ART. 265. The time of service of all officers, chosen by the people at the first election under this constitution shall terminate as though the election had been holden on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in April, eighteen hundred and eighty. ART. 266. The judges of the courts of appeal, district judges, city judges, district attorney, coroner, clerks of courts, sheriffs, recorder of mortgages and register of conveyances, all of whose election and appointment are provided for by this constitution, in the parish of Orleans, shall only enter on the discharge of the duties of their respective offices on the first Monday of August, eighteen hundred and eighty, and the present incumbents shall continue until then in the performance of the duties of their respective offices and the enjoyment of the emoluments thereof as now prescribed by law. ART. 267. The general assembly is required to make provision for paying J. H. Gosgrove, printer of the convention, for the balance due him for work done previous to adjournment, and for all work that may be done by him after adjournment of the convention by its direction; and shall make a special appropriation to liquidate the debt which this convention has contracted, authorizing the fiscal agent of the State to negotiate a loan of twenty-five thousand dollars; and also for the payment of such vouchers as may be issued by the chairman of the committee on contingent expenses, under the authority of this convention, in excess of the foregoing appropriation, for the purpose of enabling this convention to complète its work; provided, said vouchers are approved by the president of the convention. ART. 268. There shall not be any municipal election in the cities of New Orleans and Shreveport in December, eighteen hundred and seventy-nine. The general assembly shall provide for a municipal election in the city of New Orleans or such municipal corporatious as may be created within the territorial limits of the parish of Orleans during the year eighteen hundred and eighty. The general assembly may fix the time for a municipal election in the city of Shreveport before April, eighteen hundred eighty-four. MISCELLANEOUS ORDINANCES. RELIEF OF DELINQUENT TAXPAYERS. ART. 1. Be it ordained by the people of the State of Louisiana in convention assembled, All interests, penalties, costs, fees and charges whatever on taxes and licenses due the State, or any political corporation therein, prior to the first day of January, eighteen hundred and seventy-nine, and yet unpaid, are remitted, and all property forfeited to the State or any political corporation on account of non-payment of taxes and licenses, or to which the State or any political corporation now has a title, shall be redeemable, and the title to the State or any political corporation thereto annulled, upon the payment by the debtor or any interested party of the principal of all taxes and licenses that may be due thereon at the date of redemption, and this right of redemption shall continue until the first day of January, eighteen hunddred and eighty-one. In the event the principal of said taxes and licenses is not paid by said time, the interest, penalties, costs, fees and charges herein before remitted shall revive and attach to the property upon which the taxes and licenses are due, and such property shall be then sold in the manner to be provided by law, and the title of the purchases shall be full and complete; provided, that nothing herein contained shall be construed as affecting the rights of third persons who may have purchased property, legally assessed and sold at tax sales, or from the State or any political corporation, after the same was legally forfeited to or purchased by the State or such corporation; and provided further, that nothing in this ordinance shall be taken as granting any time for the payment of the principal of said taxes. and licenses; and provided further, that interest shall acorue and be collected on the principal of said delinquent taxes and licenses at the rate of eight per cent. per annum from Jauuary first, eighteen hundred and eighty; and on all said taxes and licenses paid a discount of ten per cent. per annum shall be allowed from the date of payment to January first, eighteen hundred and eighty-one. (Act 1880, No. 49, 93, 107.) That all taxes and licenses due the State prior to January first, eighteen hundred and seventy-nine, may be paid as follows: 1. That portion of said taxes and licenses due the generali fund and all other funds, except as hereinafter provided, in any valid anditor's warrants outstanding at the date of the adoption of this constitution, except all warrants issued prior to the first of January, eighteen hundred and seventy-four, and also all warrants issued from the first of January, eighteen hundred and seventy-four, to first of January, eighteen hundred and seventy-five, for other