1537. Compensation of Witnesses.-Every person who shall attend to give evidence at any time and place, in obedience to a citation of summons issued by the authority of the Senate or House of Representatives, shall be entitled to receive the sum of two dollars for every twenty miles he may necessarily travel in going to or returning from the place, and the like amount for every day he shall so attend; to be paid after the claim has been approved by the House ordering his attendance, by the Auditor of the State, upon the warrant of the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Representatives, as the case may be.

1538. Stay of Legal Proceedings Against Members.-Each and every court of the State shall cause to stop, and cease all proceedings in every civil suit before them pending, against any member of the General Assembly during their attendance at any session thereof and in going to and returning from the same.

Const., Art. 26.

1539. Resignations, How Made.-Any member of the Senate or House of Representatives wishing to resign during the recess of the Legislature, shall direct his letter of resignation to the Governor of the State. If the Legislature be in session, the member resigning, if a Senator, shall address his resignation to the President of the Senate; and if a Representative, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and in either case, information of such resignation shall be communicated by order of the House to the Governor of the State.

1540. Appointment of Committee to Examine Auditor's Office. It shall be the duty of the General Assembly to appoint a committee at the commencement of each regular session, who shall examine the books, accounts, vouchers and other official documents in the office of the Auditor of Public Accounts, and make a full and detailed report thereof to both Houses of the General Assembly.

1541. Proceedings if Report be Favorable.-If the report be favorable, and be approved by each House, an order shall be made, directing the joint committee to cause the proper entries to be made in his book, showing the result of the settlement.

1542. If Report is Unfavorable.-Should the committee make an unfavorable report, and find that he has not performed the duties required of him by law, or that he has been guilty of any misdemeanor in office, and such report be approved of by both Houses of the General Assembly, an order shall be made, directing the Governor to cause suit to be brought against him on his official bond, and to cause him to be prosecuted for a misdemeanor.

1543. Joint Committee to Examine Certain Securities.The Legislature shall annually appoint a joint committee of the two Houses, whose duty it shall be to examine the securities deposited by bankers and banking companies, together with all books and papers relating to the business of banking; also to count all the circulating bills which may have been returned by any banker or banking company, and after comparing them with the books, to cancel and destroy the same, giving the Auditor a sufficient certificate for the same, and generally to make such investigation as they may deem proper to enable them to report a true statement of the condition of the banks.

Act 91, E. S. 1877, p. 132.

1544. Extra Compensation to Employes, etc., Prohibited.Neither House of the General Assembly shall appropriate any sum of money by way of gratuity or extra pay to any person, whether officer or employee thereof, or not, either out of the contingent fund thereof or otherwise, unless by act of the Houses or joint resolution, to be approved by the Governor as in case of other appropriations. Const., Arts. 41, 45, 52.

1545. Compensation of Witnesses before Committees.Witnesses that have been or may be duly summoned to appear before any of the several Senate and House committees shall be entitled to receive the sum of two dollars per day for each and every day they may be required to appear before said committees (Act 119, 1868, p. 119).

1546. Every officer shall render an account of contingent fund appropriate to his office. See Sec. 2609.

1547. Presiding Officers' Power to Compel Attendance.The President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives shall have the power to compel the attendance of absent members of either branch of the General Assembly over which they preside, by issuing respectively their warrants, directed to the Sergeant at arms for that purpose (Act 53, 1856, 37).

1548-1551, inclusive, fixing compensation of the various officers of the Senate and House of Representatives are superseded by Act 42, 1878, p. 66, Secs. 5-10, inclusive.

See Const., Arts. 41, 45, 52.

1552. Joint Committee to Examine Treasurer's Books.It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to submit all of his books, accounts and vouchers, and other official documents in his office, to a joint committee of the General Assembly, to be appointed immediately after the commencement of each regular session, for examin

ation and settlement, whenever and as often as the General Assembly may think proper to order such examination and settlement (Act 325, 1855, 449).

Act 68, E. S. 1870, p. 146.

Act 96, E. S. 1877, p. 152.

1553. Committee to be Appointed Annually.-It shall be the duty of the General Assembly to appoint such committee at the commencement of each regular session, who shall examine the books, accounts, vouchers, and other official documents of his office, and make a full and detailed report thereof, to both Houses of the General Assembly.

Const., Art. 21. Sessions biennial.

1554. Proceedings if Report be Favorable.-If the report be favorable, and approved by each House, an order shall be made directing the joint committee to cause the proper entries to be made in his books showing the result of the settlement.

1555. Proceedings if Report be Unfavorable.-If the committee should make an unfavorable report, and find that he has not performed the duties required of him by law, or that he has been guilty of any misdemeanor in office and such report be approved of by both Houses of the General Assembly, an order shall be made directing the Governor to cause suit to be brought against him on his official bond, and to cause him to be prosecuted for a misdemeanor; on conviction he shall be suspended from the discharge of the functions of his office, and incapable of being again elected to such office.

Each house is sole judge of the qualification, election, and return of its members. The District Courts are without jurisdiction to determine contests, nor can they take the depositions of witnesses, or have the ballot boxes brought into court, have the seals removed and ballots recounted. State vs. Houston 40 An. 598.

The journal of the houses as made upon book form after publication in the official journal and as deposited with the Secretary of State, is the official journal. State vs. Mason 43 An. 590.

Many acts have been passed relating to this title since adoption of Revised Statutes. Some are in conflict with Constitution of 1879.

