New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-09-23
THE LANDLORD AGAINST THE TENANT,


property holders regard alone the reduc
ton of charges on real estate, and seen
willing to compromise for relief of the
landlord by any amount of taxation upor
the tenant.
We note something of the same sort in
the proposed reduction of taxation by the
schedule presented by Mr. Seaman,
chairman on assessments and taxation.
He proposes to deduct from the estimate
of municipal expenses about sixty pei
cent of the police costs, about thirty-three
per cent of the cost of education, with an
abatement of the cost of convicting and
maintaining criminals, and general re-
duction of the city expenses twenty five
per cent. The report assumes the adop-
ton of the premium bond plan and antici-
pates further economy from that source.
| When Mr.. Seaman has thus cut down
the cost of protecting the life and goods
of the tenant, and schooling his children,
he turns very coolly to the sources of
revenue. The revenues from license
waterworks. markets and wharves are
| estimated at SS00,0O0 This is the tax
paid by the tenant. Not one cent of it is
paid by tax on real estate. The revenue
proposed to be levied upon real estate is
s!, eH9 ooo Hszzc, . .c:, &c . &C ..:..;-
three per cent levied upon the industry and
upon the consumption of the tenant to
sixty-six and half per cent levied up
on the real estate of the landlord. We be-
lieve the leaders of this association give
themselves out as Democrats. Upon
what principle do they contend that labor
and the fruits of labor shall pay one.third
of public expense, while property, which
Thomas Jefferson said should pay all the
costs of government, pays but two-thirds?
They are in fancy anti-tarif men.
Upon what ground do they ad, ocate tax
on the license to labor, and to eat market
food, and to drink public water9 We will
assume the revenues from market rents at
$500, 900. Is this all that the people pay
for the privilege of buying their food?
There are farmers-general of the markets,
as was Barras in the days of Madame
Angot and her daughter. They are armed
now as then with the powers of the law to
pursue any who interfere with their vested
prerogatives. These jolly farmers-general
pay the city some 100000 per annum,
and the anti-tariff and free trade Democ-
racy delivers over the people to furnish
magnificent incomes to these favored
monopolists. They sublet the stalls in
the market to butchers and bakers, and
vendors of eggs and chickens. These
pay, for about the space which the market
man or woman will occupy when he or
she shall come to be buried, one dollar q
day. Besides, each vendor pays State
and city licenses. When, therefore, this
100000 ofrevenues shall come to be null
tiplied by the intermediate profits be-
tween the farmer general and the poor
halter, or tailor or sempstress who pays
for the food, it will be found to have
amounted to more than double the sum.
And this amount, so wrung from the la
borer and needy poor, So poured into the
pockets of the rich monopolist, is the fund
upon which the Property Holders Associa-
ton relies to meet the expenses of the
city government. Can any one hesitate
to form an opinion why the popula-
ton of this city his been driven away
during the past year? Work and
wages diminished by the diversion of
trade upon other routes and channels;
food raised to monopolist prices by q
tariff upon every article of food; landlords
contending for relief of their own bur-
dens by transferring them to the Shout
ders of the tenants. Several items of re-
duction proposed seem to us reasonable.
We may get along, perhaps, without the
cow pasture, called City Park; we might
stand little more burglary and few
more ARRAYS. The proposition to stop
the drainage might be tried, because the
tenant, not encountered with real estate,
could sell his furniture and 90 elsewhere,
if be found the health of himself or fam
lily impaired by malariai exhalations. We
can not consent to see the education of
the children interrupted by an economy
which tends to substitute wickedness and
ignorance for intelligence. But, on be-
half OF the tenant we must stipulate
repeal of the market tax; free trade in
bread, meat and water; free labor; no
license to make Goat or shoe horse
free water for the women to fill their
buckets and kettles, and scour their floors
and wish their clothing. Some such re-
form for the tenant would make New Or
leans more attractive place to live in,
and the poor, instead of being taxed in all
the wants of their daily life and living
would feel that there was some chance to
lay up for old age some little part OF the
earnings Of their lives. Now they have no
such show. The public authorities of
this city levy an undue proportion of their
expenses upon the labor and living of the
poor, while the rich and influential land
lords remonstrate against the burdens on
their houses, and suggest that It be in
good part transferred upon their tenants. !
And this they call Democracy, or the love
If the raov,Iai t+ss