The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-02-02
THE NEW CHARTER.

been prepared by an organization calling itself
the Citizens Association" but really, we
believe, composed exclusively of real estate
owners. The number of these belonging to
the association is supposed to be about 35OO
and of course the large majority must be COM
posed of small property holders, whose in
terests are identified with those of the mass Of
the community. That is to say, they are
tradesmen, merchants, artisans, professional
men and sometimes laborers-persons who
are Engaged in some kind of business the
prosperity of which depends on low rate of
taxation. These persons had no hand in the
preparation of the new charter. That instru-
ment was prepared by small circle of rich
men who seem to fancy that because they are
rich they have some natural right to govern
the community, and who have contrived
scheme OF government which vests the NUM-
cipal authority, with almost despotic powers,
in the hands of an oligarchy of six men to be
chosen from their own class. 1t is absurd to
say that the people still have the privilege
of choosing these administrators. That privi-
lege amounts to nothing when the popular
choice is restricted to men who can give
hundred thousand dollars real estate security.
This is equivalent to a provision limiting
qualification for these offices to the extremely
small number who s..s---~.ti. oIUU OUU IN tneIr
own right, or who can command the use of
that amount. 1t has been asserted that the
very disinterested gentlemen who have in
vented this plan do not want the offices them
selves. but will be perfectly willing to become
sureties for any honest and capable man that
may be elected What is this but declara-
ton that the choice of the people is to be sub
jected to the revision of these gentlemen? Is
it too much to assert that their choice in the
matter will be dictated by their personal in
terests? or are we to believe that only the
chiefs of the property holding movement are
possessed of a degree of unselfish patriotism
which would prompt a man to mortgage
hundred thousand dollars worth of his
property for the benefit of the public, and with
out expecting any advantage for himself?
But since the theory of this scheme-the
ground on which it is pressed with so
much earnestness-is that office-holders
are necessarily corrupt, and that the people
and fraud by means of some such so-called
security as that suggested by the rich real
estate owners, we are justified in assuming
that the persons to be elected under the new
system would be just as dishonest and corrupt
as their predecessors. The measure does not
propose to change the nature of ofice-seekers;
it only claims to contrive some responsibility
IL IL.
may be protected. Now, suppose the six ad-
ministrators to be dishonest men, what will
be the result? Simply that if they wish to
steal directly from the treasury, they will steal
more than enough to cover their bonds and
pocket the surplus, or, what is more probable,
they will use the immense powers confded to
them by the charter for purposes of fraud
which cannot be covered by any bond They
will say to a real estate owner, ego on my
bond for such sum, and you shall have such
contract" and to another, be my security
for such an amount and you shall have such
another contract" and to another, ego on
my bond, and you shall have the exclusive
privilege of selling fish at such a place )"
and to another "you shall have the exelu-
sive privilege Of selling oysters at such
place." and in this manner the bonds will
be made up, and contracts will be sold in
advance to favored persons, and monopolies
will be established against which the public
will vainly protest and contend. If the
administrators are rich enough to give bond
for themselves, they will be relieved of the
expense of purchasing bondsmen, and they
will simply become silent partners in all the
contracts that are given out, and the City
Hall will be converted into a close corpora
ton of contract-jobbers. Against this sort of
corruption the projected charter offers no
security; on the contrary, that instrument
seems to have been carefully contrived for the
purpose of facilitating and developing it. To
talk about the responsibility of the admins
traitors is, then, unmitigated nonsense. There
is no responsibility whatever-not even
responsibility to public opinion; for, fragrant
as may be the misconduct of the administra-
tors, notorious as may be their incapacity,
they may hold Office for their full term of
four years. No provision is made for their
impeachment or removal from Office. They
can snap their dainty official fingers in the
face of an indignant and outraged public,
and revel in unlimited plumber and the serene
consciousness of a total immunity from
responsibility.
At the common cement of this article it was
stated that the projected charter was pre-
pared by few of the rich real estate owners.
1t was never submitted to the association; it
was never even submitted to the committees.
1t is certain that the majority of the associa-
ton never would have ratified scheme
which would operate as injuriously upon their
interests as on the interests of the rest of the
community.
The New York Post wants Governor Fenton
to clear himself of the damaging charges
brought against him by Mr. Hastings, of the
Commercial Advertiser. 1t says that man in