New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-08-23

The yeas and nays were ordered, result.
ing 4
Yeas: Bacon, Coupland, Egan, Foute,
Futch Kelso, Packard, Poindexter, Ray,
Wilcox, Williams and wirtgenstein-12.
Nays: Beares, Campbell FRANCOIS, No
nette, O'Hara, Pollard. Smith and Whitney
s. ...-
The amendment was adhered to.
Mr.. Ray: move that Committee OF Con.
ference be requested of the House, to con-
fer upon House joint resolution No. lO7,
and that the Senate appoint three members
ON said committee, to meet similar COM
mittee of the House.
Adopted.
| A message was received from the Gov.
ernor.
The Senate went into executive session at
one o'clock.
The executive session being "a sed, tne
Senate adjourned.
In the Senate, on Wednesday, August -,
Mr.. Bacon said:
Mr. President: object to this bill (House
| bill No, IL relative TO monitions and pro-
am well aware that in this State there is a
great deal of property which seldom or never
| bays taxes, and | regret the fact as much as
any gentleman does or can. | should like,
if possible, to make our tax laws more
| efficient and more equitable, so that every
dollar of property within the State would be
| surely compelled to bear its just share of
the burden of taxation, which has now be-
| come SO grievous. Therefore, If | could feel
an assurance that the passage of this bill
would effect this object without imposing
other burdens-it will not, upon the whole,
be a law ot oppression to our people rather
than one to tighten and equalize their bur-
dens-I would be among the first members
upon this floor to give it a Jealous and hearty
snpport. But, sir, | have no feeling in
favor of compulsory sales of any kind what
ever, On the whole l believe them to be
insrumentalities of oppression, which it is
difficult to successfully defend upon strictly
equitable grounds.
Notwithstanding the provisions in this
bill requiring the advertisement of the
property previous to its sale, if this bill
should become a law it would happen that
in a great majority of sales of property for
taxes under it, its owners would have no no,
tice of such sale until after the hammer had
fallen.
A great majority of the parties whose
property would be endangered by this bill
are persons who are not even in the habit oil
getting the newspapers, much less OF read
ing the advertisements they contain. In
deed there are but few newspaper readers
VINO are in the habit of reading their ad-
vertiscments, unless by some special mean:
their attention is called to them. 80 much
is this the case that under the provisions OF
this law it would frequently happen that q
mans property would be sold for taxes with
out any previous actual notice or warning
| to him, although it may have been ad-
vertised through all the time prescribed in
the bill in the daily paper Of which he hat
| been a constant patron.
These notices in the public journals, sir
contemplated by this bill are not such no
, tices as are at all likely to reach the person
interested in property liable TO be sold TO
taxation.
: Persons should always have actual motto
at the earliest possible moment of the insti
tuition of any steps likely to result in tn
forced sale Of their property their homes
and hearth stones, it may be. And we, a
t the chosen legislators for the people of thi
State, will be guilty of an unpardonabl
breach of duty II we fail to protect the prop
erty of each and every one of our constitu
ents with every safeguard necessary to sc
cure it from sacrifice, except it be to NEE
demands in which there is no clements o
injustice, and of which they have had actua
and timely notice.
am opposed, sir, to this bill upon the ger
eral grounds already mentioned, am partiC
ularly opposed to 1t upon the ground that
feel confident that the notice contemplate
5 by this bill would not prove such notice a
would generally reach the parties likely I
be interested i'll time to be of any avail t.
them.
: Mr.. Ray: Mr.. President think the honor
/ able Senator is mistaken in his appreher
sions of this bill; particularly upon the sui
ject of the publ cation of the notice fo
which it provides. This. provision, of tn
I bill is nothing new, but is identical with
similar provision in our old law, except i
= the matter of time which it contemplate
giving purchasers at tax sales for perfectin
their titles. This bill contemplates enablin
such purchasers to perfect their titles t
property SO acquired at the end of two, il
stead Of at the end of the long term Of tie
years, provided By the old law.
l need not tell you, sir, and need not te
Senators here upon this floor that this pr
| vision in the old law was most unsatisfa
a tory to purchasers for taxes; so much 81
that it has become motor GUS that it is almo
impossible to sell property for taxes, ant
il therefore, persons disposed to shirk til
a burdens of taxation have done so almoi
with impunity.
Is it not just and proper, sir, that ever
e dollar of property within State, whic
receives the protection of the State shoul
bear its Just share of the burdens Of tax
tion-that it should pay for the protectio
| it receives?
i That it is, the Senator who has just take
q his seat admitted. And has not experient
= conclusively proved that without some sue
u law as the one proposed by this bill-to tn
y whole class of which the Senator informs
IF he is opposed upon general grounds-to Ell
force this Just burden a large portion of IL
property In the State will shirk aud eseap
l. this burden? Is it not true that its owners
many instances, knowing that they can 8
so with practical impnnity, will neglect, an
il, refuse to pay their taxes? Experience h,
' proven that they will. The effect of this bIl
n if 1t becomes a law, will not be to cause th
sale of the property of honestly dispose
i persons, or persons disposed to bear the
share of the expense of administeriu
their government, but it will be to secu
le the prompt payment of taxes by class
men who have heretofore wilfu.ly neglec
N | ed the payment os taxes, simply becaus
from the inefficiency of the law they sa
le they could do SO with impuuity. The objet
of this bill is to provide a law such as wi
secure the payment of taxes by all the pro
erty--a law that within a reasonable tim
will enable any person purchasing at tn
o. sale to be sure and get rid of, and get ovt
all of the numerous teehnicaities whie
OF have heretofore proved SO grave an obstac
e. to the sale Of property for taxes, and cons
IN duently to the collection Of taxes. And 81
!, the object of this feature of this bill Is nj
to benefit the purchaser at the sale. 1t
practically, to do away with the sales,
st Stimulating and compelling the owners
of property TO pay their taxes promptly wht
due.
u 1t is true, sir, that this law may som
Sc times, In isolated individual cases, woi
hardship. But in reply to this objection,
10 1t be urged, ask gentlemen to point to al
AZ wise aud good law ever enacie by M,
L., IL. -