The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-19

| yeI tnlS WIS zone 10y the late u
The injury Of the school teachers and police tn
most hard working. deserving and III paid o
the city employees. Heretofore, in al fnanca
| adjustments. the school teachers have been hon
orally recognized, and 1t WINS left for your i'm
mediate predecessors to make invidious dis
tinctionS against them,
In 1860. act No. 40 was passed by The bcgisla
tUre to enable the city to fund Its iOatlng deb
and to liauidate its general indebtedness. Thi
act empn}wered the city to issue bonds amount
Ing In all to f3n0o,000, In various sums Of f5C
I slqo. $500 and 1900 bonds. bearing interest at
, per cent, and payable in twenty five years, The,
were commonly called per cent gold bonds
and were intended to redeem city notes ther
on the market in unknown quantities, and as'
to enable the city to lipuidate the balance Of III
hoatfng debt, such as Judgments outstanding
warrants, city time paper. school and polio
certificates etc.
| wish to call your attention to tho fact thu
this act OF 1869 gave full recognition to thu
claims Of school teachers and police, and actu
ally gave gold bonds bearing seven per cen
interest for school and police certificates
would recall to your notice that these hond
wore legislated out Of existence by the Pishury
premium bond scheme. aud wish to point on
that whereas the gold bonds sold on the marke
ut FIRST at ninety cents. subsequently, falling t.
forty cents the pr MUM bonds are now SELLING
ut about twenty six cents.
In 1870 net No. passed the Legislature
changing the boundaries of the cities of New
| Orleans. Jefferson aud AIgiers and providne
for the funding Of the floa,ing debt Of the con
| lished the bureaucratic system of municipa
government which Is now In operation. See
non - OF THIS act recognizes school certificates
| as an honorable debt. and allows them to be
| funded in gold consolidated bonds as provided
| In act No. 40 of 1869.
| In 1871 the Legislature passed act No. 100
| which may be considered as an amendment to
| net No. ~ Of 1869 The object Of this act was to
| authorize tho further issue of gold bonds to the
he original 81 600 600 was insufficient to cancel
the floating debt of the city. including deficien
cies In the revenues Of the years 1870 and 1871.
| In this act no distinction was made as to the
denomination OF certin rates all city creditors
| were treated alike, and school certificates were
| funded in those bonds according to section G Of
| The Pilsbury administration In 1877 procured
the passage through the Legislature of act No.
%. which under various pretensas such as for
the hene 1T Of the public health, the prevention
of fires. the supply Of good water to the city .
empowers the City Council to part with u valua-
BILE city franchise for n nominal sum and in ac-
cordanee with act No. % q company was formed
and the waterworks were transferred to 1t for a
certain consideration.
The act appears fair enough on its surface
II is laudabe for tho City Council to provide
hygienic measures for the benefit of the citi-
gems, to supply them freely with good water
and to protect their property from obstruction
by fire; but its praiseworthy objects are some
what marred by the introduction Of a cloudy
and ambiguous section wherein creeps griev-
Gus wrong.
Section / authorizes the administration to
transfer the waterworks, with oil tho privileges
OF monopoly. the whole plant and property. to
Section establishes the right of this mon
opoly for period Of Nifty years.
Section II exrmpts tho property of tho new
WafeTWorks Company from all State and city
taxation
Section II recites how the stock received by
the city Is to be applied to the reduction Of tho
bonded and floating debt. The general terms
appear sufficiently innocuous, but the section
goes on TO retuto its apparent tendency, with
these words:
The city through it's Council shall have au-
thorlty to apply the stock acquired from tho
company TO- the reduction Of bonded or ioatng
nt min tcfJ lSyIf Inv,
tuahV dgreed upon bot,reeu The fIV CONNECT anil
ne holders IF bonds o. certificates Of jndebted-
ness"
This section foreshadows what was evidently
premeditated regarding the exchange of scrip,
and was subsequently developed In ordinance
No. 4459. This ordinance dated April 49, 1873
provides for the liquidation Of certain portions
of the city's Hcating indebtedness by exchange
with waterworks stock. The following were the
favored creditors:
Certificates Of appropriation.
Certificates . tax excess.
Tax warrants.
Interest coupons duo prior to July /, 1875
Unpaid ordinances.
Registered Judgments.
Criminal jury and coroner's warrants.
City notes.
Certified debt of the city of Carrollton
!, You will observe gentlemen. that the above
list carefully excludes school and police certn-
Gates and gas indebtedness; but the gas com.
phnies being wealthy corporations. represented
by influential men, would not submit quietly to
80 unfair discrimination, and evidently
brought pressure to bear upon tho Administers |
tors, for we find hat they subsequently, came to
terms. and the Jefferson Gas Company OK
changed claims to the extent of $40 ooO for |
bonds.
What was done by your predecessors to meet |
the Just demands of this wealthy company Won
are now. asked to do in behalf Of n class whose
necessities are great. who are unable to adopt |
:oercive measures, and whose sole resource |
lies in an appeal to your sense of humanity and
Justice.
Section 4 Of article 80 presents remarkable |
features. 1t IL a questionable clause giving un-
Tarrantable power to the administrators and |
when followed up by ordinances 4459 distinctly |
reveals Fermentation to give criminal prefer
'nce TO certain favored creditors. But the Same
'lause which accorded TO your predecessors the
power to net with dishonorabIe partially gives
ne present Council the power to correct the /
Ibuse and to act with even handed justice, md |
'ou are asked to exercise that power in behalf |
II the needy and deserving creditors Of the city
school teachers have lHbored year by year, to |
Ind at the close Of each succeeding twaivo-
month that they arc muct Of portion of their
y past years scarcely command a sixth part Of /
heir face value. and in many instances all their
title savings. are represented by these depreei-
ted pieces Of paper.
The police are suffering from the same causes
lnd this condition Of affairs is moro severely
cit at period like this, whom we are but just
recovering from tho effects of n pestilental sea-
on IN which every family has had to bear its
hare Of the general distress.
You will doubtless. during your own term OF
,ffica take care that teachers and police are
egularly paid but I ask you to redress ut
'neo the wrong done them by the late admins
ration, and to admit their right to the Same
rs other creditors of the city. BY
lvailing yourselves of section IA of act No. 10
'oH can permit them to exchange their certif-
ates of past years for waterworks stock to
which concession they have rs undeniable u
light rs gas companies and other city creditors
! hope gentlemen that have eopclusively
hown you, not only that you have the power
'ut that II is your duty as honorable men to ex-
end protection to two Of the most Industrious
.asses in this community. who are gradually
lrifting toward ruin. while others less merito-
ious are tloating with the tide that leads to
orune. For some time past teachers have
,een confident Of redress. and have trusted to
he integrity Of the city administration to relieve
hem. Howthat confidence has been misplaced
. think tho foregoing remarks have clearly
hown: and Mt last. driven almost to despera-
ion by unmertad wrong and unreduited Ia
,ors. they appenl to you; nor can they dare to
ioubt that you. fnlly convinced of your power
2 do, 50. will seize this opportunity of redeem
ng the character Of the city Council and Of
gnalizing your Inauguration into office by an
let OF wisdom, impartiality and justice.
remain, gentlemen. yours very respectfully.
l.. SEWELL.
Music boxes. for Christmas presents at
irunewald Hall.