purposes than for salaries of constitutional officers, or for the support of charitable institutions for the year eighteen hundred and seventy-four. That at the option of the holders of any of said warrants the said warrants may be funded in bonds of the denomination of five dollars, with interest coupons attached thereto, at the rate of three per cent. per annum interest from the first day of July, eighteen hundred and eighty; the said bonds to be due and payable six years from the first day of January, eighteen hundred and eighty; the said coupons being payable at the State treasury on the first day of February and August of each year. All moneys received in the treasury for all taxes and liceuses due the State prior to the first day of January, eighteen hundred and seventy-nine, except such as are otherwise provided for by this ordinance, shall be set aside to pay the interest on said five dollar bonds, and to provide a sinking fund to redeem the same. The bonds above provided and interest coupons shall also be receivable for amounts due to the State for the redemption or purchase of property which has been forfeited or sold to the State for delinquent taxes and licenses of any of the years named in this article. The bonds so issued shall be receivable for the said taxes and licenses and the obligatious of the public charitable institutions of the State given for purchase of necessary supplies of food, clothing, medicine and hire of employés. 2. That portion of said taxes and licenses due the interest fund subsequent to January, eighteen hundred and seventy-four, in any matured coupons issued by the State since that date. 3. That portion of said tax due the levee fund since the year eighteen hundred and seventy-one to the year eighteen hundred and seventy-six, inclusive of both years, in any valid warrants issued by the levee company and endorsed by the auditor and treasurer of the State as follows: Receivable for levee tax due for eighteen hundred and seventyone to eighteen hundred and seventy-six inclusive;" and the auditor and treasurer are hereby authorized to so endorse warrants issued by the levee company, as provided above, to an amount sufficient to cover the balance due on the judgment recovered by said company in the case entitled Louisiana levee company vs. the State of Louisiana, No. 7163 in the supreme court of Louisiana. Be it further ordained, etc., That no auditor's warrants shall be taken as valid for the purpose of payment of taxes and licenses or for funding, as hereinbefore prescribed, until the same shall have been examined by the auditor, treasurer and attorney-general of the State, and endorsed by them as valid. Said warrants when so endorsed, may be surrendered to said officers and by them registered and canceled; and in lieu thereof said auditor and treasurer shall issue certificates in sums of five, ten, twenty or fifty dollars, as may be desired by the holder of said warrants, which shall be receivable for all taxes and licenses due the State prior to January the first, eighteen hundred and seventy-nine, except the taxes due the interest fund and levee fund. Be it further ordained, That all taxes and licenses due any parish or municipal corporation prior to January first, eighteen hundred and seventy-nine, may be payable in any valid warrants, scrip or floating indebtedness of said parish or municipal corporation, except judgments. INDEBTEDNESS OF THE STATE TO ITS FISCAL AGENT. Be it ordained by the people of the State of Louisiana in convention assembled, That the debt due from the State to its fiscal agent, being in amount one hundred and eighty-seven thousand, seventy-seven dollars and twenty-four cents, subject to such reduction as may result from credits arising out of taxes due to the interest fund since June the thirtieth, eighteen hundred and seventy-nine, which said debt was created under the contract made between the board of liquidators and the fiscal agent, under date of the twenty-fifth of May, eighteen hundred and seventy-seven, and under act number twenty-eight, session of the legislature of eighteen hundred and seventy-eight, is hereby declared to be a valid obligation of the State; and the legislature shall, at its first session after the adoption of this constitution provide for the payment of the same; and the fiscal agent shall, as a condition precedent to said payment, surrender and deliver to the auditor of the State for cancellation the interest coupons which were taken up and held by said fiscal agent at the time of making the advances which created the said indebtedness; but the interest to be allowed said fiscal agent shall be at the rate of four per cent. per annum until the debt is paid. LOAN BY FISCAL AGENT. ART. 1. Be it ordained by the people of the State of Louisiana in convention assembled, That the fiscal agent of this State shall be and is hereby empowered, by authority of