New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-06-03
TEE POT REy1LEs THE KETTLE.

/ LED fUI kEVlLES THE KETTLE.
The gentleman from Bohemia who has
been made the conduit for pouring into
the New York Herald one sided repre-.
sentation of the past abuses of our State,
has not perused the earlier literature upon
tina: subject. He would have found that
according to the journals of our Legisla-
ture, dishonest legislators, without respect
to party, were responsible for some Of the
most fagitious schemes to which he refers.
He will learn that each of these principal
monopolies has passed into the hands OF
citizens of Louisiana, and Of men prom
inent in the Democratic party. He
would see also that the Republican major
ity, composed chiefly Of negro voters, ar
rested the State debt at twenty-five mil
lions, Cancelled and cut down the nominal
obligations incurred by the Legislature
from fifty-three millions to the limit
even excluding thereby a Democratic
claim for State printing amounting to
some fifty thousand dollars-and reduced
this limit by a compromise with the pub
lie creditors to fifteen million dollars,
which is the whole amount of our State
! debt at present. They have also so re-
strlcted the power to create or extend the
| public Indebtedness that our State and
| corporate authorities can not get credit
tor corn broom, except at the risk of the
seller Of such needtul article All this
was the reform work of the Republican
party. 1t was effected by the negro Legs
lature chiefly during the sessions when
the Democracy were too indignant to rep
resent their constituent brokers and
monopolis,s. So if this Bohemian, sent
out to take testimony on one side only,
would do justice, he would write that the
Republican party, with its negro majority,
has arrested this criminal extravaganza
without Democratic aid and against Dem
ocratic opposition.
If the gentlemen from Bohemia is sin
cere in the purpose Of reform-if he wishes
to apply censure impartially, wherever it
may be due. he will go back to New York
and write some more letters to the New
York Herald We will See that they are
copied here if they are faithfully written
US paper headed, "The Debt and Taxes
Of New York City" 1t is addressed to
the Council Of Political Reform by Dexter
A. Hawkins, Esq, published in the
Graphic, and we assume the figures to be
authentic. 1t is shown:
l. The rate of taxation is two and eight
tenths per cent ad vslorem. That of New
Orleans is two and half per cent ad
valoren.
2. The debt Of New York amounts to
STA SO on each inhabitant. That of
New Orleans we have estimated at Sis.
9. The total debt of New York is S114,-
000,Coo. That of New Orleans is s23, O0o,-
Geo.
4. The tax Of New York is s32 81 to
each inhabitant. That of New Orleans is
about S24 so to each inhabitant.
It is charged that seventy-fve million
dollars Of this vast New York debt has
been incurred by ''the Democratic Tam
many ring" 81 en- years ago, says the
text, "the debt Of the city and county
was only thirty fve million dollars. The
Tammany ring then came into power
and had laws passed, and under them
methods Of administration were estab-
lished which began an era of fraud, waste
fulness and extravaganza beyond what
history records of any other city" There
by Of course taking from New Orleans all
claim to lead in these high municipal
qualities. The responsibility for this in
iquity has been proved to rest upon VIII
liam NJ. Tweed, a Democratic sachem
now in retreat at the State prison. We
digress SO far as to say that we accept the
following solution of this stupendous rob-
berry:
The city treasury is besieged and Slapped
and mined and bombarded by the merce-
naries and retainers of each political party.
But we commend to our Bohemian GEN.
sor, who has succeeded to him of the New
York Tribune, the perusai of these figures,
That writer should compare New York
and write to New York an alleged state of
debt and dishonesty in Louisiana, as ex-
ceptional and abominable, when there is
published in New York, as prevailing in
New York, an infinitely worse state Of
municipal legislation, displays woful |
ignorance Of facts or lamentable indifer-
ence to justice. It is to be remembered,
also, that New York is the model common
wealth; that she is regarded as the leader |
of all progress in morals, politics and re-
Hgion. She presents to the world debt !
Of Sis head, and the Beecher trial. |
New York is represented and governed ex-
clusively by uh;te people. She has never |
felt the evils Of war, which have enriched |
her. She has never confronted the expert |
ment Of having majority Of people new |
to every duty Of citizenship entrusted with |
the control of the government. To have
succeeded in doing better than the model |
commonwealth may not be doing all we |
would like or hope to effect, but it is very
well for beginners. Should New York |
hire Bohenlians to traduce other COM |
for debts which they have re-
duced, or political immoralities which
they endeavor to reform? We think not |