The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-04-02

membered that those who keep such places do
not live in them, and that after the liquor traffic
is prohibited large number of them must be
used for other purposes; the strong probability
therefore, is, that they would be converted into
dwellings. The relief afforded in this way
might, it is true be very slight, but still it
would be a partial relief.
We must also look at the enormous expenses
Of our city government, and the consequent in
crease Of taxes, as another Of the causes to
which we should attribute the present high
rents, and the expulsion of a large part of oar
population from the city. The burden of the
taxes is borne, not by the owners of property,
but by those who rent houses, while the former
array themselves against every Improvement
to the city that in any way conflicts with their
interests. Many Of these own store lots, and
live in Brooklyn, paying no taxes on per-
sonal estate in either city, while others make
returns Of the value of their property, fixing it
at five thousand dollars when it is perhaps worth
ten times that amount. A few years ago the
personal property of some of the residents of
Fifth avenue was valued at from fifteen to
twenty thousand, while its actual value was
from one hundred and fifty to three hundred
thousand dollars. By such means those who are
best able to pay taxes escape, while the tenant,
whose means of living are very limited in COM
parison with theirs, has to bear an unequal por-
ton Of the expenses of the government. 1t is
true that he may not have taxable property, bat
his landlord makes him pay his taxes, by add
ing them to his rent.
To the house agent system, the unequal APP
portionment Of taxes, speculation in real estate,
and the crowding the poor into our city, may
We therefore attribute the great grievance Of
which the people complain. We have already
suggested what we consider practical remedy
for the last of these causes, which is simply the
organization Of society whose principal OBJ
ject should be the removal and settlement of
the poor in the country-that is, of all who are
willing to accept the aid ofsuch a society. The
remedy for thu reform of the city government
is in the HAD lof the people themselves. We
know there Us been great deal of imposi-
ton practised upon the people under the sha4
of reform, but if they set about it in the 1f
way they must be successful
~
THE PRESS AND PUBLIC OPINIoN.-->XAfy
lshed in yesterdays HERALD cuhSas table
compiled from our exchange list, giving view of
the opinions of two hundred and sixty three
American newspapers printed in thirty States
and Territories and the District Of Columbia Of
these, one hundred and forty -one are devoted to
the democratic party, ninety-nine are wing, and
twenty three independent. The Nebraska qucs-
ton has drawn out a great deal Of discussion,
and it has elected an expression of opinion from
each Of the journals above named We have
been told that the measure was decidedly I'M
popular; and if such is the case, it seems singu-
lar that one hundred and thirty-six Of these
should support the bill, and but one
hundred and twenty-three oppose it, giving the
friends Of the bill majority of thirteen This
result is arrived at in the heat Of popular ex-
and we have no doubt that when the
measure is freely and fairly discussed, and the
people become thoroughly acquainted with it,
the state of public opinion will be found where
it must come at last-on the constitution, and
on that alone.
"A molC astonishing iCsuc - PiSSOhVSo "
these tables, in regard to the administration.
One year ago t~o-thirds of these papers gave
to General Pierce hearty support; now, we
find that one hundred and thirty-fvc journals
oppose him, and only one hundred and eleven
continue to support his standard. As the ad-
ministration grows unpopular with every day
Of it's existence, these adherents, bending before
Sc from
General Pierce; and, from present appearances,
it seems probable that in less than year from
the present time his administration will sink to
a lower level than that of Captain Tyler. The
folly, imbecility, recklessness and extrava-
gance Of the present administration will proba-
bly, exceed anything ever known in our govern
ment. One Of the most popular ideas in the
was, that the government was to
be conducted on the principles of economy and
strict accountability of all the public servants;
but according to present appearances, the ex-
penditures of General Pierce's administration
for the present year will be ten millions beyond
those Of any previous year in our national ex-
istence.
LETTER FROM NUNCIo BEDNI-The Nuncio is
/" safe at last on the other side Of the ocean,
So he tells us in a letter to .Monsignore Tene-
ratissimo the Archbishop of Baltimore, which
we publish elsewhere. There is good deal in
the letter that means nothing at all, so far as
we can see there is likewise good deal that
the Nuncio, for his credit, had better have left
unsaid He seems to be laboring under the i'm
preston that the whole people of America were
embarked in conspiracy to murder him.