The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-12-16
THE TAX QUESTION.
Editor Of the Bulletin:

| writer in a recent edition Of the BULHETIN,
in an article under the heading 1.-THE Tax
Question" referring TO the very able article
signed Democrat in your issue Of Saturday
morning. says: eff it could lie discovered
how any government could perform
: its duties and its functions without money
and without credit. then would assent to all
his propositions. and even go further etc.
Now. % democrat did not say. nor did he
imply. that government could be run with
out money. and it is not fair to imply that he
either .lid say OK think so. "Democrat =
expresses the views OF ninety-nine one hun
dreths Of the taxpayers of this city. 1t will
be a positive crime against our people to
enforce writs OF seizure against them under
judgments for the Ubiquitous taxation imposed
by Legislature tso-called) which was vio-
lently hostile to the people. So, it is entirely
unnecessary for them to enforce these writs,
if their only purpose is to raise money to
enable the government TO perform its duties
Do the present Administration mean to say
that they consider the metropolitan police
park and school taxes constitutional or just :?
q admit judgments have already obtained for
them before Jacob Hawkins and Jno. T.
Ludelings courts, but that, by no MEANS
proves them just, nor does the fact of their
having judgments make it at all obligatory
upon the Council to enforce the judgment
no,e.)
Do they not know that nine-tenths Of the
taxpayers believe them to be altogether un-
just, and that they have never been given q
fair hearing to prove them so? Is it not the
duty Of the Council to take up the cause of
the people who elected them, and through the
City Attorney. who is paid by the taxpayers,
fight to relieve the people from the burden Of
those unrighteous enactments, by contesting
the legality Of the laws imposing the taxes.
But the City Administration want money.
| Well, first let them lay aside their judgments
for the time being and leaving in allegiance
the three items named, let them ask the peo-
pie TO come forward and pay them on account
OF the claims against them; the city can get
| plenty money from its friends, if it will only
cease acting in behalf Of their enemies.
| So too, in regard to the interest: there is no
earthly necessity OF paying that up now.
| There is no doubt at all that some OF the So
called debt is illegal, and duty to holders OF
| valid bonds demands that the invalid be de-
termined and set aside. The tax, too, to pay
this interest upon the debt is very unjustly
| settled. This making OF the property in
| what are called the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh
Districts Of New Orleans, pay bonds issued
ten, twenty, thirty and even forty
years before they were illegally tackled
III tO ila citv LOG
better than robbery. What benefit do the
said districts derive from the bonded debt
issued under the consolidation of the first
second and third municipalities; what inter
est have they, or can they possibly have in
the debt made twenty years since? How much
benefit has Algiers from the Water Works
So too in regard to the series Of bonds issued
to that Legislative swindle, the Drainage
Company. Il is absurdsto suppose that the
Fifth District is benefited by bitches dug on
this side Of the river and the three times the
price the work could be honestly done for by
competent parties.
Our present City Council know as we'll as
they know the fact OF their own existence
that near all Of the legislation as regards the
city Of New Orleans Tor six years past has
been simply infamous, and i'll the interest Of
certain rings OF scOundrels who bought up
certain legislation, having all the sanctity OF
people contributary to the corrupt desires OF
few trooly loil si.scals and soid-out scala
Wa9s
Are the people at all interested in adding to
the perq,lis;tes Of Kellogg's henchmen, such
as Jacob Hawkins? Do the peoples admins
tration wish to give life and vigor to his
edicts: Do they wish to maintain and sup
port kellogg's Metropolitan Police, whose
bullets and whose bayonets are aimed at the
breasts Of the people? Do the City Admins
traitors imagine for one instant that the people
uish to support with their money such
characterless set as W. G. Brown, Boothby,
Pinchback, Dibble and others, and the system
Of instruction which they represent? An
instant and emphatic no answers all these
inquiries, and our administration know it.
All! But, says some timid soul, the law
demands the enforcement Of these levies, I'M
der penalty of forfeiture of their Offices
Don't our Administrators know that the same
people who drove Kellogg and his hirelings
House are the people who elected them to
office: kellogg will appoint some others to
their offices, will he? Well, he appointed H.
H. Walsh as City Attorney. But Mayor Leeds,
like a man. told Mr.. Walsh that he didn't
recognize Gov. Kellogg. Jake Hawkins will
Of course recognize Walsh but up it will go to
the Supreme Court, and, surprising that the
supreme court Seltle lnSIanLef mat NalSn Is
City Attorney. and Mayor Leeds won't recog-
nize it, what will Kellogg do then! Call on
tie Civil Sheriff?
But inst suppose that Gen. Waggaman don't
recognize Hawkins, kellogg or the Supreme
Court. In fact, suppose that none of the
present officers Of the city or parish recog
nize the present Government of Louisiana IN
any Of its branches. legislative. executive or
Judicial, there is no provision for enforcing
any mandate Of State court by any United
States marsal with troops, and it seems to me
that both Grant and Kellogg would be very
badly stumped. And the idea OF Kellogg's
backing anything now with his police and
militia against the peoples officers, backed by
the people, is too ridiculous to argue.
So that conclude that if our city govern
ment want money for the purposes of legiti-
mate government, they can get all they need
in short order. If they want money to en-
force any enactments OF corrupt and swim