CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION . 377

sessment . These companies resisted , Constitution of 1879 , out of the school this method of taxation on the ground fund , shall be paid out of the money

constitutional as well collected as interest on the State debt . as unjust . They took appeals to the

ook appeals to the thereby adding by the mere change Supreme ( ' ourt of the United States ,

of the nited States of appropriation , $ 10 , 000 to $ 70 , 00 a year and the tax laws of the several States to the school fund 0 : the State , and which I have mentioned have been yet no newspaper , and no person who maintained the result being that in has indulged in criticism has said that stead of driving a revenue based we have done a good thing for the upon the mere actual market value of children of this State . We have not the property if put up at auction , only done that , however , but we have they have received a much larger one

said that the dead shall pay for the in consequence of this system of as . living . We have said that the inher sessment and taxation . In other words , itance of any man who dies shall be a railroad company might have fifty taxed , and that the amount thus re miles of track within the limits of the ceived shall go into the treasury , not State and a thousand miles outside of for public expenditure in general , but it . but in order to ascertain its rela solely for the education of the chil tive value in connection with this dren of the State . Was that ever thousand miles lying outside of the done before ? Do we deserve no credit State , the court held that these ap for that ? praisers were justified in considering And what else ' have we done ? We its value to be greatly increasted by have authorized the parishes and cities its use in connection with the prop - outside of New Orleans to issue bonds erty out of the State . Now we have and tax themselves for public improve introduced that principle here , which menis to be owned by them . Hereto is in itself , à most important mat . fore taxes levied by parishes and cities ter .

were to be in aid of railroads and pub And we have done another things

lic improvements , but here is a new which no one seemed to know any

feature . They are now authorized to thing about . We have introduced a

tax themselves for the purpose of new principle into this constitution in building , not railroads , but for the regard to the exemption of new rail - purpose of constructing water works , roads from taxation , and in order to

electric light systems or any other do that we have had to meet the dis

improvements they may lesire , which ferent physical conditions existing

shall be owned by the municipality the various parts of the State . Some and shall not be placed in the hands portions are permeated with railroads of individuals . while others are but little else than

We have provided that the Governor swamps , and , therefor , what would shall not succeed himself . We have suit one would be totally unsuitabiel provided that the Treasurer sall not to the other parts of the State , and

succeed himself . Is not that reform in so we inserted that lause into the

politics and finances ? In politics , SO Constitution in the hope of building

that the Governor in possession of the up that portion which is now com . oflice shall not be able to manipulate paratively inaccessible , by exempting part machinery for the purpose of from taxation for ten year ' s railroad

re - le ting himself , and in finances , so that might be constructed there .

that a defaulting treasurer , by secur Now , what have we don6 in Rating his reflection , shall not be able to education ? We receive no credit for to conceal his peculations . our work in that respect , but on the We have established a railroad com contrary , we are said to be unmindfull mission . That is one of the things of the public interest , looking out that I did not vote for because I merely for political scheming in Vesty thought it a useless expense . Others direction . But we have increase ibt thought otherwise ; many citizens of one - fourth of a mill . the amount to b New Orleans thought otherwise . The appropriated for the support of th : | Convention heeded their counsel and public schools . Hertofore it was only created a railroad commission to satis one mill , which we have in rast bil fy the public demand for such a body . one - fourth . But what more hari We Our action in that regard was criti done in that direction ? We have pr . cised upon the ground that that was vided that the poor chi ' dri ninth city legislation , it being claimed that this of New Orleans who are unable to ob - Constitution contains many ordinances tain the books necessary for their use . I that should have been relegated to the shall be supplied with them free of legislature , but why was it done ? It charge . We have also provides that was because the citizens had made ef the interest on the ghool fund . which fort after effort through our legisla amounts to half a million of dollars : tures to have a railroad commission the interest on the cemeteri fun . a established , but such was the influ well as that of the Agricl ' ltralud ence exercises upon those bodies that Mechanical College fund instead of they could never succeed in securing being paid , as heretofore , under the | the passage of the necessary measures ,