The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-03-24


tho cncroachmcnts OF the majority In
all enlightened countries the rights OF
property are as securely guarde"
as those Of life: and no burdens
should be imposed upon property,
save what are necessary to carry on an
honest and economical government.
Wherever these principles are violated,
commerce declines, industry Ian
cuisines and property becomes valueless.
There Is no naturally richer country
on tho globe than Turkey. and yet Tur-
key Is smittcn with poverty and decay.
It's wretchedness is due to tho fact
that the government affords no certain
security to property. The arbitrary viii
OF an Eastern despot Is not more terri
bic and uncertain than tho prccarious
and unbridled tyranny Of majority,
and when we once admit that n majority
may vote away the property of minor
ity for any purpose, we assume u posi-
ton which imperils the best interests OF
society.
We are the friend of the New Orleans
Pacific Railroad, and we arc prepared
to cordially give II the aid OF what little
influence the DEMOCRAT may have. We
admire the indomitable energy and in
dustry with which the President OF the
road has fought and worked In its inter
est. In tho hands Of weaker man; IN
the hands OF an ordinary man, 1t would.
under the difficulties which surrounded
Il, have dropped out Of sight long ago.
We wish the road to bc built but VIC
cannot stand with It's friends for this
tax. We could not do SO and he
consistent. We could not do SO
and continue to dcnounce the
patty which has impoverished the State
We can no more support this measure
than we can justify the policy in pur-
suance OF which the millions OF the
peoples wealth have been voted away for
the enterprises devised by Warmoth and
Kellogg; or the schemes which built
Babcock's marble squares. and Boss
Shepherds splendid palaces. There Is
distinction In the characters OF the
men and In the purposes of the enter
prises; but there Is no difference In the
principle on which all these things are
based: and the principle Is everything
The principle at the bottom Of them
all, is the right OF the majority to vote
away the property OF the minority !,
to trample down the constitutional bar
ricrs which have been erected to pro
tect the minority against the rapacity
OF the majority :!and we all know where
that ultimately leads. The New Orleans
Pacific Railroad is u great public enter
prise, calculated, in our opinion, il
built, to vastly benefit the State. Mr.
Wheclock and his directory are honor
able men, working in good cause.
Upon the other hand, the Chattanooga
Railroad scheme, the BGuf and Croco-
ollie Navigation Company, and many
other schemes in this State, were rank,
unqualified swindles, and the men who
engineered them were swindlers.
This is very broad distinc-
ton and my lead many astray. But
when we admit the competency OF a ma
jority OF the community to vote tax
upon the unwilling minority to aid an
enterprise we may favor. what barrier
can we set up against the will of ma
iority when led by unprinciplcd men
in power it proceeds to vote away the
property OF the minority for the
schemes Of robbers and swindlers who
may be in authority? There is no law
OF the State. no provision OF the consti-
tuition which authorizes any of us
to arbitrarily determine what is
an honest, and what a dis
honest enterprise and when we admit
the right OF the majority to vote the
property OF the minority to aid in build
ing the New Orleans Pacific Railroad,
we admit the right OF the majority to
vote the property OF the minority to aid
any scheme which may please the ma
jority, or which bad men may succeed
in making the majority believe is right.
In short, we destroy one OF the funda-
mental principles OF government and
society, and launch ourselves upon those
terrible seas Of Agrarianism and Com
munism in which every public and pri-
vate interest may be wrecked.
The friends of this tax hold that it is
just, because the road. when finished
will largely enhance the value Of all the
property Of the city. We believe that
the road would enhance the value OF the
property, Gin discussing this point we
wave the question of principle involved,
and il the tax were to be levied after the
construction Of the road. it would, from
this standpoint, work no hardship.
But the tax is to be gathered now; it is
to be gathered from community al
ready reduced to distress by taxation !;
it is to be gathered from property, the
revenues Of which are not sufficient
to pay the taxes now levied upon
it by city and State; it is to be
gathered from property which is ten
antless and unproductive. Under these
circumstances the tax would be, to very
many, a terrible hardship; to others, it
would be almost coEfiscation. Under
the circumstances, even if correct in
principle, which it is not, it would be,
we fear, oppressive and unwise.
In the past eight or nine years nearly
one hundred millions Of dollars, in the
way OF taxes, have been collected from
the people OF this city. Here is the first