New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-05-13

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Il 3.sssThe business of the city must b
: in good part suspended. o.
There are, in this connection, two meas
ures Of relief proposed: 81 .
1. An assessment of fifty per cen
levied upon all interest finally accrued, Q
!. to accrue within six months" s.
2. A sale of the franchise of water sup
ply and wharfage. ~ .-5 .-f..J.
This phrase Of Assessment" ''the wis
call it convey" is about equivalen
to the term general average employee
when when a vessel has had TO incur thu
cost of salvage. 1.-THE business of thu
city" is to be carried ON and the cost mus
be contributed from oil the funds to the
special credit of the public creditor, the
public schools and the police.
We prefer to employ the phrase used by
Administrator Burke: .'The city will pay
half interes. on it's bonded debt To
what extent other special funds will be
assessed, according to one view, or per-
verted, according to another, we are not
advised. The language Of the resolution
seems to mark the school and police pay
as subject to this contribution.
We prefer to make ourselves understood
| in this matter. Both the resolution and
! the Administrator of improvements seem
to ignore tAe obligation to teach the chill
dren and TO protect the lives and prop
erty of the people aseno proper subject of
municipal duty. The resolution treats
''ths necessity, imposed by law. ofsetting
apart 30 large portion thereof to provide
for interest, police and schools, as one
of the causes which renders it utterly
impossible to continue the business of the
city upon the cash basis. III
The Administrator says that the present
State laws require various portions Of the
city revenues to go to the interest fund,
police and other purposes, and thus, with
the delinquency in tax payments, it will
be impossible con the first of next month
to pay the present employees or even one
half of them" 81 .-.... b.. 70. 5 /
We affirm that both the last burdens
are q part of the municipal duty. The
education Of the children was long since
ordered BY law, and the service of some
police is indispensable alike to the safety |
and health of the city. Why, then, per-
sist in attributingi the inability to COM
ply with the financial obligations of the
law to the burdens imposed by these
special duties? Do not these gentlemen
they not be candid enough to
admit by inuendo the Republican
Legislature is charged with imposing bur-
dens which have sunk the city govern
ment? -1.."r. ia.
The interest due on the city debt must
amount 10 something less than 81, 800 900.
The school tax may be estimated at
sS4O, 900, the police tax at $4,000 an
aually. What do our friends think the
,ity ought to pay for schools? They will
'ay, perhaps, s25e.0oO. And for the
police? They will say $3.50, 900. Then
here is an alleged excess on these two
TENS of s24o, 900. Will the Administra-
ors say that this is the cause of these sus-
,ensions: The cause is inadequate to
'ccount for the consequence. 1t is the
explanation: ''It was not the whisky that
drank, but the cheese that eat We
AVE hadto explsip that even this excess
it be such-goes to the school teachers
nd policemen Of our own city, and is in
ntlyIdBbursed among all the interests
+ society, without regard to politics. IS
We would caution the Council against
he sale Of the water or wharfage Of the
ity on any pretense Of necessity. The .
ings have been following the city in its T
ready to seize upon any
:anchise Of popular consumption when 0
ae public necessities compel these sac G
foes. To sell these rights may give 8
relief to the present official in V
but the burdens will subs;st d
nd remain to themselves and to the 4
epple. Baltimore obtained gas mo- u
opoly, which she kindly sold back for a u
Z Of fifty cents o thousand on gas. =
ew York now proposes to supply us u
ith water on similar terms. Can not "
II public officers administer those trusts @
we'll a. tho strangers. who come to take 9
arge of them 8
a.
Why not then come out aud sly the !.
venues of the city are insufficient to ~
AZ its municipal expenses, and comply :,
th its fiscal obligations? We will pay :.
far we can, and apply the revenues y
the best advantage. It. would seem to ~
a more candid course, and certainly n
Q more readily comprehended, Such -
application of the revenues will make ~
. city debt better, because it will keep :
the values upon which the payment y
that debt must ultimately depend: ~ ~
andon the schools; dismiss the po- r
,; let the wharyes rot down, and -. 49,
streets fill and terment, with gar "
ye, and the effect upon, taxable ~
ues can scarcely be estimated We r
te' one particular consequence CT re- y
ing the municipal care. There may
an epidemic complicated With our other "
Formerly, if ali cpl ~
mic interrupted our trade. the Gus =.
lers'and planters were obliged to await nis
return Of health. They could do no VI
'iness in cotton, tobacco. Western pro- =
,e, or Epropean, goods at any other Ps'