New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-03-19
MINORITY REPORT
OF the Special Committee 20 Anvos.ieo
the Books Of the Assessor OF inc E~~A""
District. rr.r,vv.

OF the Special Committee % Anvose-o
the Books Of the Assessor OF '"o fS@''"
DAs'c'' HorsE or RHPREsENrATIvEs,
New Orleans. March !. 1870.
To the Honorable Speasef and Memoers VI 'no
House of Representatives,
The undersigned member OF the special
committee OF three appointed to invest'gate
tha h,oks and accounts Of Dominique Urban,
State assessOr for the Fourth District OF
New Orleans. makes the following minority
report:
I refused to sign the mejority report when
il was presented to me tor that purpose
for the reason that had not had an oppor-
tunity to read the same. The report was
then placed in my hands, without the evi-
dence on which it purports to % Daseo,
during the session of the House, ior lew
hours, and before had an opportunity 10
read 1t it was withdrawn from uy posses-
eion when the House adjourned.
The fact that other committees, OF wnicn
am a member, we're frequently in session
Mt the same time with this special COM
mittee. prevented me from attending
some Of the MI etings to investigate MI.
Urban's books, aud l consequently
failed to hear all the evidence, and have
not had an opportunity to read II slnce'
Mr.. Kummel, the chairman OF the commit
nurpose. The evidence not being printed
viii. the report, am still ignorant OF q
norton of it. In addition to this. one meet
ing of the committee was held without any
notice to me, and without any knowledge
on my part until the day after.
There are, however, some tnlngs CON
nected with this investigation Of which l
have sufficient knowledge to speak:
l, The examination Of Witnesses, CON
Quoted mostly by the chairman, was more
with @ view to make out Q case against ~, MT
Urban than to elicit the whole trutn. WIZ
nesses were only examined so far ana IN
euch manner as to elicit what they knew
against the accused tax assessor. and never
with q view TO finding out what they knew
in his favor, aud if BY accident witness
stated q fact that favored Urban, it was
Ordinarily. il not always, left out OF the
testimony. The testimony taken shows
cnly one side of the case. :,
?. After the first two or three, the meet
jngs were held without any notice to Mr.
Urpau. as he informs me, Of the time Or
n,ace of holding the same, which we're fire.
auently, and, believe, generally adjourned
without day.
3 Mr.. Urban did not have an opportunity,
as he informs me, and as l believe, to IN
troduce witnesses before the committee
to explain his side of the case. At one OF
the earlier meetings of the committee ne
expressly demanded that right, and stated
to The committee that he desired to intro
duce witnesses, and was informed by the
conmittee that he would have IN oppor-
tunity to do 90; but am SATISFIED that op'
nortunity WAS never afforded him.
The report Of the majority is unfair IN
this, viz: =
the property of the Fourth District, one
for the State and one for the city. These
assessments were made by two dlnerent
individuals, neither OF whom was MIR. Ur-
ban. They differed in the aggregate amount
bv nearly 81 900 600, the State assessment be-
I'M the greater. In 1873, by change in the
law, Urban makes an assessment tor both
State and city. By CONF airing Urban's as
sessment for 1875 with tho city assessment
tor 1874, the majority report shows that bis
assessment excee de- that of the previous ear
bv nearly $2,OOO,OOO Why not compare
Urban's assessment with the State assess
ment for 1874, and then it will appear that
the aggregate Of his assessment on'y ex.
ceeds that of 1874 by about W., ,o0o. And
taking account OF several items OF property
embraced in Urban's assessment, amount
ing to more than $500, 900, which were not
included in the assessment Of 1874, it will
appear that Urban's assessment for 1879 le
5000. .OOO more Or less, under the amount OF
the State xssessment for the previous year
The majority report is disingenuous in
this. VIZ: The report says:
"One piece is valued In bis books ct StoO0
which is we'll worth 81, 900" :.
This is the property Ut Mrs Louis Schnei
der. Mr.. Louis Schneider testitied IN reia-
ton to this in substance as fOllOws l sprsh
from memory): MIR. Urban had appraised
this property at SIS 1000. Mr.. Schneider
saws he went to Mr.. Urban and requested
him to put it at $4,000, 1T which value il
had been appraised for the previous year
Urban consented to this. When the wit
ness attention was called to the fact that
the assessment on this property was only
$4,000, instead of 3l3 600 he said he had nc
doubt that was 80 clerical error'
OF course, the chairman of this commit
tee will not and can not impesch his OWL
witness in order to raise or to support Al
inference that the appraisement in this par
ticular case was reduced to this very low
figure for Q consideration.
Several witnesses testify that they con
slider Mr.. Urban's assessments excessive
and that Mr. Urban is not qualified for thu
position of tax assessor in the Fourth dis
| trict.
| had an opportunity he could have brough
witnesses of equal intelligence and in
teprity to TESTIFY to the fairness of hi
conduct, the business of appraisement
| and his ample fitness for the Office Ex
parte evidence never establishes anything
more than y priIns facie case, and when tn
opportunity for cross-examination an.
rebuttals have not been afforded, it doesn'
| always prove that.
Respectfully submitted,
NEW ORLEANS, March 4, 1876.
thereby certify that the foregoing repor
was prepared by me to present to tn
House OF Representatives when the ms
| iority report presented by the two Demo
cratic members of the committee should Q
called up for adoption or when the JOIN
resolution introduced by the chairman
the committee to carry into effect the r
Communications. Of the maj jority should o
moved in the House. But neither OF thoe
events happened and for that reason thl
report was not presented.
A. B. LEVISEE.
SAVE Your MeNEY.-1n the savings d.
partment, the Workingmen's Bank, No.
Canal street, offers to those who wish
save portion Of their earnings for rain
day, every inducement that an honorsbl
conducted and safe institution could Civ
~,