The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-05-08
Total savings to city of New

Total savings to city of New
Orleans, per annum. 1927, 314 II
The drainage tax, included in the
drainage districts of the city of New
Orleans. which were excluded by the
act of 1877, amounts, by official Ag.
ures. to $755,Oys %. and that, re-
lievpd by the operation of the law
which limits drainage assessments tn
the property. amounts probably to
Sl50.00O or Sl60,0 900. This estimate
does not include the benefits which
may result from the repeal of the small
poz hospital law, or from the re.orgaln
ization of the Waterworks, or from the
reorganization of the Board of Health
in which last, alone, by official 1gnrps,
$4,000 annually is economical. The
interests ot commerce have pot been
forgotten. The boArd of harbor mas
lrrs has been reorganized and their
fees of office regulated at such sum as
was declared .iast by merchants most
Interested, and the port wardens have
also been reorganized and regulated.
Of course, Mr.. President, in this
summary | have not Included much
legislation Witch has been had, affect
ing the well-being of New Orleans and
the Parishes, and which partouk of a
purely restricted and local nature. In
my examination of the legislation at
large. have hitherto made reference
10 constitutional difficult. s in the way
Of greater reduction. Sir, this alsn
has t,een %remedied, and whilst I do
not now propose t" reopen a discussion
as tn the wisdom of calling a conven-
ton or amending the constitution, [
desire to say that the course pursued
in submitting amendments to the peo.
pile is that which was adopted, if my
memory ia correct. by all onr sister
Southern States, at least, until they
had passed by several years from the
mists of reconstruction. Their exam
pie WI have found worthy of imitation.
We have Thought that the part of wis
dam, as we'll as the part of expediency,
dictated that we should not open up a
new struggle until time had cured
many of the evils under which we suf-
fered; until, forgetting the miseries
gone by, We would be engaged rather
in looking to an auspicious future than
in meditating on-a suffering past. Be
this as it may, the amendments pro-
posed strike out many evils, prevent
the ~rur OF wrong and make
salutary restrictions. They extend
the vetn power to the limit TO which
it has been advanced in the most re-
cent we'll digested constitutions. They
remodel the judicial department; they
restrain the Legislature, in as complete
a manner as any constitution in the
American Union. They make the SEES
sions of the General Assembly bienni-
al and modify the constitutional com
pensation in accordance with the expe-
renee of our own aud sister States.
They will, if adopted, afford the means
of ec"nOmizing from S20G,0 600 to $685.
900 per aRnmm. Sir, the review which
| have made, / have endeavored tn
state with all the fairness possible.
The figures to which | have referie ell
are all, whether estimated or not, II
not literally accurate, correct substan-
tally. If error there lm in them, it is
inviting. Necessarily, in many in.
stances, l have referred to 1877, as the
Legislation of 1873 IS not, in the matter
of appropriation, yet perfected. |
know it will be said that the fruits OF
the reductions to which | have referred
should be made manifest by a decrease
in the rate of taxation. The tax rate
has been reduced one and Il half mills
for this year, which is a reduction Of
more than oue-third the total general
fund taxation, the remainder being
distributed IA follows:
Five aud one-halt mills interest tax.
Two mills school tax.
Three mills levee tax.
Thus leaving 81 mills for the general
fund for this year. This rate of taxa.
tion is practically lower than before
the war. In 1856, 1857, 1858 and
1859, the general fund taxation was
Il mills upon an assessment of $685.
DOC. 900 in 1856, aud S376.9ll, 900 in
1857, while this year it is 81 mills on
about Sf77, 000, 900. In connection
with this statement it must be recol.
lected that the constitutional expenses
of the government are now much larg.
er than they wers then. For instance,
in 1859 the expense of our judicial es-
t%ablishment was $63,500, while now it