New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-11-22
PUTTING A GOOD FACE UPON IT.

PUTTING A GOOD FACE UPON IT.
The Price Curyeu. is known to be well
conducted commercial journal whose con-
ductors appear to be thoroughly devoted
to the interests of that class Of the COM
munity in whose behalf they labor. we
seldom cali in question its figures when
they relate 70 executed transactions.
though such Is are derived from the IN
spirations of prophecy may sometimes
fsi! to command our confidence. In the
issue Of the Price C,.rrea. 10: Saturday
morning we find side by side two articles
which are respectively designed to put the
beg. face possible upon the matters OF which
they treat. One Of these is long circular
from New York firm Of cotton specula'
tors, in which the whole horison is scan
ned for the apparent purpose OF proving
tia. The bottom has fallen out OF the cot
ton c.op, as ,,sua! at this time OF the year,
and that rally from the present low rates
is one of the certain.ies o: the immediate
future. The old stereotype remarks are
employed, the estimates are averaged ana
sufficiently disma! result is achieved 10
send cotton booming up three or four
cents pound in half an hour, provided
the intelligent operators believe III what
the writer tells them. Egypt OF course
shows its annual decrease: India has done
next to nothing, while the American crop
is rather arbitrarily cut down to 100000
bales less than il was last year. which Is
urged as a clincher. But We leave these
characteristic speculations. which are
merely professional and imposed as a
solemn duty upon commercial writers
every day. and pasS to the next article
This we find to be a communication from
Citizen" upon the debt and Taxation
Of the City," the objec: being to show
that the situation is mot SO desperate as
it seemed" The hopeful features are
both retrospective and prospective. The
former include such items as unpaid taxes
due the city for years prior to 1875. which
foot up in the following highly sat;sfac'
tory manner:
Taxes Of 1874. xo' oo"
Due fo- 1873. o0o"""
Due previously. |''V''"
Total. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. ''''"o"
The above forms . valuable asset on
paper. but the hopeful! local writer will
find that his four millions Of dollars will
shrink into comparative nothingness.
willie the equally partial New York writer
who has undertaken to denlolish the cotton
crop will find that the collections will
exceed the estimates. But ''Citizen" is
not satisfied with his excellent exhibition
of prospective receipts. He draws upon
the future for such huge installments of
economy that we feel reasonably sure his
drafts will be protested. Here are some
Of the items which he fondly expects to
be curtailed. and the money thus saved to
the people: Police. 100000, to be re.
duced to $500, 600: schools. $3.50. 900. to
100000: current expenses. 81. $4,000. to
$1,000. 900: the Park tax abo!is he'd alto
cether: besides liberal reductions are to
b.. urged III Others. such as the Surveyors
department. nov $4,000 year: Office
expenses City Hall. $4,000: eo:oners
charges. Sl5, 900: maintenance Of prison.
ers. $50. 900: the two crimina! courts.
SCI, 900: law charges. $4,000: the Water
works lnet loss. $4,000: supervision OF
contracts. :5o.ooo. and SO or.
The write: for the Price Cyr:si'. being
sincere himself. naturally falls into the
error OF supposing tina: the politicians who
are about 70 succeed TO the administration
Of our municipa! affairs. are also sincere in
their professions o: reform. He evidently
supposes that the Leeds administration
will have better luck III collecting current
and back taxes than its predecessors had.
and tina: its economy 70. the future vii!
be almost primitive. I: ali his hopes.
.the wild ones as we'll as any, are realized
i: the LAS. cent Of dues be collected. and
the city employees put down to no more
than honest wages. he shows there will be
a surplus Of $4,000 a year. which may be
employed as q sinking tuud. or pu. out to
some good use.
Bu. Citizen has really presented us q
very uncomfortable balance sheet both
for the past and the future. The one is
based upon the willingness and ability of
the people 70 pay the back taxes promptly
and fully. the other upon the presump-
ton that the Democrats who are to run
things aboU; the City Hall hereafter are
willing 70 work for less than their pre-
deeessors received. Unless both these
estimates prove correct. there will be
scne disappointment in the realization Of
the hopes o; ''Citizen": if both fail, tie
failure OF ali his plans will be complete.
We would like to have the Price Current
give us the market price Of paper dis
counted Oh the basis OF its correspondent S
calculations.
Mr.. MENERY AT NASHVILLE.
Mr.. sIcEnery has been invited to Join
in a Democratic iolliication at Nashville,