Excerpt from Inaugural Address of Governor Wm; Pitt Kellogg: To the General Assembly of Louisiana; January 13, 1873
A retrospect of the history of Louisiana during the few years that have elapsed since the termination of the late civil war presents much that afi’ords no gratification to the minds of her people. It is not to be concealed that no effective means have been adopted to supply the greatest needs of the people, or to restore the State to its legitimate condition of progress and prosperity. Possessing abundantly all the elements necessary to insure agricultural and commercial wealth and independence, the State, nevertheless, languishes in all her material interests. With impaired credit, diminished commerce, and accumulated taxation, the embarrass ments are serious and call loudly for relief.
Immigration to our borders has been slow and inconsiderable, notwithstanding all the advantages of soil, climate, staple products, cheap lands and facilities for commerce. Our great mart of com merce, the natural outlet of trade from the vast valley of the Mississippi to all countries of the earth, is weakened in its capacity to control its legitimate business, and is forced into competition with cities of the interior less favorably situated for commercial competition, yet more blessed with material prosperity. Capital from abroad is but sparingly introduced here, where, under favora ble circumstances, it would be highly remunerative to its holders and would be freely supplied. With these facts palpably before us, to what shall we attribute our stationary, if not retrograding condi tion? Political agitation may, and doubtless has, contributed in no small degree to this state of affairs, but this can by no means be assigned as the principal cause. The question forces itself upon us, have the resources of Louisiana been properly marshaled and her energies judiciously directed? A negative answer, I think, must be given. Improvident and unwise legislation - not to characterize some of it by more forcible terms - has been chiefly instrumental in involving the State in its present financial embar rassments. What are the remedies to be resorted to? They are plain and obvious. Rigid economy in expenditures, the abolition of useless ofices, a strict accountability enforced against all public agents; in short, the adoption in the administration of public afl‘airs of the same appliances necessary to restore the fallen for tunes of an individual honesty, industry and economy. Upon these principles the people of the State demand, and they have the right to expect, their public servants to act. This demand, so far as the executive department and its influence extends, will be, strictly complied with.
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