New Orleans Republican., 1875-12-02
INFORMATION FOB THE PEOPLE.


trade or not.
INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE.
The committee Of the Property Holders
Union have st last succeeded in connecting
their organization with an important
event. Through the chairman, DR.. The
bault, the committee addressed a COM
munication to the Republican State COM
mittee, submitting certain vague, crude,
and perhaps, impracti cable suggestions
of reform. The members Of the commit
tee generally own the houses they live in,
but none are known to the community as
large renters or operators in real estate.
We do not know that they would be any
wiser or more competent to discuss ques-
tions arising from the ownership and
property if they possessed hundred
times more than they do. Yet we must
insist that they do not bring to bear in the
discussion any evidences of profound
knowledge of the history of the State and.
city in which they have made their
homes. Mr.. Packard, the chairman of
the Republican committee, in transmit
ting the answer of that committee to the
Property Holders Union, has well i'm
proved the occasion to enlighten them
upon matters of which they ought not to
be ignorant.
The proposition of the Property Union
involves no regular plan or policy. The
leading idea is to reduce the rate of taxa
ton on the dollar without reference to the
necessities of the case. The great stum-
bling block in the way is the public debt,
which the property the union is SO anxious
to protect is pledged topay. Mr.. Packard
shows in clear and incisive manner how
this great debt was contracted, and very
fairly divides the responsibility for its
origin between the two parties into which
the community is divided. He shows,
moreover, that the Republicans have made
successful efforts to reduce the debt and
burden of taxation. In this work they
have met with nothing but opposition
from the Democracy. The protest OF the
Property Union that it is non-partisan,
however well founded, does not relieve
the individuals composing it from the i'm
putation of having either supported the
Democratic party heretofore or done
nothing to restrain their extravagance. 1t
is more than doubtful whether any con-
siderable number of them supported the
amendments of 1874, from which alone
has any relief been derived by the tax
payers.
A communication of like import was
also sent to the Democratic Central Com
mittee, and short reply Of no meaning
returned at once. The present managers
of the Democracy are, how ever, not suf-
ficiently informed of the glorious tradi-
tions to say whether any, and il SO, how
much Of the State and city debts was con-
tracted by administrations opposed to
radicalism."
We commend Mr.. Packards admirable
letter to the careful attention of all con-
cerned in the politics of the State. He
treats Of matters which ought to be fa-
miliar to every man of intelligence in the
city, but which always escape the mem-
ory of those who set out on scheme of
agitation. t'f4e 1853
We're the Property Union people really
sincere in their efforts to reform abuses,
they would at once take their places in
the ranks Of the only party that has
shown any disposition to practice econ
omy. But there is such thing a. pre-
ferring to be an unsuccessful agitator to
an undistinguished patriot There seems
to MS to be too much individuality among
these Property Union folks to accomplish
any permanent good. We do not rank
them with the class Of people referred to
by Mr.. PACKARD, who discourage reform
because il is suggested or attempted by
an adverse party" but We may and do
charge them with the total neglect to con-
denim those who do belong to it The
Union may not, perhaps. be Democratic
orgsnisaa5p, though ninstssn-twsntisths
Of its mesxSsrs invariably vots' the Dsmo-
erasic ticket. II IL most certainly fAs fsom
being Republican. Probably If our party
were to edopt platform written By ih
most authofitasive sAehsms, ths rank and
Als wosld vote agAinst Y nndw one pre-