New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1858-06-25

Eds. Crescent: Gentlemen - In your paper of
Tuesday, 18th June inst, in commenting upon an
article from the Baton Rouge Gazette under the head
Of City Government you say:
To carry out the above recommendation would
require a change in the organic law etc.
In this remark, think you are mistaken. The
State Constitution, Article 10, which defines the quail
iieatons Of an eector has reference only to State
elections, not to municipal corporation elections
Corporations are the creatures of the Legislature,
and their administration is vested in such hands as
the Legislature has chosen to designate. suppose
will pretend that every free white male citizen
over twentyone years of age has the right to vote
for Directors of the several Banks the Insurance
Companies in this city. And as an example of the
legislative control in relation to changing the mode of
electing officers of corporations we may instance the
case of the religious corporation of the Church of
st. Louis in this city, in which Church Wardens were
originally, and by act of the Legislature of March
1916, elected by vote of all Roman Catholics, white
and not under Is years of age, residing in New Or
leans and paying taxes until the 18th of March,
1856, the Legislature restricted the right of voting
for Church-Wardens to pew.holders in the church,
who had paid their dues.
As respects the particular corporation in question,
(the City of New Orleans the Legislature has exer
cised the most unlimited control of altering and mod
flying its organization at pleasure. 1t was at first
corporation up to the limit of the present City of
Jefferson The corporation of Lafayette was next cut
out of its upper portion. 1t then divided into
three municipalities with four councils to manage its
affairs Finally, the City of Lafayette and the three
municipalities were all fused into one corporation.
In the last of these legislative changes, the act of
February 3d. 1857 section s, it enacted that the
qualifications of voters for city officers shall be the
same are prescribed by the Constitution Of the
State for the election of Representatives in the Gene
raj Assembly Here we have legislative construe.
tion of the very point involved in your article If
the Constitution had fixed the qualification Of voter
at municipal elections in New Orleans, would it not
have been vain and senseess thing for the Legis-
ature to fix those qualifications by statute? Evil
IDENTIFY 1t is apparent therefore, that the Legis-
ature considered itself authorized to declare those
qualifications. Indeed the l24h article of the State
Constitution of 1852 the l2sth article of that of 1916
and the 23d section of the 9th article of that of 1872
all give the Legislature the right in express terms
of prescribing the mode of municipal elections in this
city.
II the Legislature had the right to declare the quail
ications OF voters at such elections in 1882 as they
undoubtedly had, they may, by another statute
| ShoeSS ehVSO III tuO uouS pluposSu ny
the Baton Rouge Gazette or in any other mode that
they may think proper.
This idea of combining the election Of municipal
officers to those who contribute to the municipal rev
enue, is no new thing. 1t has been the opinion oil
many that universal suffrage, however advisable in
the choice of great National and State councils
the former invested with the power of peace and
war, the latter with the organization OF the militia
is yet not merely inapplcable, but positively mis-
chieyous, in the choice of that body which has the
discussing Of the money required for paving ant
lighting the Streets and for protecting the peaeeablt
and industrious against that class which nfests every
large city, who live by crime and rapine.
1t would be infinitely better to contde the care o
those important interests to such persons alone al
contribute to deray the expenses Of the city govern
ment. Let every white man, who is a citizen of tn,
United States and who pays a city tax on property
city license for exercising trade, profession
calling, have q vote in the election of Mayor Record
ers, Aldermen aud other charter officers in this city
and exclude all from such elections who do not pos
sess those qualifications, your municipal affairs viii
be more honestly and economically administered, you
streets will be better cleaned, better lighted. Th
burglar and the assassin will fly from your midst, anc
no change Of the organic law-no remodeling of til,
Constitutions required in order to bring about thi
eonsummation so deyoutly to be wished The Legis
lature has only to will it, and it is done. CIvIs.