New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-05-07
Grand Juryman Booths Opinions
Five Eager Lawyers in the Fray


assemblies, a gathering of sOme-of the dis.
satisfied taxpayers of the community, who
were addressed, with the single exceptions
of DR.. Brickell and Mr.. Booth, by lawyers
| who saw in the present assemblage simple
| opportunity to gain a large fee for staviDg
| off the payment of taxes, the fee to be paid
on the principle Of ''many mickle makes
a muckle." The lawyers were j. B. Cotton,
w. L. Randolph, H. D. Ogden and j
| Q. A. Fellows, and they all promised
the meeting, in advance, they would stop
the payment Of taxes until December, when
they would get another Legislature to make
taxation less OnerOus and burdensome. In
the way of compensation for services, sew
eral of the legal gentlemen above referred
to are used to the occupation of laying
around for association fees which they take
very good care to lay hold of and get. The
| only mOmentous event in the whole business
was that some seven hundred or thousand
people could be got together to abuse a gov
ernment which they had created, or at
least suffered to exist, and to pronounce
against tax laws when it was too late for
re mOnstTance.
The meeting of tax resisters was ca He'd
to order by Mr.. FlOrance, who said that the
present assemblage was called together bv
the effects of a former primary meeting, and
having said this and meant a good deal
more, the speaker concluded in the remark
| that DR.. D. Warren BrickelI would be the
! chairman of the meeting.
Soon as this was said, the doctor advanced
| from the rear, where he had been sitting in
| preparation for the event, and, on taking
| chair, he made the following remarks:
ellow-cltizens-Without my knowledge have
| been selected by the committee of this assembly
who are opposed to paying the taxes now oppress-
| ing them, the permanent chairman of your or
ganization which understand, is for the purpose
of resisting the infamous taxes imposed upon YOU
will endeavor to fulfill the position to the best of
! we ali know that the most burdensome tax that
| was ever levied upon people is upon the
people of this State and all stand together
to defeat it, to relieve ourselves from that which
| is running State-the most niquitOus tax ever
| known.
When look over the audience before me see
the faces of men who have spent their lives in the
| State Of Louisiana, who are whole souled and pa
| tTOtC men, battling for what alone is right and
! just, asking for their just dues have been here
Tor the last twenty -four years, and know there is
! large number of men here whe have lived here
! more lengthy period. Tins IS the class of men
| see before me. No revolutionary, impusive idea
leading them on. 1t is class of men that look to
the best interests of Louisiana. But fellOw-citi-
| zens we are here to work for the interests OF a
| dOwn-tTOdden people; are compelled to fight
against a corrupt State and city administration:
| but believe il we set to work in the right way we
| viii accomplish our Objects We have men here
old and wise, of sense and education and they
viii not do anything that will not become them as
| good honest upright citizens. Applause
II As l salu before, We nave maAy things to tight
+ against, many obstacles in way. We have the
New Orleans Times, which tells us in an editorial
| yesterday that we commit grave crime; that we
are doing wrong by resisting the lawful taxes i'm
posed upon us; ana that we can make nothing by
it; that we will fail if We do resist Do you see
"a To
support a government, a self-eleCted government,
that which is expressing us-must we make rich
those who have no claim upon us The Times tells
do one thing to-day, they tell to do another
tomorrow. 1t speaks about the corruption
listing in the State, and how the people are bur
dened with taxes, and when remedy is sug-
gested they say we are wrong to resist the
taxes. 1t says that we VIII be compelled
to 30 to law, and we can not get decision before
December or January; then We to have Legis-
lature of honest men. But what are we to do IN
the meantlme-ln the hve months that we are to
wait Tor this Legislature OF honest men? We must
take action now. and make these infamous crea-
lures pack up their carpet bags and go to their
Northern homes. We must tonight show them
that they are the servants. ana not The masters.
Weare the masters. Applause.
In conclusion, he said:
I did intend to decline. I am not known to
many of you public man. but say here that
something must be done to relieve the State from
this burlen of taxation. We are a people, and
must show that We have rights and must maintain
them We are told TO hold back until We get these
honest men in the Legislature; these men who are
going to save the State. We told not to spend
our money in the way. proposed / would rather
spend my money on honest men than to see my
money 60 into the fiscal agency on Camp street.
During the course of his speech, the fire.
quent Interruptions showed the sentiments
were delivered in the spirit Of one who is
ready to give his opinions.
Mr.. Ed. Booth then read out the list of
vice presidents constituting the Organiza
ton of the meeting.
He regretted to be put in opposition to
the appointed funCtiOnaTies of the law, but
he We u fall back on his reserved rights,
and speak candidly and fairly
He wanted to show the REPUBLICAN a
first class example of ga calico yardstick
calico politician and having himself an
nOuICed that he was a man of this desCrip-
ti)n, he said that twenty-fOur years ago, at
time when DR.. Brickell came to this city,
taxes were but a half of one per cent. He
said he wished he was rich, and then went
on to say that the tax on his piece of prop
erty, which, he mOdestly said, had fifteen
feet front, was taxed $l33. He then pitched
into the assessment business; this amount
came as hard to him to pay as if 1t were
larger sum to a man with more
money than he had. Politics was the
first duty of a citizen. There was a gentle
man, he said, after he wandered into the
shades of Greece and Rome, who paid his
taxes cheerfully. In his opinion Barnum
payer. He urged his fellow resisters to at
tend to their own affairs. If we do not"
said he, "sOme foreign mani have not the
slightest idea who he is-will come here and
take possession of you. If you do not at
tend to your own affairs, the thing is GER
tain" In order to show his knowledge of
as much history as one would get through
in the curriculum Of an ordinary education,
he produced some fartetched incident to
hot vvIf
was tyranny" He then went into the resO-
lutiOns.
They were assembled in their primary
capacity whatever that meantj ITO
pronounce the doctrine that taxation
without representation was tyranny"
and the preamble went on to pronounce
that the Darties who levied the tax had no
right to do so, inasmuch as they were never
elected. Those who were elected had i'm
posed the taxes by the means of the most
outrageous and notorious bribery, and hence
these so-calIed representatives of the peO-
pie forfeited all the rights they might have
had heretofore. bad comes before, but
worse remains behind Notwithstanding
the great burdens imposed by taxation,
there were additional burdens to be i'm
posed by these people. The city govern
ment was "a nOn-representative body" The
preamble went on to say that the Legisla-
ture was ''cOrruptly bought and sold by
written contract" and the entire drift was
to the effect that no more taxes were to be
paid, either to the State or city; that the
association would invite into its ranks all
men whether they had paid or had refused
to pay. Here they are:
Resolved, That we, who are here assembled, and
as many others as shall hereafter associate them
selves with US, form ourselves into association
whose object shall be to resist, by legal means the
present eXOrbitant, illegal and unconstitutional
taxes now attempted to be extOrted from u.s. as
citizens of the State and city
Resolved, That the style of the association shall
be ..The Pennlns Association to Resist UnCOnstitu.