New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-08-31
THE HONESTY OF DEMOCRACY.

with a view to aScertalnlng WnaV Is Hecee-
cary to secure success in the elections,
and thus, get possession once more O. the
public offices. The result appears to
us to be that they find they lack but
two things: First, political principles
and secondly, honest men. They are pro-
verbally wanting in the first, and as for
the latter, the history of the country,
from the time of Jake Thompson, Floyd,
Cobb, Slidell, and that set, down to
the termination of Littlejohn Con-
ways inglorious administration, shows
that they have had even less of the latter.
That anything better may be expected
and that any reliance is to be placed upon
their arrogant assumptions OF exclusive
honesty and responsibility, in the face OF
the damning records to the contrary, are
propositions that require the largest char-
tv to believe. On the contrary, when
men yaunt their claims to be better than
their neighbors they are liable to be re-
garded with suspicion, and the chances
are ten to one in favor of their being
hypocrites. When, therefore, we are
told that the Republicans have plundered
this State we are reminded OF the acts OF
the Legislature of 1866, which was singu-
larly free from republicanism, radicalism,
unionism, and, as many very good men
have reason to believe, from patriotism.
They managed State affairs in such man
ner that million and half. OF floating
debt was left to be provided for by the
levy of a one per cent tax. -Four
millions in bonds were issued to
build up the .levees destroyed by the war
another result sof Democratic rule. And
as no more than about thirty cents on the
dollar was offered that sacrifice was con-
scented to, so eager were the hungry plum
derers to get hold of ready money at any
price: of course the levees were not built,
and but little if any work was begun until
the organization Of the State government
by the Republicans. This same Legisla-
ture authorized the Common Council to
receive State notes for city taxes, although
at the time they were worth twenty per
cent less than the city shinplasters, and
the latter were selling at a discount as
compared with United States currency.
Democracy managed affairs so well that
there was one currency provided for the
rich and another, greatly deprecated,
for the poor. About 100000 Of State
notes came to the city treasury, ostensibly
for payment of taxes, within ten days.
The records do not show that so great an
amount of taxes was actually paid at the
time, but they do show that about 81, OOO,-
900 of city notes of the denominations OF
five, ten, and twenty dollars, were issued
then without authority of law or even OF the
Common Council. A part of this money
was, no doubt, exchanged for State notes,
with profit of twenty per cent and the
latter were turned over to the Sheridan
(Republican) Council at par, in settlement
of official accounts. Some very fine prl-
vate houses were built about this time,
which are yet considered models of fine
| architecture and elegance. These transac-
tons of the ''honest party cost the tax
PAYERS of the State five millions OF
dollars, and those Of the city about
three, in addition to the ordinary
current receipts from taxes. The lat
ter were of course collected from the
poorer classes and from the Republicans
The wealthy Democrats put off the day o
payment until they procured a Legislative
act which suspended collection, ant
the public credit went down to almost
nothing
The first Republican Legislature wa
appealed to by men of both parties to re
lieve the creditors of the State and tn
city. The debts were to large exten
represented by city and State notes, which
had been forced upon the people as money
The one per cent tax was applied to re
lieve creditors of the State, and an issue
five millions in bonds authorized to pa
the city debts. One of the first acts of tn
Democratic officials WAS to use S612,O 90
of these bonds to pay the Fink and AcDc
nogh funds an old, supposititious debt
contracted in Confederate times for trea
sonable purposes, the payment OF whic
was strictly prohibited ny both the Fec
eral and State constitutions. The RI
PUBLICAN was the only paper in Ne
Orleans that dared to raise its voice agains
this barefaced swindle, but we succeeded
fortunately, in having the whole schem
broken up, and the money applied fc
other purposes. The last twelve month
of this same Democratic Council cost til
taxpayers five millions and half, and lie
the wharves in state of ruin, the street
almost impossible and the police, schoo
teachers, gas works, fremen, contractor
and nearly everybody else unpaid. Wh'
in the name of honesty these anti-plul
derers did with all the money is mystei
that we suppose the Central Commute
alone can solve.
The charge of plumber made against I'll
Republicans by such a party comes wit
peculiar grace. Do the people want al
other year, or even another month or
day of such rule as the Democrats ha'
inflicted upon this community? Ii 81
let them vote for the party without prll
eiples, without single act in its histol
that can be pointed to with feelings