The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-11-24

organ OF the South.
THE iMOFFETT REGISTER AND TIKI
SALOONS.
In our edition of Wednesday last we printed
the views OF several Of the most prominent
saloon proprietors of New Orleans relative tx
the Moffett register law, and this morning W.
lay before the readers of the DEMOCRAT the
opinions OF number Of others in the same
line OF business. The saloon proprietors
without an exception, are very hostile to this
law, which we believe Is calculated to be OF
immense benefit to the State. These gen
tlemen. however, are liberal and enterprlsing
citizens, and as they are the ones upon
whom the proposed tax Is to fall, they have a
right to full and fair hearing, and an unre-
etricted expression of their views. Hence. in
accordance with our policy of giving all par
ties, on question of public interest, an OPP
portunity of expressing their views, we have
opened our columns to the saloon proprie-
q tors, though, to a man, they are bitterly hos
tile to our position on the subject at issue.
After careful examination of the reasons
urged by the saloon proprietors against the
Mofsett register tax, we resolve them briefly
into these: That the tax is q discrimination
against their business. That they sell better
LIQUORS over their counters than Is sold In
any other city, and, besides, set out daily, free
OF charge, expensive lunches, and are, conse-
uuently under heavier expenses than persons
In, the same business in other cities. And fl
nally, they complain that men Of wealth and
property who ought to bear their proportion
OF the burthen of sinking the public debt, are
In great measure, under this law, relieved
from the obligation.
Some days since we answered the first and
second of these objections. The tax is one
upon luxury. and Is no more discrimina-
tion against the saloon business than high
Import duty upon silk and other articles OF
luxury Is a discrimination upon the manufac-
ture and sale Of such goods. tits the proper
policy of all good governments to tighten, as
much ais possible, the burthens upon property
and trades, and impose the highest taxes and
imposts upon luxuries Of all descriptions.
With right thinking members of the Legisla-
tlre, therefore, this objection of the saloon
proprietors will carry no weight. They will
understand and answer that liquor is excu-
sively a luxury and that, Ii there Is one arti-
Gle In the whole list which can and should
bear, above all others, an exceptionally high
tax, that article Is liquor.
The "better liquor" idea is pleasing fic-
tion which we hear Of in every town and city
Ii the Union, but which Is never realized. The
liquor retailed at the first-class saloons every
where, is of about an average quality,
and sold at twelve and a half cents drink
will, anywhere, net very handsome profit.
The lunches are peculiar to New Orleans; ;
but elegant as we must concede they are,
they are not sufficiently expensive to mate
rally curtail the profits Of thriving saloon
realizing twelve and half cents per glass for
Its liquors.
The third and final objection of the saloon
proprietors, that the tax imposes the burden
OF the debt almost entirely upon them, and
exempts the property holders, is a more
plausible proposition, but entirely without
real weight. We are well aware that there
are many large property holders who have
no more public spirit than a mule; who con-
tribute nothing to public enterprises; who, in
their narrow selfishness, would not pay cent
for the support of the government which pro-
tects them, Ii they could evade it, and who
live and die useless to their country, their
neighborhood, and to themselves. But these
are exceptional cases. After all it is the great
body OF the property holders who chiefly
sustain, by taxes and subscriptions, and by
their patriotism and intelligence all govern
ment.
The property holders Of Louisiana during
the past ten years have had a terrible burden
to bear. All classes of the population, it is
true, have suffered from bad and corrupt
government; but the revenues of property
have been drained, and its value in many dis
,tricts literally annihilated. In New Orleans
Ii has paid enormous sums in taxes, and
under disagreement 1t has deprecated fully
fifty per cent. In the parishes. the owners of
real estate have had their homes and planta-
tions sold for taxes, and lands worth In
sreality twenty and thirty dollars per acre
have not, In many instances, brought an aver
aue Of one dollar If ever there was class
of people scourged, prosecuted and plundered
by corrupt government, that class is the
nroperty holders of Louisiana They have
e,,stained the heaviest OF the burden for
tho last ten years. Are they not then en-
faEed to some consideration now2 Is it
1mof under these circumstances. to allege
r.cssnst tax, otherwise fair, that it exempts