The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-01-01
A GENERAL MUTUAL BENEFIT GIFT EN-
TERPRISE

OF the 6ge, IS the idea that the class OF Oene-
fits known as presents are in reality either
voluntary or gratuitous. Under the incom-
ing creed of call rights for all" it will be
utterly impossible to go on in the loose way,
so long prevailing, of awarding Christmas,
New Year, and all other presents, according
to the dictates of a spontaneous generosity.
1t will not do to leave anything to the dis
erection, caprice and Partially of individuals.
The innate right of everybody to receive pres
ents is just as clear as the innate right to vote
and to hold Office and to enjoy its emolu-
ments. The corresponding obligation to be-
stow presents, is, of course, equally indis-
putable. But, hitherto, enormous injustice
has been suffered on account of the absence
of any method by which to give to the right
and the obligation the virtue of legal posi-
tiveness and arithmetic precision. In default
of any arrangement of this nature, thousands
of worthy persons were annually defrauded
of their dues disfranchised we may say-by
not happening to be among the favored bene-
ficiaries of an inexact and inequitable distri-
button of presents. Moreover, everybody
was in constant and painful perplexity as to
what and how much he should give or receive,
and as to when, where, and how he should
receive it. To the commercial mind which
insists, by the law of its being, upon reduc-
ing all expectancies, in the way of favors, So
called, to be received or bestowed, to the
form of assets and liabilities such state of
things was simply horrible. Now. all this
must be changed The indomitable genius of
progress demands it. A free people will no
longer consent to the strain of intellect and
the torture of hope experienced in futile at
tempts to fathom the possibilities of meal
culable benefits and unknown quantities.
The time is at hand for the decisive and final
abatement of the evil. But low to devise
the precise measures for the accomplishment
of this reform, is the difficulty. 1t has been
suggested 10y some shallow person that society
should be divided by lot into two equal
classes-the givees and the givers. But such
a plan would be in plain violation of the
principle of ''all rights for all, since under
this principle all must share alike in the in
cidents of presentation, and every individual
of the whole community must be indifferently
givee and giver. Then suppose, in making
an equal division, there should be found on
either side one man or woman in excess of
an even number. How dispose of his or her
case? 1t is clear that there could be no solu-
ton of the problem without ignoring the
social existence of him or her. In short, he
or she would have to be cast out as a super
fuous element into the illimitable void of
nowhereness. And yet the unfortunate givers
might almost envy this sort of humiliation,
for the plan would subject them.to plumber
without end and with manner of compen-
sation. Protective tariffs and partisan legis-
lation already infict enough of such robbery
by enforcing a similar division. There is but
one way, it strikes us, by which to arrive at
an equitable system of presentation. II is to
institute great enterprise to be called 1.-The |
Equitable Mutual Benefit Presentation Asso- |
citation" Let membership be open to every |
body upon payment of ten dollars, to be re-
newed annually. Let the aggregate of such |
subscriptions be administered as a fund to |
insure presents, or their equivalents, at stated
periods, to all the stockholders. Let a GEN.
sus be taken to ascertain statistically the
values of all presents and the names of all |
outside of the association. Then |
see what is the value in the shape of presents |
that would fall to every person under an |
equal distribution, and let every person who |
has received presents in excess of this aver
age be taxed proportionately for the benefit |
of all the rest. The operation of the scheme
might oe somewhat annoying to many at first,
and by some might be deemed oppressive.
But the annoyance would cease under the re-
conciling influence of custom, and the sup
posed oppression would turn out, when
viewed by the light of the great doctrine of
all rights for all, to be purely imaginary.
For it is plainly impossible to satisfy the
rights which all have in miscellaneous mass
Of presents, except by effecting an equal
of the same amongst all in kind
Or in equivalent. Perhaps the plan would
resolve itself into grand system
Of Communication a system heartily welcome
no doubt to thousands of people who, having
q nervous dread of scenes and bores, ex-
pect to be the victims of testimonials in the
shape of gold-headed cane or silver plate
or public dinners and post
Drandial speeches, followed by matuti-
nal headache and a prolonged spell
If dyspepsia The system might be ex-
ended so that all who chose Might COM
mute for gold, silver, tin, crystal, and paper
weddings. All married couples could then
count, with certainty, as now they can not, on
eceiving in due season substantial acknowl-
alignment of the services that they have rem
Tered to society and to posterity, and the
acrifces which they have made to convention,
" taking up the cross of matrimony. Two
lasses, however, would be brought to grief
y the change and could find but poor COM
ort in any kind or measure of Communication.
We mean that class of public functionaries
Tho give and take presents corruptly, and that
lass of the non-oficial population who are
eady to participate with them in this species
f corruption. After they had disgorged the
xcess above the ascertained average, the
beggarly allowance remaining
'ould by no means compensate for the trouble