New Orleans Republican., 1873-06-25
HELPING OUR TRACE.

to prejudice all persons who might other-
wise seek New Orleans as location for
capital OF industry, it tecomes a matter
Of public defamation.
One paraa,aph Of the Trib,n. letter
seems to have been furnished in BLOCK by
some ant:-RepubNcan here. It attempts
to make Gove-nor Kellogg responsible,
through Ills friends, for share OF the
corruption alleged to have prevailed II
Louisiana for four years past. The late
Governor is held to account IN but
subordinate capacity. It is said "Gov-
ernor Warnoth may have been. and prob
ably was, responsible for some OF this
extravaganza" 1T is idle for Mr.. Kellogg
to upbraid Warmotb." etc.
After stating the excessive rates OF
assessment which no one told this cores
pondent had been reduced, he goes on to
impute to the administration Of Mr.. Kel-
logg custom Of corruption which no one
informed their correspondent had been
corrected by the passage of an act against
bribery. an investigation of the legal obli-
CATION of deb: and purpose and spirit
of reformation. These measures emanat-
ing from the Republican Legislature,
and executed by Republican govern
ment, render the restoration of the State
and city credit certain. Here is the
attractive picture offered to the immi-
grant looking into the claims of Louisiana:
Where the assessment is as high as the
Auditor says it is in some instances, the
total rate Of taxation is IL $40 per cent of
the true value of the property. In most
Northern States this would amount to con-
fscation of the entire profits Of business. In
addition to all. there are State and city Ii
censes which have to be paid before man
can begin any kind OF business or the
practice of any profession. Those col
lected by the State are at the rate of So,
SIS, $25, $S5, el00 and $1,000 a year for each
partner, according to the nature Of the
business. Those paid the city are at the
rate of IS, SIS, $50, 500, $1,000 and $500 a
year. Such heavy taxation as this, one
would suppose, ought to pay the entire ex-
penses OF the government, but it is far
from doing so. Very few official acts are
performed by any officials unless they are
paid heavy fees. Beginning with the
United States Court and running through all
of the State courts, and then the thousand
Offices held under State authority, and
there is scale of extravaganza in fees and
perquisites that would in time bankrupt
any State. Members of the Legislature
if they keep clear of jobs.
OF course this ignorant misrepresenta-
ton Of our affairs no more affects the
Tribune than did the recent misrepresen.
tation Of Governor kelloggs opinions
published in the same paper. The white
garment Of Mr.. Greeley. typical Of his
sincerity, seems to have been replaced by
editorial robes of more questionable
complexion. Such misrepresentation of
New Orleans tend to drive fish into the
commercial net of New York. We are
not then surprised at malignant or men
dacious statement to our commercial
prejudice published in scarcely scrupu.
lous sheet of rival city; but there is
something even worse. We find these
ISLANDERS republished in and indorsod by
one of our own journals! The Picuyune,
without one word of corrective comment,
copies these injurious statements entire.
Can it be that. obscured by the vapors of
political passion, it can not see the
secret stabs at our trade? Is
it blind to the fact tina. its
own intemperate and intolerant course has
effected the amount of our trade and the
value of our property? Why, the effects
of the plan to sacrifice business interests
at home. to secure political sympathy
abroad, is visible even in the wilted ad-
vertisement columns Of our contemporary
itself. We have been amazed that men
who had houses to rent, or goods to sell,
should allow their interests to be exhib-
tied as a shocking example to teach the
evils Of Republican rule. What have
bankruptcies. sheriffs' sales and empty
buildings been to the politician except
spectacle teaching the necessity of making
the case of Louisiana a national example?
What have been the shooting of labor
ers in the field. or the attempted assassi-
nation Of the chief magistrate. but argu-
ments in favor Of ian honest military
or new election?
The New Orleans REPUBLICAN. having
the confidence OF Northern. Westers
and European communities. has done.
and will continue to do its best to correct
the erroneous impression thus spread by
inimical commercial rivals, and corrobo-
rated by our own vindictive press.
We pronounce, then, the statements set
forth in the Tribune letter as in part un-
true and in part inapplicable to the
present system and sentiment Of reform
as practiced by Governor Kellogg on be-
half Of the State. and Mayor Witt on
the part Of the city.
Our citizens will not fail to note that
this ruinous assault on our business has
been indorsed by some who claim to rep
resen: the bes. clements Of our commu-
nifty. and that they have been exposed
and defended by journal habitually ma.
ligned as Indifferent to the permanent
welfare Of Louisiana.
The business interests will judge which
.re their most efiectual friends. =.