New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-12-17
TO orr LEGIsLATORS,

j duOIGSS w tuC ACA4O OAO oOAAAS SOAAoAeA
erations which are deemed Of impor
lance to them. 1t will afford them tim
to reflect upon our suggestions, ant
the country press will have time to i'm
press or comment upon our views befor
either shall be occupied with the imme
date duties of the approaching session
The REPUBLICAN assumes this duty as
faithful observer of public events during
the period when the legislators Of our Stat
are in recess. 1t is part Of its duty as
Republican organ to SO observe and t.
report.
The Legislature of 1894 inherits
with the State officers, responsibility
for the acts of 'its predecessors. 1t il
impossible that the present authorities
could have imposed the debt, or practiced
the attributed iniquities Of the past seven
years. Yet these authorities are daily
arraigned and held to answer. It has
been proved that these past acts could not
have been consummated without the vote
of the Democratic or opposition party.
| 1t has been shown that the more enormous
grants of corporate rights have, as in the
Slaughterhouse, New Canal, and Levee
bills, gone into the hands of members of
that opposition. 1t is known that mem
bers Of this opposition have held some
most lucrative Offices, as sheriffs and col
lectors, and have made fortunes as bro
kers and money changers. The sale Of
State and city stock on our principal rail
roads has gone to the personal profit Of
the same class. yet the entire blame Of all
| these has been thrown upon the Repubh-
can party, because, as is alleged, by vote
or veto it might have prevented it.
You will observe that no argument is
made by the opposition against Repubi-
can principles. 1t is against the alleged
abuses of power that the opposition of the
citizen is embodied You will see among
the most prominent agitators men that
have been intimate participants with the
acts and actors which they denounce.
They would overthrow and expel your
legislators for the very deeds which could
never have been perpetrated, as alleged,
except by the cooperation of themselves
and their copartners. 1t is precisely as
in the case of the ''Credit Mobilier fraud,
and "back pay grab" Democratic mem
bers participated IN each. The Tammany-
Tweed ring Of New York raised great
cutlery against these acts, and nominated
as their candidate for Speaker of the
House of Representatives, one Wood, a
recipient of this very back pay! You
must learn, then, that men in the
minority may take, without reproach,
any advantage from dishonest legis-
lation. They may even seduce their
opponents to commit frauds, in whose
benefits they participate. They are the
well paid spies in the camp of the major
ity. They tempt and tamper with the
guards, so that when, by their devices,
the camp shall have been surprised and
carried, these very spies are among the
most clamorous for the captured spoils
Such, however, is the law Of politics
The majority il power is held responsible
for whatever of wrong they might have
prevented.
The best indication of that liquidation
will be to demonstrate that they will not
themselves commit such wrongs as have
been alleged against their predecessors.
To effect this there are in addition to
the excellent laws already enacted by
yourselves several measures of much i'm
portance:
l. The amount of debt for which the
State is held responsible is in excessive dis
proportion to the taxable value of its
A tax variously estimated at
from three to FIVE per cent is tax on in
vestments. Men will not invest their cap
ital, large or small, in State where the
tax is almost equal to the rate of invest |
ment on capital in some other countries. |
Such rate Of taxation excites and keeps
up hostility to the men and to the party |
which under the rule of responsibility that |
we have enounced, is held to answer. It !
will be your duty to inquire into the le- |
gality of this debt. The executive has |
preceded in this inquiry. He has APP
pointed a committee Of sagacious men, who |
will, no doubt, scrutinize and scale the |
debt in the most rigid manner. 1t |
will be with you to supervise and
execute this inquiry. There will be
brought before you propositions to still |
further limit ard restrain the Legislature
from enl&ging the public debt and impose
a limit upon the cost of legislation, and
other expenditures of the civil list. 1t is
even discussed whether it would not be |
better to make compromise between the
discontinued taxpayers and the anxious
holders of State securities. The one at
tributes want of occupation and transfer
Of business elsewhere solely to the rate of
taxation. The other could not be sur
prised if some future Legislature of debt
resisters should reduce taxation by failing
to provide for the semi-annual interest on
The outstanding bonds. This conflict is
represented III the reduction Of the market
value of Louisiana bonds to about fifty
per cent of their face value. Should you
provide for funding the debt Of the State
1t this rate, and establish an adequate and
nviolate fund for its interest and liquida-
ion, you would, without injury to the
public creditor-for an exchange of old for
Jew securities would require his assent