The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-11-12
A MIsCoNsTRUCTIoN.

Editor New Orleans Bulletin:
New ORLEANS, Nov. IL, 1874
In your evening edition Of this date appears
long editorial headed: A Railroad to lerds'
in which the following riddle occurs
| "7Aere Is no lau under which the City
| Council may pass and give effect to this or.
dinance, butthey may pass It professionally and
subject to ratification BY the Legislature.
What does this mean? Who ever heard OF an
ordinance Professionally passed, in the sense
here intended /? Are we to understand the
BULLETIN as advocating the doctrine that city
taxpayers NAV be Professionally .aeeced-their
claims for redress being left for after cOnsidera
ton by the Legislature-or the courts?
Is it the province of an Independent press
to advise, encourage, or even cOuntenance an
confessedy illegal invasion of the rights Of
property!
The above communication, we take it, was
written hastily and under ian entire mis-
conception of the meaning Of the sentence
quoted. The communication is also unfair,
in so far as it insinuates that the BULLETIN
has advised " confessedly illegal invasion Of
the rights of property" whereby the city
Taxpayers may be professionally feeced." It has
not been the habit of the BULLETIN to advise
anything that was not plainly in the interest
of the taxpayers, and that fact has been SO
marked, our whole course has been SO straight
forward, that the insinuatlon would be passed
without notice did it emanate from less re-
spectacle source.
We are utterly at q loss to understand how
the language quoted could have been distorted
SO as to mean that the people were to be
Professionally feeced," or taxed, which we
are very far from considering synonymous
terms, for taxation only amounts to fleeing
when the money collected from the people is
illegally, extravigantly or improperly expend-
ed. The trouble has been, of late years, that
the money paid to the thieves and cormorants
in Office, has been put in their pockets instead
of being used to build railroads or other pub
lie improvements.
Then, too, the people were outrageously
laxed to maintain standing army, q magnif- |
cent (?) public park and numerous other luxu-
-ies Q) too numerous to mention. They have
paid immense sums for chimeras and illusions, |
md now see their means nearly exhausted,
Without any visible return.
In the language Of city taxpayers they have
,een "feeced," indeed, and the one para
mount object of the BULLETIN is to see that
hey are teeccd no more.
But we digress. Do We understand Many
x-Payers" to assert that, under an ordi-
ance passed Professionally by the Council, and
7hich is absolutely Of non effect until vitai;zed
y the Legislature, the city taxpayers can be
feecedi" Certainly that is the only infer
nee to be drawn from the communication,
nd it is an inference so entirely at variance
18th our intention and with any fair construc-
on that can be placed upon the language
uoted, that it is quite unnecessary for us to
0 more than call attention to the very OBJ
ious fact that without legislative enactment
nd ratification, it will be quite impossible for
10 people to be taxed one dollar even to
uild a railroad, much less Aeeced out of
lousands.
We desire to say to "Many Tax-Payers,' /,
i'd to all Taxpayers that while We are in "a
,r of railroad to Texas, while as taxpayers
1rselves we are willing to bear the requisite
1rden to obtain one, and while we believe
ut unless we build the road ourselves it will :
sver be built, yet we shall never consent to
eir being "yfeeced" out of single cent, and
all combat with al the power and influence
Q can command any person or set Of persons
ho shall attempt to further their individual n
rtunes ct the expense Of the people Of New :,
'leans, who have been, God knows, .aeeced
ough already.