New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-08-13
PROPERTY AND PERSONs-BURKE vs.
JEFFERSON.

posed to have originated in an avowe'
determination not to pay taxes. This de
termination was applauded by at least tn
French paper. the Bee. which. however
advised discrimination il favor OF tn
city dues, since that government wa
under the control of an administration
!; which deserved support. We do no
think that any so-called Conservative
paper condemned the objece of the tai
refusers. 1t was indeed the object OF al
association then called the Hives. In justic'
| TO che present association it must be sale
that they now disavow 1.-the Reputation
of the public debt" and restrict them
selves to the REPUBLICAN remedy OF scru
tiny and reduction. which has worked sc
we'll in bringing down the nom
| inal State debt Of $4,000 900 in 1872 tc
the legal limit o: s15,0Oo,Ooo. We have
before US an address published in The
name Of the association which, togethe.
with the modified objects referred to. JUS
tify The violation Of Democratic principle
| which We have alleged.
The property holders persist in saying
that il the tax on real estate be reduced,
the common interests will be thereby pro-
tected. The zeal estate class, then, votes
itself into the chair and proceeds. Sin the
| name and on behalf Of all citizens. to de.
mand that taxes for all purposes shall not
exceed one percent for the city, and one
| half Of one per cent for the State. based
on IAN equitable assessmen: on the mar.
kstable cash value Of property" This is
the sole stipulation made on behalf Of the
people. No limitation is placed on the
license 70 sell merchandise OF 70 run
drays; no restriction upon the leave TO
labor, no defense OF abatement OF the
monopoliss exsctions upon food, light and
water. The doctrine is still "Don't COM
plain 'children. What daddy eats is
for the good Of the whole family" The
association ''has but one object-to re-
duce taxation" BY this "alone the peo-
pie can be saved from impending ruin"
That is, reduce the tax on the landlords
house. and this alone will save the tenant
from ruin. To make this doctrine more
palpably that Of class legislation the
address is prefaced by an extract from the
works Of Edmund Burke. It is this:
It is to tho property of the citizen and not
to tho demands Of the creditor OF tho States
that the first and original faith Of civil So
ciety 10 pledged; the claim Of the citizen il
prior in time, paramount in title and supe-
rior in equity.
Perhaps the address could not have
been furnished with phrase which IN
consciously marked more correctly the
principle Of class protection than that
quoted. Il brings in opposition and con-
trasts the doctrines of two great political
philosophers, Edmund Burk and Thomas
Jefferson. We have quoted the latter as
having said that The expenses Of govern.
ment should rest upon property. He was
the foe Of class legislation, and especially |
Of the indirect taxation OF . protective |
tariff. The extract quoted from Mr.. |
Burke is taken from his celebrated |
Thoughts ON the French Revolution"
OF this violent overthrow Of the kings and |
classes which had SO long oppressed
France Mr. Burke has expressed the ut
most adherence. His celebrated apos-
trophe to the Queen. whose unnecessary
murder shocked the world, has been often
quoted as an example Of expression
Torthy his own essay on ''the sublime and
beautiful" The immediate application
# the phrase quoted was in condemna-
ion Of the Law condscating 70 temporal
purposes the property of ecclesiastical
'odies. Some orator OF writer had. it
Gems. placed the legality Of this act upon
he duty of the nation to comply with
be antecedent obligations Of the govern.
oent. Referring to this argument Mr..
Burke says that the faith Of civil society
s pledged first to the property of the citi-
en- and no. to the demands o: the cred
tor Of the State. We can not 60 into an |
ssay TO decide that the ecclesiastical prop.
rty in France was the property Of the
itizen 0. Of the State. The French ar
umens was what that Of England had
cen few centuries before and wha. that
+ Italy and Mexico and at least one State
{ the American Union has been since
hat all which an apostle Of the Christian ,
eligion had beyond the scrip, staff, raiment
nd working tools secured to him by the .
escrips Of his Saviour, was not lawfully his
VII. These several countries which have 4,
onyerted to the secular use Of the State
roperty held fox secular and in case Of
,onasteries, for ecclesiastical uses, held il |
as no: "the property of citizens" at all, II
ut the property Of the State. Mr.. Burke ,
len prejudges the question by assuming | {
1as property which the law Of France ,
I'D belonged to the State was the prop.
.ty Of the citizen. /
OF this revolution so much denounced ,
= Mr.. Burke. the apostle Of class and ,
roperty. Mr.. Jefferson, the apostle Of pop s
lar equality. and the foe Of privileged ,
lasses, has said ''rathef than it should j
ave failed would have seen half the
nth desolate." Mr.. Burke was the friend 6
government established and regu. !
ted by law. He was the advocate Of the I