The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-04-02
TIE ATTEMPT TO CLOSE THE THE
Alters.

We gave an account in yesterday morning
edition of an attempt on the part Of the cit!
authorities to close the theaters for the non
payment of city license, of the placing Of ,
deputy sheriff in the Varieties Theater, ant
Of serving an injunction on the lessee tt
restrain him from giving any further per
Torrance until the license was paid.
| We characterized the action as unnecessaril,
harsh and as unprecedented, and we are un
able to view it in any other light. notwith
standing the fact that the Assistant City At
torney, Mr.. Saml P. Blanc. writes to explain
that the proceedings were taken BY him anG
were only those provided for by the statute
for such cases; that the City Attorney and hi;
officers have nothing to do with the collection
of any tax or license beyond instituting and
prosecuting the suits required fol
getting judgment against those who owe the
city; that it is the business of the proper Ad-
ministrator to demand payment. and the As
sistant City Attorneys duty to prose
cute if payment be refused: and, further, that
the proceedings were taken in court early in
the day, and not after o'clock.
We were fully aware of the duty Of the Ad-
minis!rator in the premises and We had no
idea that any law had been violated by any Of
the city authorities in this matter, but we also
know that no former city administration ever
went to the length Of placing deputy sheriffs
IN theaters and getting out injunctions to
prohibit performances until the demands Of
the city were met
We did not assert that there had been no
law for the proceedings, but we did complain
that the city should have resorted to such
harsh and unusual measures to collect sum
of money that was absolutely safe, especially
made to the lessee Of the theater SO
summary seized. If notices were left,
they were, he assures us, never
shown to him, and he never heard
of license being due until he was informed
at half past ; o'clock Wednesday that his
theater was seized and in the hands of a
sheriff's oflicer-a piece of information that
was Immediately followed up by the service
Of an injunction. The latter would
appear to have been rather an unnec-
essarily harsh measure. for the authorities
must have known that simple personal
demand. to say nothing Of the presence of a
sheriff's officer, would have secured the pay
ment, ten times over, of the license.
Zeal for the interests Of the city is notal-
ways best evinced by rigorous Interpretation
and execution Of laws which bear hardly
enough upon our people even when interpret
ed and carried out with leaning towards
leniency. Mr.. Blanc may, and doubtless
had, ample law for his action and SO have the
creditors of the city ample law for making
her comply with her sacred obligations.
If the creditors of the city should move
against it with the same profound regard for
the letter Of the law, and the same deter
mination to have the letter of their bonds,
there would soon be municipal govern
ment suing for mercy. If tho law were
applied with equal rigor to all parties, it
would not be SO bad; but when we
turn to the list of delinquent taxpayers
and figure up more than 81 ,OO0. 900 of money
due which could have been collected had the
same stringent measures been taken as have
been applied to make the theaters pay up we
cannot avoid the reflection that what is sauce
for the goose is not always sauce for the
gander.
The statement by Mr. Blanc that he has
been informed that notice had been served
four times upon the lessee of the Varieties
Theater or his agent, is met by the assertion
of the lessee that he never saw or heard Of the
notice or demand until after the seizure oc-
CURED.