New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-12-22
:. The losers should go to

But think we owe the $l09, 500 60, and
the unadjusted balances OF Algiers and
Jefferson, and should pay them at once in
the way prescribed by law. We should
receive for taxes Just what the law requires
Warrants for salaries) and no more, for the
system Of receiving anything but money for
taxes is vicious, confusing to our accounts
and finances, and fruitful source of fraud.
The rest of our obligation lit any, should
be discharged as soon as possible by the
payment Of cash to the State Treasurer;
and ary re-impositiOn of amounts once paid
and lost should be resisted by law as uncon-
stitutional, because requiring the Taxpayers
of New Orleans to pay debt once DIS
charged and lost by functionaries solely
under State control.
We now receive all warrants signed by
the president Of the board, as required by
law: we last year made the assessment, and
now present that for the current year.
We are. in advance Of our collections. but
we cash the warrants Of the privates of the
force. to prevent them from having to suffer
| discount. At the beginning of this month
l issued warrant for $i5, 900 to pay them,
but owing to the slowness Of the Lieutenant
| Governor in signing them, for which he gets
500 per month, the payments drawled
along for two Weeks. Some months it has
| taken as much as three weeks for them to
| get their warrants.
1t became my duty TO say, in recent re-
port, that. if some means of curtallment be
not found, a one per cent additional tax
| would be necessary. 1t can be no pleasure
| to me to propose or be one to levy such a
| tax, and / would much rather it should
| stand as a warning than the iorerunner OF
| o fact.
In offering an ordinance now, to provide
| for raising $S09, 932 SO, assessed upon us by
! the Metropolitan Police Board, state my
| firm conviction that as much AS $40O,O0O
of it are unnecessary, and should be
| saved. The city ought to be allowed to
| run its own police; and if SO allowed,
should do so for 100000. Other cities,
greater in population and prosperity, do SO
| for less. No fault is found or question made
| Of the merits of the Metropolitan Police, or
| its men and officers as force. They de-
| serve great deal of praise. 1t is the sepa-
| rate system, and the power of irresponsible
! expenditure and unlimited assessment
which it cOnfers, which are Objectionable
Mayor Bisbee, in a late message to the Coun'
| Gil Of CarrOllton, asks that the town may be
| relieved of this system, and it is doubtless
unacceptable now to the people or authorl-
ties Of any town or parish on which 1t is I'M
| posed.
! A change would in no way operate to the
| detriment of the force except in reducing
| the number. We would pay more promptly,
| and Mt least the privates weekly. 1hey
| would hear no more Of warrants, brokerage
| and stOppages.
The four hundred thousand dollars thus
| to be saved are not the only means by which
| we may escape increased taxation; hope.
| with the aid of the other Administrators, OF
that they without me, will propose many
more. We have put down on the budget
| 1000 for jury service. Every man owes
| it as duty to society to act on a criminal
or coroner's jury in proper turn without
pay; and no man. on account OF his position
| influence. or business pretexts, or other kind
of public service previously done. should be
| lightly excused or exempted. We should
| then not have the (spectacle OF grand and
petty ,juries, adjouTning and Postponins
| from day to day, delaying and Obstructlng
business, and riding about in carriages
merely to make per diem. The pay OF sixty
cents per day for prisoners i'll the Parish
! Prison is too much. They ought to be vel
| and comfortably fed. but it can be done fol-
less than that The constitution makes The
Sheriff the keeper OF the Parish Prison, bu
this does not take it out OF tht
power of the Legislature to lease it
retaining the supervision of the sheriff. ant
to make it. self-sustaining by system O
convict labor. The Workhouse could b'
made part of the same system. Other ex
pepses and fees of criminal administration
could be saved or reduced. estimate ;
proper reduction from all these sources a
least at $4,000.
fIam right, here are 900 tina. coult
be saved: but all these measures require
the interposition of the legislature. 1t il
conceded generally that the imposition of :
park tax is untimely and premature. and i
the Legislature will also remit the City parl
tax, or devote it to the relief Of back debt
$l50.O00 will be added, making q total re
duction of 5000, 900. This would reduce TIN
deficiency previously reported from 81, l6i.
84S to S5i4,S4S. 1t would then be- the ques
ton whether to impose a one-half per cen
tax, or issue, say, seven hundred aud fit,
thousand more bonds, which will hrin!
about seventy-tive per cent. The objection
to issuing bonds are. they increase by one
third the debt they represent, increase tn
aggregate city debt, and postpone the evi
day.
The taxes on the one hundred dollars o
property. AS now assessed, will be:
| On Real Persona