New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-12-23
MUNICIPAL SOVEREIGNTY.

, derived that the people who occupy
particular territory within State al
exempt trom the exercise of State at
thority.
No one has denied that State is para
| mount in authority to any power saw
that to which the State itself or the Who'll
people has subjected It.
Under this paramount power the Stat
comedies to certain citizens within certail
territorial limits powers of a special char
acter, which promote the good govern
ment of that community, without there
by impairing or subordinating the right
of other citizens elsewhere; but in cas-
any such concession should result il
injustice, the State reserves the right (,
modify, repeal or cancel the powers dele
gated to TIE municipality, without detri
ment, of course, to rights vested undel
such grants.
| When, therefore, the Mayor is of opin.
ION, and the press repeats, that
Few will deny that the schools and
police of the city, like those OF other cities,
ought TO be under the immediate and sole
| superintendent and control of the Mayor
| and Council
A principle is affirmed which contra
diets alike history and reason. The con-
stitution OF this and other States recog-
nizes the public duty Of educating the
whole people. The Legislature shall
establish at least one free school in every
parish throughout this State and shall
provide for its support by taxation or
| otherwise. The constitution likewise
requires that all children of the State shall
be admitted to the public schools Can
it then be said that this State system
shall be subject to the control of a local
authority? Should it be left to any parish
or town council to determine how much
it shall pay or whether it shall pay at all
for the education Of the children, the
order OF the constitution would not be
executed, since there might not be money
enough to educate all the children" of
the State
1t may be asked whether q community
should pay more than enough TO educate
its own children? We reply without
hesitation that such was the precise pur-
pose of the law, to make property where
soe7er it may be located, pay for the edu-
cation Of ignorance wheresoever it might
be located. Hence the banks of New Or
leans may be taxed to educate the little
negroes in Cameron or any other distant
parish. OF course, a NONRESIDENT inter-
ested in such bank Or other building
can not see why his property should be
taxed to educate other peoples children.
Every child is to be educated and every |
vested dollar is topay for it. If property
holders are so stupid, or SO selfish, as not |
to know that the permanence of their |
titles depends on popular intelligence; if |
a man has no more foresight than not to |
know that in some other generation the |
property OF others may be taxed to lift |
his own descendants from darkness into |
light, then must he be augtt that such is !
the law of the American people, and that
he must obey the law or travel to some
other country he likes better.
1t is regarded as unjust to make any
member of the Property Holders Asso-
citation pay for educating the children of |
man who owns no property in the city
or in the parishes. Suppose the property |
Of New Orleans is in danger of destruc-
ton by military invasion or by overflow,
who shall defend the sacred brick and |
mortar of the city? The militia from the |
parishes. But much of this militia has
no brick and mortar to defend Why |
should they risk their lives or limp
through life the muti!ated muniments of |
interests in which they had no especial
investment? Only because it is the duty
Of the country to defend itself. Very
well. And it is the duty of the country to
educate all its citizens. The constitution
says so. Yet We seem to have statesmen
who think city is now, as in earlier
times, privileged place, sanctuary in
which man becomes instantly exempt
from liabilities without the walls
1t is mistake to suppose that citizen
of Louisiana living in the parish of Or
leans has any more rights than another
citizen living elsewhere within the State.
The city of New Orleans is school dis
trict within the State of Louisiana. 1t is
not principally Of Hesse Darmstadt,
nor of Geroldstein, with its sovereign
dynasty, its diplomacy, its standing army.
1t is school district, a police district, a
with larger but with no more
potential franchises than board of health,
q board of police or school board. 1t
may appal the aristocratic advocate of a
sovereign municipality, but the corpora
tion Of New Orleans has no more author
lty over the corporation OF the police
or of the schools than these last have
over the city government. Each is the
creation of the State law, and
each is supreme within the. trust which
the law has prescribed. The city can not
stop for one moment the corporate author
ity which issues lottery tickets, or beef
wagon of the butchers meat monopoly,
nor can it compel the Levee corporation