New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-03-29

4 - e - X ~
Orleans - = ~ glnl( 81 Louilin
ouRht % lave leagned somsEhing abc9l
taxasion aissr IL s1iise Il mistakes mt
which they have bsen vickedly led herd
to6crs. First, Il y ~ duty It sDofsty p
support its own goveEnment until it n
solves to venture on . revolution SEQ
ond, this support must be rendered =
the shape Of taxes Either these propd
sitions are correct or We arc not informed
Is to the relations Of community. II ouf
conclusions are correct, then there are
parties living close by Us who do not I'M
derstand this matter At all, or they are
misleading society in . very serious
fashion. s a
Ever since the present State govern
ment was formed the community has been
vexed with propositions that certain taxe1
were unjust and Illegal The result has
been that the people have been led
into litigation and the objects Of
the government have been delayed OF
defeated, 1t 10 double expense to the tax
payers First, We may set it down AZ .
rule that the taxes that were itigated have
been held to be legal and binding on the
community. Second, the contestants have
been saddled with the expense and irrita-
ton of their contest. Third, the delay
has been such that the object Of the tax
was defeated, and the State has been COM
PEELED to pay for the loss which resulted
to her exchequer from the loss Of her
credit. II the taxpayers interpose objec-
tions to the performance Of their duties
the State treasury is deprived of its proper
revenue, and the State is forced to buy at
q discount because she buys on time. All
that she loses in this regard falls upon the
taxpayer in the long run, and increases
the burden against which he complained.
Il is reacting evil. We can not spend
twenty thousand dollars in resisting q
legal obligation without increasing the
amount to b paid in the end
# the people win consult their own
experience but : moment, they win dis
cover, inst, that where they have resisted
the tax collector the legal expenses have
generally equaled the amount Of the tax
bills, and secondly, they win discover.
further along, that they have bean forced
to pay the tax. By investigating the sub
jet still further, It il safs to say that thsy
win discover That they have injured the
government materially. and that this in
jury has been assensed against them in
the shape Of . public debt Let us illus
trate. The Constitntional Convention inn
posed q tax Of one min to deftay it, own
expenses. The people were advised to
resist this levy, which they did in . gal
liant and obstinate fight The warrants
were 80 reduced in value that the brokers
bought them up at fifteen cents on the
dollar. The CONVENTION could not live ct
this nate, 90 It increased its own per
diem in q corresponding ratio with the
depreciation Of IFS warrants. This made
splendid opportunity for the brokers
and the lawyers, but it operated badly on
the people. They had to pay the original
warrants and the additional issue besides.
We had no interest in deceiving the peo-
pie then, as we have none now; and we
advised prompt recognition and speedy
payment Of the original expense. Our
advice was unheeded, and the community
paid to the lawyers and the brokers three
or four times the amount they would
have had to pay the Convention if they
had done their duty sensibly and in dis
regard of clustering advisers.
The same condition Of affairs is loom
ing up again. Bad advisers are mislead-
ing the people to-day, as they did in
1868. We are told that We can escape
paying, what we owe BY refusing to settle
with the tax collector. This policy, if
adopted, viii fee the lawyers, reduce the
value Of State warrants for the benefit Of
the brokers, and add fifty per cent at
least to our floating indebtedness
We are opposed to the continuance Of
the present nate Of taxation. But our
plan to modify the evil is to follow the
law until the people elect representatives
who will introduce economy in the gov
We can not decrease our ex-
penses by fighting our own improper ex-
penditures with our own money. We
must spend less if we desire to curtail
taxation, for neither States nor individu-
ais can eat their cake and save it too.
Every presumption of law and every
impulse of the courts is to maintain the
legality Of . statute levying tax. In the
first place, the tax would not be imposed
if there had not been IN expense to neces-
state it. That expense, the court will
say, must be paid, and the law providing
the means to defray it should be upheld.
We can not escape q settlement. Then
why not settle at once? On this argument
it is rational to assume that the tax laws
will be held legal and obligatory.
WAITING AND WATCHING.
Bonaparte is just outside of France, or
to speak with the license of poetry, he
stands upon the white cliffs of Dover,
watching the signal that shall recall him
to Calais and Paris. Is his vigil vain