The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-12-29
COMPULSORY CITY TAXES.

In view of the measurs advocated by the
members of the Property Holders Union, OF
the late m essage Of Mayor Leeds, and Of the
declarations of large assemblage OF the peo-
pie of the city at st. Patrick's Hall, on Mon
day evening, we have thought proper to pre-
sent some Of the provisions Of the several
acts intended to control the Mayor and Ad-
ministrators, as to the assessment, levy, COL
lection and application of some of the city
taxes.
1t is scarcely necessary to premise that these
acts, like the present city charter, are the
work of party in all respects alien and hos
tile to the people Of New Orleans, whose mo-
tive was in each case mere greed for spolls,
perquisites, pickings and plumber. Since
1867, in all the dreary waste Of tyrannical
legislation, no single act was passed for the
actual benefit of the city, or for the
relief of its inhabitants. The charter of the
city government was changed merely for
the purpose of providing positions for
the devotees of the black and tan dynasty.
In 1870 the people of the city were grossly
swinded out of the results OF an election in
which Mayor Witt and Democratic Coun-
Gil were fairly chosen. When at length the
election of 1872 gave to the real voters Of the
city the Mayoralty and six out OF the seven
Administratorships the new government was
hampered with difficulties and checked at
every turn by some mandatory or prohibitory
statute. They were not at liberty to regulate
and limit the expenditures of the city in the
most important items. They found them
selves passive agents for executing laws i'm
posed by the unfriendly power which
fraud violence, usurpation, audacity and Fed
eralsbayonets had put and kept in possession
Of the government Of the State. They were
at once brought face to face with an enormous
funded and floating debt, with State stand
ing army Of metropolitan police, with costly
system Of schools with suits at law involving
claims to the amount of six millions of dol
lars, besides multitude of heavy contracts.
Legislative relief was then and has ever since
been sought in vain. Monetary stringency
came on, and property of every kind shrunk
in valuation. Taxes could not be collected,
and disastrous flood cut off considerable
portion of the business of the city, but the
Wiltz administration added nothing to the
city's debt, cleared off the entire mass of lit
CATION, got rid of numerous troublesome con-
tracts and Obligations and left their
places with clean hands and clear consciences
to their successors. They had reduced
the expenses Of the city by $4,000 900,
from the last budget Of the Flanders admins
tration, while the amount OF unpaid taxes
when they left was million dollars or more
increased Their salaries and those Of their
employees for the last five months of their
term are still unpaid.
The following are some of the statutory
provisions by which their action, as well as
that of their successors, has been checked and
controlled:
The City Park tax was created by Act No.
S4 of the extra session OF 1870, approved
March 10Th. In section of that act 1t Is
provided:
That it shall be and is made the duty Of
the city Of New Orleans to impose and levy
an annual tax on the assessed value of all the
real, personal and mixed property that is now
or may hereafter be tax ed by the city for any
other purpose, of one-eighth of one per
centum which shall be collected by said city
at the same time that it collects its taxes and
in the same manner; and the said tax of one
eighth of one per centum as collected shall
be paid weekly by the Treasurer of said city
to the Commissioners of said park. The said
tax of one.eighth of one per centum
shall be imposed and levied by the city of
New Orleans Immediately after the passage of
this act, for ten years thereafter and it shall
be imposed and levied on the assessment
rolls of said city for the year 1863, and shall
be collected when the city collects its taxes
for that year. Ind no tax imposed and levied
by said city for the year 1862, and Tor ten
years hsreaf.er, shall be legal, unless in