The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-01-02

/ the representatives from other .p0r-
tions Of the State, whose constituents
being wholly without interest II, the
particular matters under oonsiderat,oi.
REPRESENTATIVES for their action In the
premises. So that these important In.
| terests are plainly left unrepresentcd
according TO the American theory OF
| representation, which exaots political
reaponsibility In the representative.
It Is for this reason ] have said that
there could be no thorough system of
representation without foil recognl-
ton Of this great doctrine. Of local sell
we find the two doctrines OF popular
| representation and local self-govern-
ment SGT side by side In the first great
charter Of English liberty. Twin stars
III equal magnitude, They appear TO-
gether In the armament OF Anglican
civilization. They have shone together
with equal luHtre Tor nearly seven hun.
drcd years upon the people of ureat
Britain, giving health and strength, ana
consistency u her remarkable system
of government; md believe me, fellow
citizens, that II they are now 90 sct ~, ~
| humiliation mud disgrace upon this
Western Continent, their going down
will usher In night Ut darkness ana
oppression from which we can only cs-
cape by tho blood Feasare. q our
people. II. !, A.
surrender 10 the people q use the word
surrender advisedly) 70 surrender 70
the people this great right OF local self
government, h6 did not give them
right. he did not confer upon thein 9
new privilege. but merely s,,rrcndered
10 them h great primordial right q
right which had always jnhcrcd ~
these communities rs completely as the
rights Of lifc. liberty and property "
here In the Individual. English civil
zation, tho most perfect In the world.
has merely unfolded and secured these
great and original rights II has not
created them.
England appear to have had no further
trouble upon this subject. An cxamin-
| tjme or Charles T.. and of tho bill OF
rights nt tho tilno OF the accession
of William and Mary ~ the Throne OF
England, will show that the subject IL
not again referred to- From England
1 pass TO tho United States, and find
that the love OF this great doctrine lay
1T thc Foundation OF our revolutionary
struggle.
IL T.. then, peculiarly the bitthrightt
Of every American community. And
such was tho providcntial arrange
mcnt Of things at the time OF inc
establishment Of our freedom, that tho
system naturally found here It's most
beautiful and exact expression. Not
only had our War Of Independence been
| fought out upon II, but this continent
being dotted over with small republics.
townships and other municipalities. IN
the full enjoyment Of municipal rights.
which In many eases atlfednted Tho
colonial charters. tho beautiful anatomy
Of tho whole system could be here more
plainly seen, and II was profoundly
loved by the mon whose courage md
brain secured our liberties. 1t was In
the protection and preservation Of these
little republics that such mon ns
Thomas Jefferson found tho great de-
| ronsc and security OF the larger Repub.
| lie which embraced them oil. In
this system. follow citizens. your liber.
! ties are firmly act; but abandon IL, and
no man may tell how soon the destruc-
ton Of those liberties shall come.
have now discussed the doctrine IN
the abstract. and shall proceed to con-
slider IL with special reference to the
action Of our Mayor under the organic
law of Louisiana.
BY our constitution tho Legislature
IN expressly forbidden to lay any tax
that shall not DO equal and uniform
throughout tho State. The evident pur
Rose or thta provision IL to secure the
great doctrine, mo taxation Without
representation" @n#
AS local rights and interests are not
properly represented In the State
Legislature, that body iy expressly
prohibited TO lay special burdens
upon particular localities. When the
| n - "A 1s0 fxNss Nsstt
poses OF general interest, and the bur
den must he generally and equally felt.
| In this way alone. the great principle
Of representative responsibility IL se-
cured and the people protected. You
will readily perceive that all the great
principles for which I have been con
tending are secured In this single and
simple provision 6f our organic law.
tits certain that the delegation from
New Orleans could not protect her pc.
culiar interest In n Legislature. com
port, Monroe and the Florida parishes.
| IL tho delegates from oil parts Of the
State participate Ia the direction Of our
municipal affairs, and lay peculiar bur
dens Of taxation upon us, II Is too clear
for argument that our interests, MS q
| community, are not represented in the
true American and English sense Of
that word. Our constitution has at
temped 10 guard us against this very
evil. but In the matters considered In
tho Mayors message TO his Council,
this great elementary and organic prin-
ciple has.becn grossly violated.
Two special and oncrous taxes have
been laid upon the city OF New Orleans.
by Legislative authority, and ~ II to
destroy the last vestige of this great
right, the Legislature has actually
interposed two irresponsible bodies.
whose members are not even named by
itself. but left to the appointment Of an
usurping Governor, and to these bodies
Is conflded the great and delicate power
OF assessing taxes upon the people OF
this municipality; certainly, the de-
parture from principle could not have
boon carried farther or rendered more
odious than Il has been in these laws.
| The theory OF taxation which our
ancestors, deriving from Magma Charta,
insisted upon In their great struggle
with England, was that all taxes are
gifts from the people to the Government.
| Ii this theory be u true one, then how
grossly offensive to every sentiment Of
right reason are these onerous taxes
laid upon our people, not by themselves
or their representatives, but by ire
sponsible boards chosen by an usurper
Certainly, taxes cannot be considered
Gifts when they are thus wrung from
our people by State authority, in order
to support institutions. both OF which