New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-01-09
THE BURDENS OF TAXATION.

1870
Fellow-citizeus and Members of the
your invitation, I appear among you to-
night to present such statement of my
viewe, as public servant and your repre-
sentative, in relation to the subject mat
ters contained in your request as will, l
hope, prove of mutual interest and in the
public service. l appreciate, gentlemen.
the Importance in its true sense OF proper
and favorable reistion between capital and
labor. l believe that the interests of the
laborer and he who owns the soil and con-
trolls it's moneyed interests are alike in
volyed. They are inter-dependent Each
needs the other. Because of this fact, the
more readily appreciate your purpose, and
in the service of all my constituents, and of
the entire people, l am here to discuss
these issues.
AS I understand it, Mr.. President and
gentlemen, the object of this meeting is to
obtain an expression of my views upon Ger
tain proposed measures of legislative reform
emanating from the Property Holders
Union. Accompanying your valued
letter of invitation to me was printed
slip, on which were set forth the specific
subjects Of legislation which you recon-
mend. 1 have carefully considered those
subjects; they have had my best attention,
and now shall, as briefly as their impor
lance will permit, present you with the
reasons why shall heartily support some
of them, and why l must decline to advo
cate others.
First in order comes the proposed amend
ment to the bribery act, 'so tnat either party
that offers or accepts bride may turn
States evide nce against the other party
and escape the fine and imprisonment that
the law now imposes" ] am DESTROYS, yes,
anxious that we should have such law as
will secure the prompt punishment of all
parties guilty of giving or receiving brides,
and shall cordially support any measure
which gives promise of obtaining that end.
But such an amendment as you suggest is
omen to many grave objections, not the least
Of which is. it would open the door to bad
and designing men to levy blackmail, and
| no man in public position would be safe if
| sueh law were passed. / will, however,
cheerfully support any bill which will ef-
fectually punish bribery. Your second
| proposition, ITO amend the acts now
in force, and the constitution, regu..
lating the salaries of all State and
municipal officers, Senators and Rep
resent atives, with their mileage. to-
pether with sheriffs, recorders and all other
| officers fees to Onehalt the present amount,
| with no contingencies" meets my own
views and shall have my fullest support.
| have long been convinced that al public
salaries were too high, and that the tees Of
sheriffs and clerks Of court ought to be cut
down. Why, Mr.. President, it is Lot sur
prising that our community is impoverished
| that our agricultural aud commercial in
| dustries are dropping, and that hope itself
is well nigh crushed out of our people,
when they are compelled to pay fees to a
civil sheriff amounting to probably $l2o,O 900
| a wear, for clerks of courts BIS 600 to $50, 900
each: to a recorder of mortgages e5O,oOO or
SEC, 900; to tax collectors $4,000 to $4,000
| aacb and To other officials like large
| amounts.
This. Mr.. President, is all wrong; we
must have q change; We must insist on
public officers working for fair compen-
saticn and not continue any longer sys-
tenn which enables impecuniOus politicians
to live in palatial mansions in prlneely
style after brief two or three years OF
public life. l favor a return to the old sys-
tenn of city government by council and
| aldermen, who shall serve for nothing. and
thus save the city the expense of $4,000 that
we are now paying each of the Administers
tors for doing comparatively nothing. liz
1874, introduced and carried through the
Legislature bill providing for the aboli'
| ton of our city government by bureaus
| and for the election of a council. That bill
went to the Governor for his S gnature, and
| it would, am sure, have become law but
| for the intervention of that busy body con
| Germ known as the Chamber of Commerce
That institution is fossilzed. and ought not
| to be permitted to exert any influence
in our affairs. Its policy may De summed
| M in two words, NEEDLE and muddle." II
NEEDLES IN all things and muddles every
thing. And, besides this, the respectable
gentlemen composing it own goodly STARE
| of the bonds and other securities. city anC
State, and they will not countenance any
thing that does rot look to the apprecia
ton of their cherished coupons. have said
that capital and labor are interdependent
and don't think auy gentlemen will dis
| pute this axiom; but it would seem as i
the Weather classes generally forget 1t
and in their haste to perfect schemes to-
their own ACKNOWLEDGMENT they overlook
the fact that neglecting the labOring man.
interest they endanger their own.
A plan of relief for the city, and one
which has met with much favor in certain
interested quarters, and which, l an
of a portion of the press, is to sell the
Waterworks, markets, wharves and Othel
public property for bonds of the city. ant
thus reduce her indebtedness. NOthins
could be more Objectionable than this, fo
just as surely as the privilege of CONTROL
ing the water supply and regulating GU
wharves and markets passes into private
hands we shall have higher tariffs and tn
cost of the daily necessities Of life will b
increased.
And now to the third proposition: ct,
amend the law now in force, to allow al
delinquent taxpayers to redeem their prop
erty by paying to the Auditor of State o.
city treasurer the amount of taxes due
without costs, at any time before July y
1876, by paying one per cent per month In
} terest."
am unalterably opposed to such
measure az this. 1t is notorious fact
that all poor men pay their taxes before tn
7 first of November each year; in fact, the.
are compelled to pay, because they can no
resist the law, and it is only the rich me n
like those who live on st. Charles street
who would be benefited by such law.
J The fourth proposition, "To abolls
licenses on all useful occupations and indus
tries and increase them on all manufac. Dries
importers and vendors of wines, liquors
ale and porter, tobacco. snuff and cigars,
fully indorse, and shall earnestly support
as it will secure two good ends-relieve al
trades and occupations from a burde
, which l have always considered unjust, an
| enable our people to enter into cOmpetlt1o
on equal terms with the citizens OF othe
| States in the production eend sale OF
variety of needful articles which we hav
now to buy from abroad, owing in grea
a measure to this pernicious license system
1t will also give us an increased revenu
| from those things which alone ought t
bear the tax-the articles Of luxury 70
have named.
can not acquiesce in your fifth propos
ton: ITO abolish the Police and Schot
, Boards, and give the full power to tn
= Mayor Of this city, and the Common Council
All school taxes to 60 to the parish or CIT
. 1 where it is collected, and be collected til
same as other parish or city taxes"
And right here / am reminded that l
T, | vOur kindly letter of invitation to me yO