The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-04-12


We have closely watched the occurrences
connected with these operations, and at every
step we have found corroborative evidence
Of the charges the DEMOCRAT long since laid
before the public Our course has been criti-
cised by many, and we are not unaware OF the
fact that Interested parties have endeavored
to make 1t appear that the DEMOCRAT, in its
structures upon members Of the Legislature,
intended q reflection upon the State admins
tration Nothing could be more unjust.
The DEMOCRAT has simply discharged Its
duty to the people In revealing the crooked
ways of the rings and monopolies OF this city
in their connection with certain MEM
beers of the Legislature No one is more
concerned than we are about the good name
and credit of the State government which we
labored with all our might and poor abilities
to establish Nor can anything be more pain
full to us or more arouse our honest indigna-
ton, than to see these immediate jewels of
Louisiana's soul made the sport Of hand
full of sharpers.
We can find nothing in the condition of our
State finances to justify any doubt of the en-
tire sovency of Louisiana We have care
fully examined the data available for the
forming of correct opinion In regard to this
matter, and we here present to our readers
the results of our investigation. From an
inspection of the settlements made by tax
collectors and Of the Auditors report, we find
that the collection Of taxes during the first
quarter of 1878, in thirty Eight parishes OF the
State, amounts already to the sum Of $751;
9O5 So. There remain yet twenty parishes
l. 4 In do in
these parishes will undoubtedly swell the
aggregate to quite 100000 for the first quar-
ter of the year. When we consider the fact
that the revenue and assessing and collecting
laws were passed late in the month of March,
during the extra session of the Legislature;
that many taxpayers delayed payments in
authorization of reduction in the rate OF tax
alton, and that over S52O,0Oo were collected In
the above mentioned thirty-eight parishes
du, ing the month of March alone, we must
conclude that the collections for this year
have far surpassed those Of any previous
year.
We are further informed that the assess
ment rolls Of the State have been so revised
and corrected by the assessors appointed last
year as to present far more equitable basis
of assessment than the rolls Of former years.
It is q matter of common notoriety that
g, eat frauds were practiced by the Radical
assessors who were in the habit of reducing
assessments for consideration. To prevent
the scrutiny that might be prompted by the
publication of an aggregate assessment large
ly below that of a preceding year, excessive
assessments were entered up against large
corporations and wealthy individuals to cover
improper reductions. 1t was estimated by
revenue officer of the State some days
since that the assessment rolls of
1876 contained at least fifteen mil
lions of excessive and fictitious ASSESS
ments, which have been weeded out OF the
assessment of 1877 few complaints have
been made Of over assessment In this city,
but, generally speaking, the assessment OF
1877 is O nearer approach to fairness and
more satisfactory than any we have had for
years. The gross assessment upon which
taxes are to be collected this year, being
larger than that Of last year, and. moreover,
free from the fictitious items that formerly
swelled the delinquent lists, should undoubt-
edly yield revenue fully 100000 in excess OF
that of 1876.
The assessing and collecting laws OF the
present year improve upon the crude legisla-
tion of last year by Offering inducements to
the prompt taxpayer, and, although the PEN
atty is two per cent per month for delln-
auency after the first of December. yet the
law providing for payment by subrogation
will enable the taxpayer to avoid delinquency
without injury to the State. This subroga-
ton is effected by the taxpayer borrowing the
money upon giving his notes to any party
who will pay the tax, the payer receiving the
tax receipts and becoming subrogated to the
! ranking privilege of the State This renders
the security better than an ordinary first
mortgage, and should enable the taxpayer
to borrow money at as low rate OF interest
as on first mortgage. Another good feature
Of the law allows taxpayers to pay one-half
of their real estate taxes at a time II desired.
We cite these facts to show that our condem-
nation of the speculative operations designed
to iniuriously affect the States credit were
entirely justified, and In order that the bust
ness community and the people within and
without the State may understand the real
facts of the situation, and not allow the
manipulations of few interested and cor
rupt individuals to throw discredit upon oul
| State
The burdens resting upon our people arr
heavy, and it is true that in this city
as we'll as in all large cities, some
failures have occurred, but we hazart
nothing in asserting that our mer
camille and banking institutions are in a.
sound and satisfactory condition as those O
any State in the Union, and that the inancia
condition of our State government is such a:
to justify the belief that we shall be able, IL
the immediate future, to meet our obligations
with far less effort than we have heretofore
been called upon to make.
i HOW TO ESCAPE JURY DUTY.
81 dsasx Icisa Iaaoh A Stor one 0f HI,