New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-02-24
TIME TOO SHORT FOR REF0RM AMPLE
FOR MONOPOLY.

Our public is in the fix of the French
gentleman treated by one physician for
gastritis, and by another for cerebral
fever. Our public interests may sue
cumb, as did the unfortunate patient to
the dissensions of the political doctors
All the organs of Democracy admit
that the Democratic caucus has effected
very little for reform. The Democrat has
even made up its mind that Democratic
incumbents may be compelled to accept
for ga twelve months longer" the many
"extravagant, useless and burdensome Of
fees" which Radical misrule has cast
upon them. The Times takes the same
discouraging and dissolving view of legis-
tive reform.
The Democrat, however, advances to
the work and incidentally does justice to
the Republican party. It says:
l. The rate of regular taxation in the
State is not DOW oppressive.
2. And, indeed, high taxation for legiti-
| mate purposes is not necessarily fatal to
| public prosperity.
1t then heroically declares that the citi-
zens of New Orleans suffer from indirect
taxation and afirms truth which all who
respect the people must recognize:
The evils which weigh heaviest upon this
| people, and without the destruction of
| which there can be no complete relief and
no full and free revival Of public prosperity,
| are The monOpOlieS Which hare been organised
and chartered by the Legislatures of the last
eight gears.
There then follows the familiar cata
logue of monopolies with the several
amounts which they annually exact from
the people. 1t omits the indirect taxes Of
wharfage and public markets, as well as
one to which we will subsequently ad.
vert.
Now, does it not occur to the Denocra
that if the Legislature has had no time
for reforming the alleged abuses, it should
certainly not have found leisure for the
indemnity of one monopoly, and making
provision to create another? Yet thu
last Democratic Mayor, who defended thu
sovereignty of municipal corporations
and denied the power of the people to tai
property, now in effect asserts the RICH
OF property to tax the people. he asks {
charter for granting in monopoly the pop
ular right to the use of public water !
At this point comes in the practice o
the Picdylne in stimulating the very ex
cesses which the Democrat is seeking Il
reduce. 1t believes evidently in the con
gestive phlebotomy. Itadvocates the waite
, monopoly, and asks that the press Twill
join us in making the undertaking accept
able to enterprising capitalists.
In assuming this championship tn
} Picdylne forgets some history, and mis-
| takes some facts.
II 1. The Waterworks was held in mon
opoly for some twenty-nVs OF thirty years
. The public was disconnected with Its cd
J ministration, and the works were left 1
dilapidated condition.
I 2. The holders of the city bonds issue
. in payment for the Waterworks are nc
"the owners" of the Waterworks. tn
| holders of these bonds are not to be pre-
, ferred to other creditors by assignin
them city property on satisfaction of thei
debt.
We have too often exposed the IL
: justice of this grant to employ tie preser
! occasion to denounce it,
) We ask public attention to two fact
7 l. That while the Republican party ha
3 been charged with the sole responsibiht
t for the stagnation of the city, it now az
r pears to have been in part due to a systeI
+ of indirect taxation by monopolies, ez
{ eeeding in the annual aggregate the COS
Q Of administering the public government
{ 2. That while the Democratic party ha
: no time to reform the alleged abuses Q
: the government, it can find opportunit
. to indemnify ONE monopoly and incorpC
/ rate another.
aPnunTIou Mn npTlpy