New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-12-30
CITY. couhcrt,-off1c11L
kR0ULAR MEETING.

| S4O VVS1NhAAe~s\ASix &64
&60ULAR MEETING.
CRY HALL, Nx~ ORLEANS, A.,
| Tuesday December % 1874.
Tho Council .nes this day at u NJ. in
regular session.
| Presentation. Charles J. Leeds. Mayo.
presiding. and Administrators Bersol,
Bouny. Brown. Burke. Landry. Mccarthy
and Piisbury.
The minutes o! the previous meeting were
approved and their reading dispensed with
Communications front the Nayns sud Ad.
Sninistyat0rs.
The following message was received and
read:
J 10 the City cou:c: Of New Orleans
lreturn to you without my approval an
| ordinance adopting an estimate of the re.
: ceipts or revenues of the city Of New
| Orleans for the year 1875.
! 80 so with great reluctance, as know
you have made the tax proposed to be
| levied IS low as i: can be made in view OF
the mandatory laws which compel YOU TO
! levy certain taxes, and which are deemed
! Imperative By sou. and that you look to the
| incoming Legislature 20 relieve the people
from the burden which you upwillingly
4 impose.
It seems TO the. however. that the distress
OF this community is 30 great and their ina.
bll1ty - pay this excessive tax is so evident
that the occasion 10 one in which 10 is proper
TO consider whether laws enacted to compel
you to levy upon your constituents tax
which they can not pay can DO eOnst:.u.
tiOnai or obligatory upon you.
1he state has no power to impose a tax
upon one portion Of the State which it does
no: impose upon the whole. except by the
! consent Of che duly elected agents Of the
community taxed. How, then. can the
State zightfully cOmpe! the levy Of a tax by
0therS which 1t has no right 20 do of itself.
1t can not lawfully do that indirectly which
it has no right TO dc directly.
i the state can compel YOU 70 lew tax
upon your constituents without their or
your consent. then there is no limit 70 the
imposition which may be placed upon the
city. and 1t virtually places it in the power
OF the State to take the property OF this
community without due compensation.
The power Of taxation is placed in your
hands az the representatives of the citizens
of New Orleans. Ii is a solemn duty which
should be performed by you in the best in
terests Of your constituents, and tor the
proper exercise OF this duty you are, or
should be, responsible 70 them alone
Would not. therefore, the imposition by you
OF this oppressive tax give it a legal char
acter which it does not now pOssess. and
render any relief hereafter impUssible!
1t q tax Is SO excessive rs to destroy the
valne OF the property taxed it becomes con-
tscation end not taxation. Governments
are established to protect the rights Of per
sous and property, and tax is the con
tribut!On made by the community for such
projections; when, therefore, the tax destroys
the property which it is levied to protect, it
IL no longer just and equitable; and it ap.
pears to me that any law which compeIs
| the levy of such an excessive tax can
not, for chat reason alone, be constitutional
and should, as such. be disregarded by you
The amendment to the State constitution
relative to the city of New Orleans, which
has probably been adopted, provides that
no further debt of the city can be made,
money borrowed or bonds issued 1t is
therefore necessary that the city should re.
ceive sufficient sum from ia xatiOn which,
togsther with its other sources of revenue,
Will enable it to pay as the requirements OF
the city may need. 1t tax OF two and one
MALT per cent be levied and it is not paid
as indeed believe 1t can not be-hOw is the
city government to be administered! What
follows! The tire department must be dis
continued and the police discharged. the
Lights put out, the WaterwOrks suspended.
the drainage machines stopped and the
publ: schoOls closed. because the p4ople
are unable to pay these necessary expendi.
lures together with the interest due the
public creditors. 1t is manifest that this
impoverished people can not pay both. Is
not the emergency one which juStlfes YOU
IN disregarding the laws, even admitting
their validity under ordinary circumstances.
And should YOU not therefore reduce the
TAX to point which the people can pay:
t..1, I
can be no dishOnor in a frank confession OF
the fact when it exists. The inability to
meet the obligations OF the city has Deeu
already shown by the fact that although,
the taxes to meet the demands of the
public creditor have always been levied.
and although strenuous efforts have been
made to collect them with all the appIi.
ances OF the law, the city has been unable
to pay the interest due On her debt; and the
remain unpaid
The effort to accomplish the impossible
can only do harm, and consider the effort
to pay the public creditor ard the expenses
OF the city government Under ca sting cir.
cumnstances, as impossible. An Oppor.
tunlty for recuperatlon must be gwen in
order to enable the city to comply with the
demands OF her creditors. This is dems1 I'd.
ed, in my opinion, as much by the interest
OF the bonGnolder as by that of the citizens:
as without a restoration of prosperity to
the city. the ability TO pay will become lie
and less until utter exhaustion ensues.
In thus advising a suspension of the in.
terest tax do not propose to discredi. the
obligations OF the city, nor to deny their
validity in any manner: but, believing that
this community is unable to meet it, obi.
cations in its present unp,osperCus condi. |
ton, consider it is impossible 20 pursue
any other course.
Although it is. in my opinion. Absolutely |
necessary to discontinue tor the pre- mt |
q Levy of the interes. tax. there shout, be |
immediate measures taken for an equitable |
arran gemen: with the public creditor, and |
that every exevtion should BE- made, both |
by the city government and tie people. to |
meet our Just obligations az chs earliest |
possible moment. Save no DOUBT tina: the !
creditors of the city will. in view 0: the dis. !
tressed condition ct our affair. (which i |
apparent to- every One,. and OF the great |
hitherto made 20 meet those obi. /
gatiCnss extend all necessary indulgence in !
the dittis ult position now occupied by us.
Even this temporary relief will nos give !
us the required prosperity. unless we have
the control Of the e. penditures Of the city.
so as to reduce them to the most econOmi.
cal basis, together with material reduction
Of the present State tax Indeed, unless the
tax of State and city can be brought down
to something near one and halt to two per
cent upon the present valuation o. prop
ertyo | do not think we will have such a 10
lief as wilt bring back our departed proso
peritye and thus restore to US the ability to
meet our obligations We may struggle on 1
under a heavier FAX. but sucS prosperity as
VIII bring TO rs capital and labor can not
be obtained with tax above those sguress |
an less upon a greatly reduced assessment