New Orleans Republican., 1873-03-11
NEW ORLEANS, TUESDAY, MARCH 1918
WHAT TAXES Will YOU RESIST g
We wish to address few words of bus

| WHAT TAXES WILL YOU RESIST
| We wish to address few words of bust
ness to the capitalists of New Orleans.
It is said by the Picayune and the disap-
| pointed McEnery hordes that you are going
to organize tax resistance. What tax do
you propose to resist! Is it the tax to pay
the interest on our State bonds, held either
by you or in New York or in Europe! Your
New York and European customers bought
these State bonds on your recommendation
that the interest and principal would be
promptly paid Are you willing to go into
combination now looking TO the resist
ance of the collection and payment of this
tax into the State treasury! Is there
capitalist in New Orleans, who holds bonds
of the State, who does not want mis- interest
money! 1t requires the prompt payment OF
this tax IN order to get it, not resistance.
Our State bonds are held in many cases
by people of moderate means; bJ widows
and orphans. who are dependent on the in
terest for support, and tax resistance
takes the bread and butter out OF the
mouths of these classes. If you, the CAPT
talists of New Orleans, organize your tax
resistance societies, or, what is the same IN
effect, if you allow them to be organized in
your midst without your open aud sweep
ing condemnation, it will not be the "kel-
logg government" that will be to blame if
you, and your New York and European
customers do not get their interest money.
You certainly, then, would not advocate a
resistance to the payment of this tax
which is eleven and a half mills out of
twenty-one and half, or about one-half
the entire State tax.
Is it the tax of four mills to build and
repair our levees that you propose to resist
What would New Orleans be worth with
out a system of levees for our State
Until the United States steps in and takes
up this burden of levees, the State has no
remedy but to furnish the money by taxa
ton to do this work, which can not be left
undone without destroying the State itself.
Who builds the levees2 The Louisiana
Levee Company, under sacred contract
with the State. Who owns the stock of
the company :? Every dollar is held by the
capitalists of New Orleans. Do the stock
holders of this company say they do not
desire any dividends on their stock! Let
them assist in organizing tax resistance if
they do, and they will not only not get div
idends, but they will be compelled to con-
tinue to do as they are now dong, viz: to
| build their levees on credit
Is it the school tax of two mills that you
propose to resist9 Surely you are willing
that the children of the State should be
educated
These are all the State taxes, save four
mills for the support of the executive, judi
cial and legislative departments. Are yot'
not willing to trust the material Interest,"
of the State in the hands of Governor Kel-
logg and Auditor Clinton AS for the judi
ciary, are they not showing themselves
capable of surrounding capital with all
needful guarantees And as for the legisla-
tive department, that would have been
long since adjusted but for meddlesome
politicians, and our word for il, when the
"unquestionably elected" of the Legislature
come together next winter in regular ses-
sion, it will form Legislature majority
of whom none need be ashamed Of. Are
you willing to say, then, that you will resist
even the payment of this taxi
We recapitulate these various taxes,
which are the sum total of all State tax
assessments for the current year, and hope
every capitalist, every party owning State
bonds, every party owning Levee stock, to
| say nothing of those interested in hav-
ing levees built, every person interested in
educating the children of the State, every
person interested in paying the executive
and judiciary of the State, we hope all these
| classes of good citizens will cut out this re-
| capitulation and place it prominently on
their desks, and when asked to join tax re-
sisting associations, point to it as a fitting
! reply.
Mills.
interest tax. .
| LeFee taX......
School tax.o... '''''''''''
Gener al expenses.
|
| We can not think, with this statement
before them, that the capitalists of tLis