The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-10-03
RICH KEN AND THEIR MONEY.

root, the school-house which needs repair
d the preacher that has had no installment
salary for months, the wandering agent {
. Bible societies, the representative
: the missionary association, the relic
society that must have quantity {
clothing, Goals and beans for the pool
the village Academy that wants few hundre
, dollars as an endowment, the WANDERING
showmen who m ust have substantial encour
agement before they will consent to draw
crowd to the village inn, the Fourth of Jul,
demonstration for which the capitalist mus
pay, the expenses of delegates to political con
ventions, the cost of the new cemetery, thu
subscription for the railroad that is to cut uF
his property and divert trade from his native
town, the payments to the sewing society
which is educating sundry young men for the
ministry, besides taxes, insurance, lodge fees,
and the subsistence of score OF helpless
widows and orphans.
When the Rich Man pays, ev erybody says
that hecan afford it, and that is exactly what
he ought to do; but just let the Rich Man re-
fuse even an unreasonable demand, and
straightway the villagers begin to denounce
him as stingy miser and "b.oated aristo-
GRAFT"
In all this, and all over the country, the
right of the citizen to do what he please
with his own is practically ignored The thou
sands who know nothing Of the duties and
responsibilities of property undertake to die
tate to rich men what they ought to do, when,
where and how much they ought to give to
what cause they are bound to make sacri-
foes, and what classes they are bound to
foster and maintain. But in reality
the absolute duties of the representative
of landed property or other form of capital
are not only very few, but they are also well
and clearly defined. The State secures him
in his rights, guards his person, protects his
property from trespass and affords him
ample redress for all injuries, and SO, correl-
atively, he and his property are bound for the
support and maintenance of the State in due
and lawful proportion to his taxable property.
For whatever advantages Of any kind which
his estate may have from roads or public
works of any sort, he is in equity bound to
pay pro rata. But beyond these universal
fixed legal duties, he ought to be left to his
own judgment and his own conscience as to
when, where, to whom and how much he will
give.
There seems to be a species of moral COM
munism in the social compulsion often
brought to bear on wealthy men to induce
them to contribute to varied charities. It |
means that a man, because he is rich, is there
fore obliged to give, and give as long as he has |
anything to spare While the measured
moral obligation of the capitalist is well un-
derstood, there is certain limit where duty
ends, beyond which all obtrusive solicitation
becomes, as it we're, moral agrarianism. The
right to own implies the right to keep, and
his is right which ought to be enjoyed
without pestilent molestation.
Perhaps among all the merely temporal,
SECULAR and non-spiritu II infusnc es that con-
ribute to the Advancement of the race and
he Development Of modern civilization,
here is no other SO constant or so potent as
he disposition which men have to better and
o strengthen their proprietary condition.
The great motive power of this age is the pre-
aiing desire among enlightened men to
arm, win and keep property. This is by no
,eans an immoral or disreputable desire, and
4 its qualification there need be nothing de-
ogatory to the good of society or pref Judicial
D the State. In the pursuit of rank and
flee, men very often win by pulling down
nd treadipg under foot their opponent sand
walls, but in the pursuit of wealth, success is
ftener achieved by judicious and liberal COM
nations in which all concerned are pro6ted.
Wealth, abstractly considered, is but a
DOR title to distinction, yet, when honorably
on, it is condensed history of industry, ,
atience, forecast, persistence, and self
email. Wealth, considered only with refer
nee to its individual possessor, may be
erely an illustration Of the Partially with :
hch Fortune distributes her favors, but
hen looked upon in its bearings upon the
aneral good, it becomes, Independent Of the
resent holders, an influence eminently con-
rvative and highly salutary. 1t would re-
lire but few paragraphs to show how rapidly
I'd how certainly society would deteriorate
the disposition to gather property were
or wholly thwarted by mob power r
I'd leveling legislation. Although not the
redominant element in civilization, it is SO -,
thoroughly blended with other civilizing in |
uences, that its removal would defeat and
sstroy the whole growth, root and branch.
Respecting State Convention in Novem-
Or of the nti-Radical party Of Louisiana we
ave this to say: 1.-THE proposed convention ,
r any combination of reasons is not accept
,le to any considerable proportion of the
arty, and if it will be likely to prove cause
II schism and dissension rather than of in
eased harmony and of more perfect consol-