The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-04-03
The Value Of Municipal Riohts.


to gather together in villages for the sake
Of society, or for the greater security. from
the strong and the violent who made them
selves troublesome to their weaker and
more peaceful neighbors, there arose, from
The very necessity of things, greater dis
tribution OF labor, and greater variety of
occupations. Men found that by directing
their time and labor to one kind of work
they acquired greater skill and facility in
it, produced a better article, and sold it more
readily and more proftably. Mechanical
trades gradually multiplied, affording mar
kets for the tillers of the land around them,
who gladly battered their country products
for the articles made by the tradesmen.
The villages grew into towns, and some
ing country was rich and fertile, or where
the situation was favorable for commerce.
The old Romans in the countries they con-
quered established garrisons in central and
commanding places, and particularly on
the coast where there were good barbors,
and on the banks of large rivers which
gave easy passage up and down for'n long
distance. Those garrisons became military
colonies and gradually grew into large
towns, and artisans and small dealers from
Italy eand the poorer and less hostile of the
native population gathered around them.
AS long as the Roman Empire lasted those
towns increased and prospered. But when
that, after a long and protracted struggle,
fell before the warlike tribes of Tartary,
those towns suffered terribly from the bar
barous invaders. Where they resisted they
were plundered; where they submitted
without resistance, they had to pay heavy
tributes. In this way many were entirely
destroyed, and those that were spared were
greatly impoverished. Such, however, rs,
from their central or otherwise favorable
position, were selected as places of resi-
dence by the conquerors, retained in q great
degree their prosperity and prestige. When
the tribes, after the death of their great
leaders broke into small divisions, and most
of central Europe for o long time was
thrown into fierce fermen. ,tion before it
settled down into it's present ,ational divi-
sions, those large cities, though they had
occasionally to submit to some of the more
powerful of the warlike princes of the time,
were strong enough to defend themselves
from the weaker, and, when their location
exempted them from immediate contact
with some powerful prince, they gradually
established their independence and became
free cities. They established a government
of their own, elected their municipal off,
GERS, established legislative assembly,
council OF senate, which made their laws
which their chief executive officers carried
into effect. When it was necessary they
fortified their cities with high and strong
walls and deep bitches, and established
military organization among their citizens
as defence against any aggression from
without.
History is full of examples of free cities
which made their own laws, assessed their
own taxes, and became wealthy and pros
porous, populous and powerful. Where
they enjoyed location favorable for COM
merce their wealth and their power became
greater and more extended. But all his
tory goes to show that, in every case, cities
were more prosperous when their laws
were made by their own people, than When
they were made by others.
But, when territories or provinces were
consolidated into Kingdoms, and princes
became more powerful, those free cities
were one by one absorbed, their power
transferred to others, and, when they ceased
to make their own laws and impose their
own taxes, their wealth and prosperity
gradually disappeared. There are no cities
on the eastern continent that now can be
compared with Tyre OF Carthage, Athens
or Rome in the olden times, or Venice or
Genoa in the middle ages. The loss CT
municipal rights, in most cases, was the
beginning of decline.
The same spirit of consolidation seems
about to take possession of this country
The rights of the States are being absorbed
by the General Government at Washington,
and, in each of the States, the municipal
rights of the most important cities are
being absorbed by the State government.
The Legislature of Louisiana have taken
charge of this good city of ours, and, for
the present at least, have relieved the peo-
pie from the trouble of making their own
laws, or electing those whom they would
like to carry them out. The experience of
the past leaves no room to hope that such
legislation can benefit New Orleans, for no
city has ever prospered whose special laws