- 

 terbalanced by the friction of the triplex ma- 

 chinery, the cost of the jacketing, etc. There 

 is, however, a considerable saving in dead 

 weight in the substitution of air for water and 

 in the reduced size of the vessels and appa- 

 ratus. A joint-stock company has been formed 

 in England for the purpose of making and 

 working the Beaumont air-engine. The ad- 

 vantages of being free from all smoke, having 

 no fire, and making no smell, being compara- 

 tively noiseless, of being perfectly safe from 

 the danger of explosion from the exhaustion of 

 water in the boiler, of running no risks of the 

 tubes leaking or the feed-valves sticking, com- 

 mend it as a great improvement over the steam- 

 locomotive for use in streets, or in long tunnels. 



LONGFELLOW, HENRY WADSWORTH. (See 

 "Annual Cyclopsedia" of 1882.) 



LOUISIANA. The Constitution of Louisi- 

 ana, adopted in 1879, provides for a session of 

 the Legislature in 1880, and there is no provis- 

 ion for any other before January, 1883. The 

 Governor of the State, however, found it nec- 

 essary to call a special session " to enact laws 

 making appropriations to defray the ordinary 

 expenses of the government, to pay the inter- 

 est on the public debt, to support the public 

 schools, universities, and public charities in the 

 State of Louisiana for the years 1882-'83, to 

 make appropriations concerning the State- 

 House, for the redemption of State-House war- 

 rants, and for the removal of the seat of gov- 

 ernment," and other purposes. 



The Legislature accordingly assembled at 

 New Orleans on December 5th, in special ses- 

 sion. The President of the Senate, and ex-offi- 

 cio Lieutenant-Governor, W. A. Kobertson, pre- 

 sided in that body ; and Speaker Ogden, of the 

 former session, presided in the House. The 

 message to the Legislature came from the 

 Lieutenant-Governor, S. D. McEnery, in con- 

 sequence of the recent death of Governor 

 "WUtz. This event, as also the death of Presi- 



dent Garfield, were, in the message, very kind- 

 ly presented, as follows : 



Before alluding to the particular subjects which are 

 submitted to the General Assembly, it devolves upon 

 me to announce to you. officially, the great national 

 calamity which visited the people of the United States 

 in the death of the Chief Magistrate, James A. Gar- 

 field, on the 19th day of September, 1881. He had 

 gone into office under exceptionally favorable circum- 

 stances, and much was expected from his administra- 

 tion. Political dissension had engendered sectional 

 hostility, but on the accession of the late President 

 there was a general confidence among the people that 

 his administration would be conservative, just, and 

 impartial, and its termination was looked forward to 

 with anxious hopes that with it would cease all sec- 

 tional animosities, and that one section of the Union 

 would no longer traduce the other, solely for the pur- 

 pose of acquiring political power and dominion. It 

 was this belief, which had grown and strengthened 

 each day as his administration progressed, that caused 

 the people of this State, in every city, town, village, 

 and namlet, to give expressions of genuine sorrow aha 

 grief at his untimely death. 



In the State of Louisiana we have been overtaken 

 by a misfortune which has weighed heavily upon our 

 people, the death of our young Governor, Louis Alfred 

 Wiltz, in the thirty-eighth year of his age. He had 

 long been in public life, commencing at an early age. 

 Few men of his years had the same varied experience 

 in all the departments of government, from the lowest 

 to the highest, all of which he filled in succession. 

 His promotion was from one position to another in 

 regular progression, thus showing that he has filled 

 all places to the credit of himself and to the advan- 

 tage of the public. As was said in the proclamation 

 announcing his death, the people of Louisiana " will 

 revere the name of him who always strove to pay with 

 honest service for every honor received." 



On the 17th day of October, in pursuance of Article 

 LXII of the Constitution, I took the oath of office as 

 Governor of Louisiana. 



The chief objects of the special session were 

 to provide an adequate revenue for the State, 

 and to make the required appropriations, and 

 thus render the financial condition more satis- 

 factory. The expenditures largely exceed the 

 revenues. The appropriations against the gen- 

 eral fund for 1880 and 1881 amount to $1,423,- 

 829.71. The revenue from licenses and taxes, 

 general fund, for the same period, actual and 

 estimated, amounts to $758,944, showing a dif- 

 ference between the estimated revenue and the 

 appropriations of $664,885.71. 



The constitutional limit of taxation is not 

 the cause of this deficiency. The revenue de- 

 rived under that limit would be more than suf- 

 ficient, if collection of taxes could be made to 

 operate upon the taxable property of the State. 

 The revenue laws from year to year have been 

 progressively growing less efficient. Large 

 amounts of property, movable and immova- 

 ble, have escaped taxation. There is no uni- 

 formity anywhere in the State. As a conse- 

 quence, some portions are paying on a high 

 valuation a large tax, while others on low as- 

 sessments are paying but a small tax. The 

 valuation on productive real estate of the same 

 grade varies from five to twenty dollars per 

 acre. There is a universal demand .for reme- 

 dial legislation. The remedy is plain, and the 

 means pointed out by the Constitution are ade- 



