New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-01-04

president of the committee. One of the
journals which has ''the largest circulation
in the Southwest" and which, according
to its later limitations, served with great
distinction on the Confederate side during
the war, prints the name of this presi-
dent, John A. Adams. This we may
presume to be authentic; the more 80 as
we do not find the name of the Crescent
Mutual Insurance Company among the
corporations pledged for the ways and
means. The absence of this official sig
nature is the more conspicuous, when
we find, among numerous organizations,
corporate and sole, that the ''estate of
William S. Pike, deceased, is so firmly
convinced of the legality of the govern
ment that it adds its signature, we may
presume by spiritual message, to its tesla
mentary representatives.
So this Committee of Seventy having
acted as a Returning Board, we have
here provisions for the ways and means"
for "the maintenance and establishment
of the lawfully elected government" The
Democratic revolutionary movement may
be then regarded as complete orgsniza-
ton, claiming to administer all the de-
partments of government. The sword
and the purse are now united in the same
hands. As the REPUBLICAN has kept the
public attention steadily fixed on the fact
that the South Carolina malcontents
have removed their headquarters of agi-
tation to Louisiana, we are not surprised
that the same financial policy which has
endeavored to pervert the State taxes
from the State treasury into the strong
box of revolutionary clique, should
have been followed implicitly here.
The extreme difficulty of collecting
taxes, even at the end of the law,
has been blazoned abroad as q
consequence of Radical misrule, yet here
are the tax payers of Louisiana called on
to pay in advance. The Legislature of
the revolutionists is called on to en-
force this demand, and an unhappy
seller of shoes or clothing may find him
self beset with two sets of tax collectors.
When this unlucky retail dealer shall be
told by an officer that if he does not pay
this tax of five per cent he can not
''carry on, pursue, practice or follow"
his trade or occupation, he will be COM
PEELED to pay off both officers or put up his
shutters, or have them put up for him.
With two sets of commissions and PEN
alties for non-payment, with the legal GER
tainty that if he pays both, one tax will
certainly be what they used to call "a
benevolence" to one organization or the
other, we shall anticipate here precisely
what has occurred in the mother clubs of
Charleston. The taxpayer will hold on
to his money. When the citizen who may
have sworn for the past four years that he
has not been able, owing to Radical OPP
preston, to pay one tax, is required TO
pay in duplicate two taxes for the support
of the two governments, there should be
much longer list of signatures who refuse
to pay until the legality of the one tax
collector or the other shall have been es-
tablished.
People moved by passion or prejudice
rarely see the difficulties which lie in front
Of revolutionary programme. In this
case the Committee of Seventy proceeds
to appropriate the whole amount of their
forced loan to the support and maintenance
Of Mr.. Nichols in his proposed usurpa-
ton. Upon referring to the law these
gentlemen will find that the State taxes
and Licenses can not be applied as they
wish. The total State taxes have been
apportioned by law among the several
funds, Of the interest, on the public debt,
the levees, the public school fund and the
general fund. Nov, If the whole State
collections were in hand, they would
amount to about four million dollars; Of
five per cent upon this sum, the part ap-
pIicable to s'the maintenance and estab-
lishment" Of the Nichols usurpation may
be stated at between fifty and sixty thou
Il sand dollars.
When the tendency to keep money in
our pockets rather than pay It to the
wrong man is taken into consideration,
we do not anticipate any great contribu-
ton to this campaign fund, except from
those who 50 intend it. and merely take the
chances Of finding this gift in tax 70
ceipt. If any funds from this source should
come into the hands Of 3 bogus auditor O
treasurer, We might expect to see him
ahingled over with notices Of injunction
By the public creditor, the assignses o.
the Leyee Company, the School Beard,
and ether co-claimants Of the State taxes
aha licenses which Meaars. The Commit
Tee Of seventy have assumed to DISPOSE
Of
With lhis open refusal to comply with
ths Law and organized attempt to inter
espl and divert he revenues II the slata