The Evening Light

The Curiosities of Louisiana legislation
since the removal to the new capital of Baton
Rouge would furnish many paragraphs. The
special of the N. O. Times Democrat, after
enumerating the exercises in the House on the
20th inst., says exultingly: "This makes near
100 bills handled in the House to-day." The
handling consisted of passing most of these
bills to their second and third readings, fixing
others as the order of the day, postponing
some indefinitely, etc. We have noticed the
habits of the Louisiana statesman since Baton
Rouge has been official headquarters. His
purpose is to take in as little of Baton Rouge
and as much of New Orleans as a judicious
regard for appearances and the demands of
order will allow. The work so diligently
done on the 20th was probably the accumulations of a month of New Orleans, taken in
such moderation as the public necessity imposed and mutual effort could not
dispense with. Every one of the "dear 100"
bills was attentively let alone by members
not specially concerned in it. This amiable
and gentlemanly reciprocity, enables members
to make out an agreeable session, and gives
the people just as much work, that is to say,
just as big a volume of laws as if they had
disregarded their individual pleasures and applied themselves to honest legislation.

It is this sort of thing that kills the country.
It is not only practised in Louisiana. The
capitol of every state, and the capitol of all
the states, has New Orleans on its brain in
some shape, that is to say, personal pleasures
or personal interests to look after in place of
duty. It is that fills the law libraries of the
land with volumes upon volumes of worthless
laws, and with volumes upon volumes of unnecessary jurisprudence. It costs hundreds
of millions of money annually, defeats the
ends of public justice, disgraces the common
intelligence, and makes honesty in public life
a bye-word, which it has long been, and the
jest or derision of intelligent foreigners.