New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-01-02

VAIN an tQuhb " 49,
zion in most parishes for parish Pul-
poses. Taxation for all State purposes In
oluding schools, il now limited by'constitn.
ajonal amendment 70 fourteen and Q halI
mills, and by law of the State the r@se OF
parish taxation can in no case exceed tne
rate of State taxation. Constitutions
amendments limit the expenditures OF
the State government to the actual revenues
received and render null and void all war
rants issued in excess of revenue. WHe
rate of taxation in the city OF Ne" 'Or-
leans &C the commencement OF my term Vi
Office was: State, including schools, TWEEN
,ty.one and one-haf mills; city, thirty
trnills; total, fifty-one and One-balf mills.
The rate OF taxation in the city Of NeW'Or-
Reans for the present yaar lie; State, lnelud-
ing schools, fourteen and one-half mills;
city, fifteen mills; total, twenty-nine and
one-half mills. Constitutional amendments
limit the city debt to the highest amount
attained previous to the passage of these
amendments, and prohibit under severest
penalties the issuance of any warrant or
evidence of Indebtedness except against
money actually in the treasury. The total
expenditures of the preceding State admin
istrAtion for the support of government
from 1869 to 1872 inclusive, were Sll ,622, :
Dos. The total expenditures for the sup
port of government during the four years
OF nv administration have been "a, 2Q9 ,S95,
. saving of $7,A2,lsO. The Legislature
of lS65-6-7, composed exclusively of oppo-
nents of the Republican party, appropri-
ated $l7, 1873 554, an excess OF appropriation
over revenue for those years of $l3,75O,
554.
During the past summer our new con
sOls were admitted upon the New York
Stock Exchange and are now quoted
among other unquestlOned bonds in the
markets of this country and of Eu-
rope. As the nature of these bonds and the
guarantees by which they are surrounded
become more widely known they can not
fail to appreciate in value. The interest on
g. all bonds funded up to date has been
promptly met at maturity. Payment of the
interest falling due January 2, 1877, is an
nounced. Political difficulties have rem.
dered the collection of taxes somewhat
allow, and it has not been thought desirable
to hasten the funding of the bonds which
still remain to be converted. The interest
fund il intact and can NOT be diverted for
any purpose. 1t is believed the delinquent
taxes to come in will be sufficient to pay
the interest on every outstanding bond and
. also on those that yet remain to be funded
1t is matter of history that the measures
by which the debt of the State has been re-
dueed and taxation and expenditures have
been lowered and limited were carried into
effect by the Republican party with the aid
of many Conservative business men of the
community, against the united efforts OF
the political party opposed to the present
State administration. The Justice and ne
Cessity of these provisions are now, believe,
admitted by all, and their validity is I'M
questioned. regret to note that at the re-
cent election other constitutional amend
ments reducing the salaries of officials, linn
Ting the expenses of the General Assembly
an abOlisbing superhuous offices have been
defeated by votes cast apparently by both
BOllAAGhA phILcBs Aho AuAoGbAG5 ItmhluB
that no party organic alton, as such, can be
entirely trusted to carry out measures in
the public interest which tend to reduce
the rewards Rnd emOluments of political
success, and that further measures of relic
m this direction, if attained at all, must pro-
Ceed, as heretofore, from the cooperation of
moderate and conservative men with that
organic alton which manifests most clearly
. desire to advance the general welfare.
The assumption that Southern States can
not prosper under governments elected in
strict accordance with the requirements of
the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth
amendments to the constitution Of the
United States, is dispFOved by the unan-
sWerabls logic of facts. The assess-
ment rOlls Of the different parishes
of the State for the year 1875, fled in
the Office of the State Auditor, give in
structive statistics Of the agricultural pro
dnctiOns Of that year. From several Of the
parishes complete returns were not made.
It is fair to assume, - they are tax returns,
Ghat none Of them err on the side Of over
stating results. In fitty-three out of fifty
seven parishes, with . cultivated area Of
enc million nine hundred and thirty-four
thousand nine hundred and seven acres,
and an uncultivated area Of tan million
nine hundred and thirty-fOur Thousand nine
hundred and seven acres, the products Of
che year are shown 70 have been three hun
dred Thousand bales Of cotton, one hundred
thousand hOgaheads of sugar, two hundred
and thirty five Thousand barrels Of moIassee,
one hundred and seventy-fve thousand
barrels Of rice and over six million bushels
Of corn Returns for the year just closed
have thus far been received from only
fOrty-eight out Of fifty seven pariahes, but
careful computatioAs place the probable
yield ct four hundred and fifty thousand
bales Of cotton, one hundred and eighty-six
thoussnd hogshesds of sugar, three hundred
and sixty-four thousand barrels Of molasses
and two hundred and seventy thousand bar.
Eels OF rice, with more than sufficient corn to
supply ali home demands. These statistics do
not include cypress lumber, moss and other
natnral products, nor do they include many
ether itsms which 90 largely to make uE
the agricultural wealth Of the State, &c for
instance, oranges and other fruits, tobacco
one variety Of which Ia cultivated 70 con
siderable extent in seveFaa parishes, oatl
and other eereaIs which in the Hill district,
arc successfully raised, and meatcattls
aad vegetables in the rearings Of which Chi
State Is almost selfsupporting. All thea.
eensidered, It Is safe to say that the vain.
If ths products Of the State during IN,