this convention, to negotiate a loan of twenty-five thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, at seven per cent. per annum, to defray the residue of the expenses of this convention not provided for by the act of the general assembly calling this convention, and to enable the convention to complete the work of framing the new constitution. ART. 2. That said loan shall be evidenced by certificates of indebtedness, signed by the president of this convention and countersigned by the secretary thereof, under seal of this convention, in sums of five hundred dollars or under, bearing seven per cent. per annum interest from the date of such certificates until paid, and payable on the fifteenth day of March, A. D. eighteen hundred and eighty, at the State national bank of New Orleans, in the city of New Orleans. ART. 3. The first general assembly convened under this constitution shall make a special appropriation to liquidate the debt which this convention has contracted or may contract, as per ordinance adopted authorizing the fiscal agent of the State to negotiate a loan of twenty-five thousand dollars for the purpose of enabling this convention to complete the work of framing this constitution. STATE DEBT. ART. 1. Be it ordained by the people of the State of Louisiana in convention assembled, That the interest to be paid on the consolidated bonds of the State of Louisiana be and is hereby fixed at two per cent. per annum for five years from the first of January, eighteen hundred and eighty, three per cent. per annum for fifteen years, and four per cent. per annum thereafter, payable semi-annually; and there shall be levied an annual tax sufficient for the full payment of said interest, not exceeding three mills, the limit of all State tax being hereby fixed at six mills; provided, the holders of the consolidated bonds may, at their option, demand in exchange for the bonds held by them, bonds of the denomination of five dollars, one hundred dollars, five hundred dollars, one thousand dollars, to be issued at the rate of seventy-five cents on the dollar of bonds held and to be surrendered by such holders, the said new issue to bear interest at the rate of four per cent. per annum, payable semi-annually. ART. 2. The holders of the consolidated bonds may at any time present their bonds 10 the treasurer of the State, or to an agent to be appointed by the governor (one in the city of New York and the other in the city of London), and the said treasurer or agent, as the case may be, shall endorse or stamp thereon the words. "interest reduced to two per cent. per annum for five years from Jannary first, eighteen hundred and eighty, three per cent. per annum for fifteen years, and four per cent. per annum thereafter;" provided, the holder or holders of said bonds may apply to the treasurer for an exchange of bonds, as provided in the preceding article. SEC. 3. Be it further ordained, That the coupon of said consolidated bonds falling due the first of January, eighteen hundred and eighty, be and the same is hereby remitted; and any interest taxes collected to meet said coupon are hereby transferred to defray the expenses of the State government. Be it further ordained, and is hereby ordained by this constitutional convention, That the foregoing provisions and articles relative to the consolidated debt shall not form a part of this constitution, except as hereinafter provided, as follows: At the election held for the ratification or rejection of this constitution it shall be lawful for each voter to have written or printed on his ballot the words, "for ordinance relative to State debt," or the words, "against ordinance relative to State debt ;" and in the event that a majority of the ballots so east shall have endorsed on them the words, "for ordinance relative to State debt, then the said foregoing provisions and articles of this ordinance shall form a part of the constitution submitted if the same is ratified; and if a majority of the votes so cast shall have endorsed on them the words, "against ordinance relative to State debt," then said provisions and articles shall form no part of this constitution. INDEX TO THE CONSTITUTION, Adopted in Convention, July 23, 1879. A The general assembly to make an.. Adjournment-Of the general assembly. Agricultural and Mechanical College-Relative to the fund of the.... - Apportionment — Not to be changed.. Appropriations — Article. 33 179 233 16-17 Not to be made at the close of the session. 55 Liable to impeachment 196 To compile votes of election for ratification or rejection of consti- house during the same session... To be read on three different days... Bills- Rejected by either house, shall not be again proposed in the same Amendments by one house must be concurred in by the other.. Title of, to be read. To be signed by the goveruor, lieutenant-governor and speaker of Relative to appropriation.. |