The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-03-28
REFORMS WHICH We NEED.

sSlE4uated, and the General Assembly gel
mo working order, with due ana iair repre-
sentatlon Of tie people III both Houses
vii 70 we'll for Senator's and Representative
10 h4nd their thoughts and eff Jrts exclusivel
on reforms There has been so much don
IN the way Of wrong legislation that it IS hare
u say where reformation ought to begin, o
On what subject legislation is most needed
When the Good Samaritan found the way
tarin3 man who had fallen upon thieves anc
been wounded nigh unto death, his frs
cc-ion was to sanch the victims wounds
all stop the flow Of his life's blood
..nd thus the very moment our State gets into
spe hands of friends, the first act should be
= arrest the depletion Of her treasury and Of
she pockets OF her taxpayers, money beng
>Le lie blood Of the Safe The drains upon
.Ae public funds now in possession or re-
@ei'abe under existing laws should a. once
close. The General Appropriation bill as
passed by the incomplete General Assembly,
and which Is soon to be promulgated should
DC thoroughly trimmed OF its superhuous,
illegal and extravagant features and items
prevent money from being drawn from the
states Golfers except as clearly sanctioned by
Lndisputable laws. .......
The door to fraud should be shut, double
barred and watched. After thus closing up
Che gashes through which the vitality and
wealth Of the State are leaking away. the re-
aornlers attention must next be fixed upon
the taN-ridden people of New Orleans. Some
means must be found to take from property
part Of the crushing load which it now car
res. Those who govern the city must be
Enabled to regulate her expenses according to
aer means and resources. She must have a
police limited in number and cost according
70 what she needs and can afford to expeud,
and she must also have the selection
and organization of the force, which
are subjects in which her citizens only are
deeply interested. She must be allowed to
limit the expense of her schools, the number
any pay of their teachers, the length of time |
during which they are to be kept open, the |
cost Of houses and furniture and the branches
which, in these hard times, shall be included |
taxpayers. She must be permitted to sus-
pend all drainage not absolutely essential.
and to obtain it at the lowest rates
which free competition will command
she must be absolyed for long period
from the collection OF the olious tax
for a costly park which she will
not need i'll half a century, and cannot now
ali )rd to own even at oae-fourth the cost Of
She one forced upon her by the Legislature
She must have the control over the bonded
debt OF the city with pie authority to make
such arrangements with her creditors as her
resources render imperative. All
legal hlndrances to the lease and alienation Of
her property in order to reduce her debt must
90 removed. All taxes for municipal pur-
poses must be left at her discre- ]
ION without other legislative in I
reference than the fixing of some low rate i
beyond which no asses 'ment should be suf- S
serad In a word, New Orleans should be ]
holly restored to control over her own bust
lcss and her own resources, with such guar
.ntees against future aggression and plumber
u to reassure citizens and capitalists for all /.
coming time. What Now Orleans wants is !,
ellef from the burdens which Radical legis-
alton has Authorized and imposed, and after :
hat she needs to be left to control her own :
fairs The nearer she can come to being fl
an Independent city the more d
prosperous she must be. Il
Next, turning to the State at large, the out D
M I |
epealed, and something simple, equitable d
nd eff cient substituted. The infamous Re-
urning Board must be killed and buried so Il
leep that its rocking corruption may forever is
ease to offend. The school system must be ~ "
horn Of its costly and useless snecures. All II
seless offices and courts must be N =,
polished. No more money should be ga
iven to maintain the mockery of re
lihtia organization which practically ex- q
ludes all white men. Some provision
aust be made for the more prompt, vigorous II
nd thorough administration Of the criminal Il;
y The Funding Board must be restrained p
rom fraudulent action, and the so-called debt til
+ the State must be closely scrutinized with u
le view of rejecting that part which was issued to
I fraud or without bona fle consideration. to
he commissions OF c{eyhs, sherifs and otter Of
jicets nntst be reduced TO reasonable limits. 81
reater restraints must be placed upon AZ
nonresident agents. who do ha
,lsiness here for the use and benefit Of capt. HI
pa
lists who live hundreds Of miles away OF 70
h:ch none OF the profits are expended here, u, IN
re O.. )ital ussd payirr no tax wv:
Many other needed reforms might be
amed, in fact the statute books of the past i,
hit wears are full of enormitieS. and abuses We
nder cover Of these laws encounter US on hn
| hands. To restore prosperity to the city on
Id State, and confidence to business men, loi
ere must be many tumors gangrenes and pc