The Louisianian. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1870-1871, 1871-02-09

tention during the present session The
question involved are not without great
difficulty. Prominent among them is
one arising out Of the careful and scru-
pulous compliance of the Administrators
with the provisions of law relative to the
consolidated and railroad debts and the
one million loan. The city has redeemed
half a million back interest, nearly half q
million Of capital, and all the current in
terest Of her bonded debt It purposes
to continue to do SO, but the strain upon
its Golfers has rendered deficit newt
able during the coming year, which the
City Council is unable to meet under ex-
listing laws.
Among these laws are cited those
which take large class of public ex-
penditures ont of the control of the city,
such as prison expenses, police, printing,
expenses of the Criminal Court, fees OF
various public officers for services done
the city, coroners, jurors, etc. The city
has to act the part of mere payrnaster,
in many cases, and the laws have taken it
out of its power to comply with its NUM-
cipal functions and duties. by making
contracts to the best advantage of the
taxpayers. In oil these abuses, which
have existed under one party as well as
another, and which have gradually
grown more and more serious, the de-
mands of the time require reform.
have no doubt the subject of munich
pol police will be fully impressed ON your
attention. The city should have the con-
troll of it's assessments, expenditures, and
the numbers, salaries and distribution Of
its police, its regulation, fol all local and
domestic purposes, and the enforcement
Of it's ordinances while the power of the
tie should he carefully reserved, to be
exercised and asserted as primary and
supreme in oil cases where q necessity
may exist, such as riot, instruction, Of
public danger. 1t ought to be out of the
power of any city authorities to use thei,
control at such of any other times, sepa-
rately or Independently of those Of the
State, which should have precedence in
enforcing the laws and maintaining pub
lie order. The example of the past il
1866, and ut other times, and under
various administrations, shows the dan.
ger of permitting any question Of thu
paramount control of the State authori
ties, when proper occasion arises for tha
power to be exercised. Ft
The unsettled foating debt and ap
pretended deficit will approach two mil
lions of dollars, which the city govern
ment must meet in one or all of thres
ways: by retrenchment of all expenses
now within it's control, and modifca
tons of Legislation, to enable it to crrrtai
expenditures now out of it's control BY
the issue of bonds or by increased
taxation.
The bonded debt is now $17,315, 900
and the taxation is two and five per cent
both high enough in all conscience
Bonds of the city of New Orleans bring
but about three-fourths of their par value
thus, in fact, augmenting by one-thirt
the debts they are issued to pay. 1ncreas
ed taxation on the other hand is, per
haps, equally serious This question hat
best be left to the City Council of New
Orleans, with the power to levy tax no
exceeding one per cent, or issue bonds
not at present authorized, not exceeding
two millions dollars or to exercise {
part of each of these powers This vii
place the responsibility where it belongs
and the City Council cannot safely. ant
will not probably, act in this matter
without full discussion and concurrence
on the part of taxpayers as to what ia.
be the wiser and better course.
The city government has now powe
to issue bonds for wharf and street i'm
provemcnts, power which has been iu
diciously and sparingly exercised. Re
lative to wharves, this was probably tn
best and only disposition that could b
made but the new charter takes ava.
the power to require street paving to b
paid in part by the property facing. T.