The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-03-30

| as 1t does not propose to Increase the debt.
special tax for work OF great necessity and
utility does not necessarily. under this law. in
volve an increase OF the debt Of the city l. 1t re-
quired the issue Of bonds. 1t might be regarded
otherwise but this is not proposed. The tax is
| to be invested for the benefit Of the payers.
II does not add n dollar to the city's indebted
ness. II does not subtract dollar from other
appropriations It may induce our City Admin
istrators to reduce the sum OF these appropria-
tions TO other not so necessary and important
objects We hardly imagine that the people will
lament such reduction. The debt OF the State
will remain tho same. The people have only
given different and perhaps wiser direction to
their contributions.
The premium bond act is a contract doubt
less. and ample provision has been made to
carry It out. No one proposes to violate or i'm
pair that contract. No court would regard the
city as bound by that to make no other contracts
Az hong rs it is not proposed to use the fund ap
propriated to meet tho engagement Of that con
tract. there can be no pretext that the conditions
thereof are violated or the rights Hereunder
impaired.
The concluding reasons Of his honor against
this tax have already been answered. The pow
erty Of the people. the grevous nature OF their
present burdens. admonish of the unpro-
ductve character Of the application Of the rcve-
nues derived from taxation. II IL believed that
If another direction was given to these revenues.
there would come great relief OF these
burdens. With railroad to Texas we
believe that an immediate advance
in the value OF property and of
general prosperity would occur. which would
render our present burden lighter. The flight
Of capital. tho unemployed labor and tho par
alyzed trade so pathetcally described by Mayor
NJ ,nai nj % In IN bp diyprSinn pf traUp
which can only be arrested by the early conn ple-
ton Of this road and this cannot be accom-
plished save by the tax which it is now proposed
the people shall impose on themselves with or
without the consent Of their municipal repre-
sentaives.
Mayor Leeds invitation to the Council, to re-
sist the act OF the Legislature and make the con
stitutiona issues which he has set forth in
return to mandamus. il not good legal coun-
sci. Every lawyer will tell our city Admins
traitors that the right to make such issues exists
in every taxpayer: but few will advise that the
city Administrators should put themselves
in front Of the people and undertake to de-
feat and obsruct their will. Let the people de-
termine such questions for themselves. and let
the Administrators. who are the creatures Of the
Legislature. obey its mandate and suffer the ror
popmi to be expressed If that ror popui in
fringes the rights Of any or violates the funda-
mental law, tho courts can be appealed to. and
ample protection secured for the rights Of the
few against tho many"
For the present il is no part Of the mandate or
authority of the Administrators to interpose
themselves between the people and tho judicial
department The people will set up their own
pleas and conduct their own cases They have
certainly not retained tho Administrators rs
their lawyers In this matter. Their functions
are purely executive and administrative, and
their powers are derived from acts Of the Legis-
lature. One OF those acts directs them to per-
form certain duty. They can make no digniiled
or legal defense against this mandate. They
have no discretion least of all the high judicial
discretion Of adjudicating questions of const
tutional law. POPULUS.