As to apportionment, see Const., Arts. 16-18.

Act 39, 1886, p. 49, representation of parishes of Acadia and St Landry.

Act 109, 1890, p. 138, representation of parish of Troy. This has been declared unconstitutional. Adams vs. Forsyth, 44 An. 130.

Act 52, E. S. 1870, p. 111, Secretary of Senate and chief clerk of House hold over till successor qualifies.

Act 93, 1876, p. 148. Stationery, members to receive money in lieu of. See Const., Art. 42.

Mileage regulated, number, duties and compensation of employees. Acts II and 12, 1872, p. 41, et seq. Act 18, 1878, p. 66. See Const., Art. 27, 41, 45, 52.

Mileage at extra sessions, Act 19, 1870, p. 44; Act 33, 1877, p. 33; Act 42, 1878, p. 70. See Const., Art. 2772.

Act 43, 1884, Sec. 6. Each member of General Assembly may name free student to Tulane University. Printed at p. 352.

GOVERNOR.

Const., Arts. 42, 58, 62, 66, 75, 82, 183, 196, 199.

1556. Governor and Lieutenant Governor to be elected at same time and place as Senators and Representatives. Superseded by Const., Art. 191.

1557. Certain Reports to Accompany Message.-The Governor of the State shall hereafter be required to to furnish the General Assembly, accompanying his annual message, the following reports, viz. Report of the Secretary of State, report of the Auditor of Public Accounts, report of the State Treasurer, report of the State Engineer, report of the Superintendent of Public Education, report of the State Register of the Land Office, report of the State Librarian, report of the Swamp Land Commissioners, report of the Wardens or Lessees of the Louisiana Penitentiary, report of the Adjutant and Inspector General of the Louisiana Militia, report of the Attorney General, report of the Directors of the Deaf, Dumb and Blind Asylum, report of the Directors of the Insane Asylum, report of the Directors of the Charity Hospital, report of the Directors of the Board of Health, report of the Directors of the joint stock companies in which the State may be interested (Act 117, 1856, 86).

Const., Arts. 70 and 71.

1558. Officers Who Shall Furnish Them, etc.-The several heads of departments herein. before enumerated, and the Directors and Lessees of the Louisiana Penitentiary, the Directors of the Deaf, Dumb and Blind Asylum, of the Insane Asylum, of the Charity Hospital, of the Board of Health, and of the joint stock companies in which the State may be inter-ested, shall be required to furnish the Governor with their respective reports, annually, at least ten days previous to the meeting. of the General Assembly, and they shall cause said reports to be printed in pamphlet form at the expense of the State by the State Printer. The following number of copies of such reports respectively, shall be printed for the use of the Senate and House of Representatives, viz.: Report of the Secretary of State, five hundred copies; report of the Auditor of Public Accounts, fifteen hundred.

copies in English and five hundred copies in French; report of the Superintendent of Public Education, one thousand copies in English and five hundred copies in French; report of the Register of the Land Office, five hundred copies; report of the State Librarian, five hundred copies; report of the Swamp Land Commissioners, eight hundred copies in English and two hundred copies in French; report of the Warden or Lessee or Directors of the Louisiana Penitentiary, five hundred copies; report of the Adjutant and Inspector General, five hundred copies; report of the Attorney General, five hundred copies; report of the Directors of the Deaf, Dumb and Blind Asylum, two hundred and fifty copies in English and two hundred and fifty in French; report of the Directors of the Insane Asylum, five hundred copies; report of the Directors of the Board of Health, five hundred copies; report of the directors of joint stock companies in which the State is interested, five hundred copies.

1559. Reports, How Published.-The aforementioned reports and all other reports ordered by the Senate or House of Representatives, to be printed in pamphlet form, shall not be published in the State paper.

Sec. 2613.

1560, 1561 were repealed by

Act 48, 1875, p. 5 (Acts 1876).

AN ACT to repeal sections fifteen hundred and sixty and fifteen hundred and sixty-one of the Revised Statutes of 1870, and to provide the manner of filling any vacancy that may exist in the office of Governor and Lieutenant Governor, and relative to the impeachment of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, and for other purposes.

SECTION 1. That sections fifteen hundred and sixty and fifteen hundred and sixty-one of the Revised Statutes of 1870 be and the same are hereby repealed.

SEC. 2. That in case of vacancy in the office of Governor, the Lieutenant Governor shall be Governor; in case of vacancy in the office of Lieutenant Governor, the Senate shall elect a President who shall be Lieutenant Governor; if the offices of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and President of the Senate shall become vacant by death or otherwise, the Senate shall elect a President, who shall be Governor, and when he assumes the position of Governor, the Senate shall, at their first meeting, elect a President, who shall be Lieutenant Governor. SEC. 3. That in case the offices of Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall become vacant while the General Assembly is not in session, the President pro tem. of the Senate shall act as Governor.

SEC. 4. That in case of the impeachment of the Governor or Lieutenant Governor, such impeachment shall not work a suspension until articles of impeachment, preferred by the House of Representatives to the Senate, shall have been received and entered upon the journal of the Senate.

SEC. 5. That all laws or parts of laws conflicting with this act be and the same are hereby repealed, and this act take effect from and after its passage. Const., Art. 62.

1562. Nominations by Governor.-In all cases when the law shall direct any appointment to be made by the Governor and Senate, within a limited time, a nomination for such appointment shall be