The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-04-02
WHO HAS ROBBED THE POOR.
Friday morning d week ago the X

y
Friday morning week ago the Re-
publican said:
To say that the voter is sovereign only to the
in Office. while denying them voice in the set
Element Of financial questions Is 10 place prop
erty and the owners Of property above even
running humanity. and separate the whole com
mrnty into two classes-the aristoerats, who
own property and perhaps pay no taxes which
are not wrung from their tenants. and who
sometimes withhold money thus obtained. and
the tenants. VIII are compelled to pay their rent
under pain Of Immediate restraint and election.
In this paragraph the Republican
clearly afflrms exactly what the Demo-
Gratis and Cop9dryatives Of this State
have been fop. Years striving to impress
upon the minds OF the poorer classes Of
Louisiana that the burden of taxation,
in the end, falls upon the consumer ;
upon the poor man; upon the laborer
who earns his scanty livelihood by the
sweat OF his brow. The colorcd people
have persistently refused to believe
this proposition when made by us. Per-
haps they will be more crcdulous now
that it Is made to them by the Repub-
licdH. II the proposition Is true, and
we concede that It is: indeed, we join
with the Republican in assuring the poor
of all classes and colors that 1t is true.
then Il il indisputable that tho Radical
party has been the bitter, terrible,
relentless task master OF the poor OF
Louisiana. The Radical party has had
absolute control OF the State for eight
years. and in that time 1t has taxed the
people to the amount OF at least one
hundred and forty millions Of dol
lars. According to the theory Of
the Republican, which is entirely
correct, the tenants and laborers
OF the city and State have paid the
larger part OF this great sum. When
the Government raises the taxes on
property. the proprietor naturally raises
the rents OF his houses and his lands,
and the merchant the prices of his
goods.s When Belknap imposed an illc-
gal tax on post trader, the post trader
Immediately put up the price of his
merchandise, and the soldier paid the
tax in the end; and SO 1t Is here and
everywhere else. The taxes in Louis
lana, however, have been so excessive
that while they have exhausted the
earnings OF the poor. they have also
drawn heavily upon property, and thus
we have the grim spectacle Of property
holders, tenants and laborers. all ruined
and brought to desolation 10y Govern
ment.
Our houses are tenantless and dilap-
itated, our fields are lying fallow, our
plantations are i'm decay. the laborers
are discontendcd and in rags. the pro
prietors are anxious to sell and leave.
But the Republican newspaper is rich;
Gov. Warmoth is rich; Gov. Kellogg is
rich Boss Packard is rich, and all the
lesser creatures who for eight years have
surrounded them and participated in
their schemes of plumber are rich, or
well to do. All the honest classes OF
the State-property holders and non
property holders. are reduced to poverty
and distress only theRadical politicians
have prospercd, waxed great, and grown
rich.
We have known the reason of the dis
tress of the laborers in the country and
OF the workmen in the city these several
years past, and we are glad to have the
Republican give 80 clear, SO vigorous
and SO comprehensive statement Of
the cause. The Radical party has OPP
pressed and crushed the poor of Louisi-
ana into the very dust; it has brought
the stalwart workman, his wife and
children to hunger, and every laborer
who Is to-day in rags, or who is willing
to work and unable to find work. and
whois in misery and distress, owes his
condition to the eight years rulo Of
the Radical party. The hundred and
forty millions OF taxes which have been
extorted from the people and stolen by
the Radical party have, as the RepuJH-
can has said, been largely paid by the
working men. High taxes made high
land and house rents. high clothing.
high flour and pork, and when the
laborer had paid the extra prices for
the necessaries Of life, he not orlv had
no money, but was actually in debt.
Many Of the property holders OF Lou
isiana have at different times attempted
to protect themselves, and the honest
working people, on whom the burden
has fallen heaviest, by resisting the pay
ment OF the exorbitant taxes levied by
the Radical government. But all the
machinery Of oppression was instantly
brought to bear upon the tax resisters.
They were furiously assaulted by the
Radical press. A statute was past, out
having every man who failed to pay.
Enormous penalties were fixed even for
delay, and thousands of dollars of
on which these taxes were I'M
paid has been seized and sold. The
Radical robbers had to have their spoil,
and so "the screws were put" to the
taxpayers, and the laborers toiled and
grew poorer, and the property holders
pinched themselves, pinched all others.
We thank the Republican for its very
clear enunciation Of an important truth.
The workingmen Of the State may now
credit their wrongs and sufferings to
their true source. The Radical party
q party led by INSCRIPTIONS, cold-blood-
ed, heartless oppressors, who have
taxed the people aud robbed the State,
and grown rich off the earnings of the