New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-05-07

| Resolved, That we pledge ourselves 10 give
cordial and prompt support to the association, to
patrOnize its assemblies and procure and encOur-
! age as many of our fellOw-citizens as possible to
| join it.
Resolved, That while we recognize cheerfuly
the right of the citizen to resist on his own account
any illegal tax, we can RO1 see the force OF the ar
! gument which would forbid lis to combine together
| for the accomplishment of the same end
| Resolved, That we cordially and earnestly iH-
vite the co operation Of every citizen, hasmnch as
| none are too high and none too low to feel the
| pressure Of this practical cOntscatIon. Every
mechanic, merchant GraYman, banker store
! Keeper, butcher, shoemaker, tailor, steamboat
man, lnachlnist, press owner, insurance agent,
shipping agent, property owner, clerk, foundry
man, carpenter or OF whatever occupation, are
deeply interested in this movement for the legal
resistance of unconstitutional taxation, and there
fore viii be welcomed to the roll of the assOCia-
tion whether they have already paid whole or
part of their taxes or not.
Resolved, That in the meantime we will
pay more taxes to State city,
being supported in this view by the opinion
of able counsel learned in the Flaw, but
will, through our association, invoke the prOtec-
ZION of the courts of the State and of the United
States to test our right of resistance to eXOrbtant
and cOnfscating taxation imposed by a pretended
Legislature, seltnomlnated, c0rruptiy bought and
sold by written contract, and sitting in defiance
and COntTaventiOn of the constitution of 1863 which
declares That representative basis shall be
established, and the representation dist nbuted in
accordance herewith as well as our right TO re-
sst exOrbitant taxation imposed by an appointed,
non representative body of persons STYLING them
selves the Mayor and Administrators Of the city of
Resolved, That when this meeting adiourns it
will do so to meet again at the call of the president
of the association.
Mr.. w. L. Randolph next made his ap-
pearance before the thrOng. After going,
as usual, into the history of all govern
ments, how many kinds there were he said
if there was wisdom in their ancestors who
protested against the divine right of kings,
there was equally as much justice in pro
testing against the divine right of rims.
As each one of those whom he spoke to had
paid the taxes and had the receipt in his
pocket, and could say, consequently, he was
a law-abiding citizen, such one was at a
loss what course to pursue. He asked
what are we going to do ~ He went on
to tell them, in his own way that taxation
which was levied more than was necessary
was robbery. They disgraced themselves
by submitting to unjust taxation. His plan
was, let a committee be appointed
to confer with the authorities and to show
their good faith, offer to pay so much taxa
tiOn-what was necessary, and no more
If this bargain was not accepted, ''then we
pay none He closed with the original,
the recent, the unknown and extraordinary
tale OF Alexander and the Gordian knot
If the business could not be unraveled. if
the knot could not be united, cut it. His
argument was laid down in this PROPOSE
ton: that as our ancestors fought success
fully against Great Britain, based on the
y
common right" to fight to resist taXatiOn
and the revolutionary sentiments were
whOOped at in the style characteristic of
such cheap enthusiasm.
Judge J. B. Cotton came to the front as
the next speaker. He took pains to incul-
cate the idea that justice was to be had in
the way of resistance of taxes in the
Fourth District Court (where there are
several hundred judgments now waitingl
nd in bn IN q al
by jury. The way to do the Job was this:
Let everybody resist the payment in the
courts at present; on a Judgment against !
them they could all hands appeal, which |
last would keep it off until December, as it |
could not be touched in the meantime by
the Supreme Court. A good, an hon |
est and a Just Legislature would be |
in office by that time "if you do
your duty and then the laws under |
which these taxes were now due could !
be repealed. The debts accumulated under !
legislative action could be repudiated. |
Loud. long and vehement applause. Re |
peal these laws. reDudiate these debts, cut |
the dead branch from the tree. [ care not |
by what name you call it. 1t is not just to |
impose the burdens of such taxation on
ourselves, children and our children's chill
dren. He was not going to tell the Times |
newspaper all his defense. All necessary
to know is that the State and city tax is to !
be resisted to the very last. His policy. laid |
down in several lengths, was to dry up the /!
fountain head, and this done, you will see
these fellows leaving like rats a sinking |
ship" Laughter He closed IN the same
vein which ran through the body of his |
speech-resstance to the bitter end and
down on taxation of every kind.
Mr.. II. D. Ogden, who next shook his
hand in the faces of his fellow citizens,
said it was unQUestionably revolutionary
I l.,
squarely IN the face. The people who were |
before him were the sober citizens who
were identified with the prosperity of the |
community; they were not agitatOrs, and !
of these extOrtions ali were to be protected !
from any further exactiOns Of the tax col
lectOrs. The labOring man who lite-lib- |
erty and property-pe -perverted-justice of
the peace-rOtten and cOrrupt-destructiOn
of every right you have on earth.
He merely suggested the plan was easy
of accomplishment, provided they were all
united. One man could do nothing 1t
was perfectly well known a small resistance
failed The time when the United States
government would regard as rebelliOus
any resistance to taxation such as this had
passed never to return. The congressional
committee man laughed immOderately at
the idea Of boy like WarmOth using the
State like child-laughed at the fact that
he could do this and meet with no restance.
He held that 1.-THE right to resist taxation"
when it grew OnerOus and oppressive, was
unquestioned. Taxation was the blood of
the body polite, and the present 'body
would fall assunder if not fed and nOur-
ished.
Mr.. Michel said, after introducing him
selftO the audience in English, that he would !
talk to them in French, and he proceeded
to do So One by one his hearers left, until
at the close of his speech, hlled with all the
beauties of the language, it was found about |
three hundred of the audience had escaped
by the galleries and the stage, as well as
the aisles.
Mr.. J. Q. A. Fellows was called up to ad-
dress the meeting, and began his speech by |
reading and alluding to tax notice as IAN
attempt to intimidate." When he alluded |
to another notice "that / have seized, and |
after three days notice will attempt to |
SELL" there was an OminOus silence IN the |
thrOng, as if anxious to hear what methods |
he had to propose; but he went on to say |
say that ''forbearance ceases to be virtue |
when the taxation was piled on as it had |
been of late. His definition of the |
condition of the State, as alluded |
to by Mr.. Ogden, was this: THAT |
Governor WarmOth would have been !
harmless and pOwerless had it not been |
for the assistance of our own people. [Cries |
of That's So" That's the talk."1 Repudia- |
ton is the handwriting on the wall The |
speaker, in entering into these descriptions, |
said he could put his finger on nine mil |
lions of the State debt which was fraudu-
lent and he then went on to describe the |
funding bill, which was now lying on the
Governors desk awaiting his signature;
and he said, as his policy, that the good |
debt of the State which should be paid. |
like borrowed money, would be sifted out |
from the bad, which would not be paid.
He went into the dismals on the subject of |