The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-05-23
THE RAILROAD TAX AND THE RAIL.
ROAD.

THE RAILROAD TAX AND THE RAIL-
ROAD.
An election is to be held on Friday
next to determine whether or not q ma
jority OF the voters of this city are In
favor OF levying tax, or forced sub
scription, upon the taxpayers for the
purpose OF aiding in building the New
Orleans Pacific Railway. With few ex-
ceptions, the opponents of the tax have
drifted also into opposition to the road,
while the advocates Of the road as gen.
orally urge the legality and justice OF
the levy. When the policy OF imposing
this tax through popular election was
under discussion In the spring OF 1875
the DEMOCRAT took a position OF unqual-
flied opposition to 1t, at the same time
maintaining that the construction OF the
New Orleans Pacific Railway would be
OF incalculable benefit to the State and
to New Orleans.
THE TAX.
We have neither read nor heard any
thing to change our views on these two
points. The principle of this tax Is, in
our judgment. radically wrong; viola
tive, in fact, of the rights of property
and susceptible of the widest and
grossest abuse in its application.
Indeed, IL 1t be once established that
under our constitution and laws a ma
iority of the voters Of the city or State
may impose q tax or forcad subscription
upon property for enterprises Of this
description, the safeguards OF property
will be overthrow, and the individual
may cease to have the power to fully con-
troll, invest and dispose OF his property
in his own way and according to his
own judgment, any longer than corpo-
rations or combinations Of spectators,
having schemes in which they can en-
list the popular favor, may choose to
allow him to do 80. A principle which
thus threatens the rights Of property
would be dangerous one In the most
enlightened community. In State with
q population such as that OF Louisiana
its establishment might we'll excite the
greatest apprehensions. One half Of
our population is composed Of ignorant
negroes, while our white population
has its full proportion OF venal men.
With such population the next Legis-
lature- OF the State may be as cor
rupt as that of 1868, and with
such Legislature it is very easy
to see that any ring or combi-
nation OF corrupt spectators could OBJ
tain the passage Of bill authorizing an
election to be held to determine whether
or not tax should be levied to aid any
wildcat scheme or plundering enter
prise they might devise. With our popu-
lation containing so large an element Of
ignorance, few shrewd and unscrupu-
lous men, by specious arguments, might
carry the tax. They could tell the ne
groes that the scheme would give work
to the laboring man, plenty to the poor
and greatness to the city that the only
thing In the way was the indisposition
Of the pampered taxpayers to contribute
any/part of their means to the public
good and to relieve the distress of
the poor. Does any sensible man
believe that, with such scheme
ana by such an appeal, the rights of
property woald not be threatened and
might not be seriously impaired? And
yet 1T Is no exaggeration to say that just
such a scheme, based in communism
OF the EXTREMIST character, would
find precedent in the present PROPOSE
ton of our most honored citizens to i'm
pose forced subscription for an enter
prise, in our opinion, Of the highest i'm
portance to both city and State.
There are many other arguments at
hand which we might urge against the
principle of this tax, but they are
familiar, we believe, to our readers. We
have said enough, we think, to justify our
opposition to tax for great work, the
success of which we have as sincerely
at heart as any gentleman Of the direc-
tory. The sum and substance Of our OBJ
jections is, that the balIot-box should
be employed only to maintain and pro-
tect the rights and liberties Of the
people, and not to engraft upon our
free institutions principle in its nature
dangerous and pernicious. III we oncs
establish a precedent for the violation
of those great and beneficent principles,
upon which are fixed impregnably the
rights Of properly side by side With the