New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-01-28

Ia
and treasurer must be elected, with sue
salaries 40 the charter may provide fol
The Office of q permanent city attorney an
assistants must be abolished. The of1ice
Of justices and recorders should be abo
ished, and two recorders with noderat
salaries should be appointed in their stead
ALI contracts must be advertised BY tn
Council and subject to open bids. No con
| tracts or purchases are to be made, n
salaries to be drawn, NO promises to pay II
sued except against actual cash in the treas
| ury. and on no account shall the city reve
nues be exceeded under severe penalties.
The park tax should be repealed, and tn
lands sold by the board of liquidation. Tn
drainage act should be repealed. The law
regarding the civil and criminal sheriff
should be repealed, 90 far ~ they affect tn
were enta;led on the CITY government BY
the Legislature.
An equal assessment must be made of OIL
city property, and all exemptions repealed
with the exception of churches and chari
table institutions. The tax for the redemp
ton of bonds, and the payment of interest
reduced to one.quarter per cent. The jails
should be placed under the control of the
city, and might be made self-sustaining
The school tax and police tax must be mod.
flied by the reduction Of twenty. five pei
cent on all salaries, and the employees 70.
ceiving cash regularly would be in Q better
condition than they are to-day, when COM
PEELED to sell their certificates tor less than
fifty cents to the dollar.
The revenues might also be aided if the
many charities-Girod, McDonogh, Mills
and other dOnations-were applied by Q
legislative law to the relief of the city rates
for schools. '
The wharves and waterworks, being in
| private hands would be taxable, and the
assessment rolls increased thereby.
The Contract between the CITY and the
Firemen's Charitable Association will
shortly expire when it might be rene we'd
on terms less onerous to the city. It is the
duty Of ali good citizens to unite in reliev-
| ing the burden ct taxation.
| Themethod Of levying taxation lie, to my
mind, a subject demanding serious consid-
Grafton. 1t would take up too much time
to enter upon . full explanation here.
Taxes should be levied equally, 90
should be adopted to prevent evasion.
There is q difficulty in uprooting the pres
ent system of levying city taxes. It has
been in operation among US tor number
of years. l could suggest q system moro
productive. and tightly spread over all, but
as 1t lie not easy to subordinate old pre-
JULIUS ~ now LUCAS, ! 6u0l1 ICAIAlu 4IUU
introducing the subject tonight. Let ~
first tdrn our attention at this time to q
new Council. and when that step is taken
we shall be able to suggest other measures
of interest.
Let us Southern Republicans enter zeal.
o1sly into this question of reform, not only
a. regards the city, but in all that concerns
our State, when doubtless our fellow-citi-
zens outside of this organization will learn
to respect US.
There are various opinions regarding the
character of our organization. There is .
current of opinion in certain circles that we
are Radicals; others declare that we are
organized for the especial purpose of sup
porting third term, and that we are Sec
ton of the American Union Club. Some
assert that We are Democratic organiza-
ton, while others boldly state that our
secresy means mischief. It is as well
for me to proclaim sloud, what all in this
assembly we'll know, that we are not
Radical Republicans, nor are we Radical |
Democrats: we are certainly not timid Con- |
ee-vatives. We are simply citizens Of the |
United States, determined to support the |
policy best suited to the advancement of |
wheels OF any party.
l. Is with US Louisiana first and party |
at.erward"-chis motto can be applied to |
az one of the articles Of our platform.
The term Republican is one that ought to |
be hcnored by every citizen of the United |
States. We have adopted it in its general |
sense with the affix Of Southern We are |
in no way entangled with any party, but |
stand alone as Southern Republicans, |
strong in our independence, strong in our |
numerical force, and strong in our de- |
termination to use vigorously all our power |
to secure reforms; to hurl out Of Office cor. |
rupt men, to put the best men into power
regardless of party lines; yes, party lines,
tina, are sustained by venality, prejudice. !
anmosties and feuds. There are men Who |
have been in Office, and have proved then
selves unreliable, and who are this day seek. |
ing return to power. We sag to these
men, stand aside; we say to all corrupt and |
incapable men in office, step down and out.
If it Leans mischief to hurl out OF power
ignorance and vice, then let me tell these
men plainly, we do mean mischief.
Reason, that divine spark which can not
be entirely extinguished even by the most
violent party strife, must prevail at last,
ard guide US to better state of things than
has heretofore existed and still exists.
There are those around Us who were moved
with indignation at the misrule and dis
honesty practiced, but who were restrained
by party considerations from decryiag the
evils they lamented: Let them now, cast;
ing aside the trammels Of the past, come
forward and unite their efforts with ours in
the great struggle for reform. Unfettered
as we are by party tiee, We invite all good
citizens to unite, and by q steady and COM
bined system Of action sgitate, and continue
to agItate until we secure the triumph of |
honest principles over corruption, and over
those fallacies that have helped to bring
our city affairs to utter insolvency. I ask
the whole people to unite as one man and
shoulder this question of reform, of too vital
an importance to be abandoned to the weak
efforts of few.
made tonight, amid the facts that crowded
upon me in connection with city affairs,
have doubtless omitted a large number of
important truths pertinent to the theme,
for it IS rot possible to say all that might
be said on our municipal government with
put prolonging this speech beyond the
limits of your forbearance. I have en-
aeavored TO show that the structure of past
and the want of faithfulness
IN the part of men entrusted with public
affairs, have brought about insufferable
evils; that TO secure q better condition of
.hings for the future, it will be necessary to
aproot the existing evils, and in their stead
reconstruct city council with men of no
ordinary stamp, and municipal system
based on the truest principles Of economy.
The propositions have set before you
will, believe, essentially reform our city
government. have thrown some on light
he dark pages of its financial history, in
he hope it will force rs to adopt more
7lrtuous course.
We have slept over city affairs; let us
how at this time that it was not the sleep
y death; that we are aroused from our
apathy and appreciate the danger; and
waking up to an honorable activity, we de-