The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-02-25
A MEASURE OF REINFORCEMENT,

to the lowest bidder This amendment re
ceIved seventr-six and was defeated by onl,
live votes. This very clearly indicates tina
q printing bill will be passed by the Legis
lature providing that the public printing
shall be disposed Of after the fashion indicated
in this amendment. We are not In TIN
least alarmed ut the direction the econom
zeal spirit Of some Of o,ir Democratic
friends has taken so suddenly, indeed
when we made an issue with the Legislature
on its general policy, which we believed to b.
detrimental TO the public good, we expected /,
find sudden revolution In the opinions 0
some members Of that body on this question
But before presenting some views we enter
tain on that point we wish to suggest TO thu
Democratic members Of the House, that tht
| public printing is very small item Of expense
compared with some other legitimate objects
Of Legislation which they have overlooked
| and that there are measures which they have
overlooked which would add ten dollars to the
revenues Of the State without oppression tt
| any class Of property or industry, where they
can save one dollar by any new tangled print
ing bill
The people of New Orleans are Indirectly
taxed by the monopoies which exist in this
| city fully 100000 per annum, and yet instead
of any manifestation on the part Of the House
to break up these Ubiquitous and burdensome
institutions. everyobil Shat has been intro
duced TO destroy them or limit their powers
has been voted down, and every amendment
which has been offered to repeal their char
ters has been lost We do not honestly be-
ieve that any printing bill could de devised
which could save the State twenty-five him
dred dollars per annum, and yet much time,
costing the people several hundred dollars,
was consumed yesterday in discussing a propo-
sition to adopt a plan Of letting out the work
which might possibly get II out of the possess
sion Of the DEMOCRAT The heroism with
which the House has stood by these grinding
monopolies and the yrtnous determination
manifested Saturday to deprive the DEMOCRAT
Of the State printing. is curious, If not an ex-
hilerating study for the masses Of the Demo-
cratic party Of Louisiana, and especially the
taxpayers of the State
.Early III the session we suggested that,
either through convention or an amend
ment, a fair poll tax should be provided for
and the receipt for 1t required instead OF
certificate Of registration AZ prerequisite |
for voting Such tax wo,ito yield |
fully s25o,noo to the State, and Cypress
nobody, and II was generally advocated |
throughout the State. Saturday MIR Martin |
of Lafayette offered an amendment embrac- |
ny these provisions, and Ii was with |
very little ceremony or discussion Loot |
~ majority vote, and almost mme- i
lately afterwards there was grand
md enthusiastic rally of the majority
If the House TO abolish the State printer to
ave what? We care very little about the
against the DEMOCRAT, for we
certainly had no reason to expect anything
lac, but we do sincerely regret the failure Of
he Legislature to relieve the people Of the
,iltien Of monopolies. and the taxpayers
a some measure by the poll tax system
fe had outlined. Perhaps the MofIett regis
IL and the revenue bill, which taxes every HUI
ian industry In the estate. may find more
.vor. But we warn our Democratic friends
the House that II would be far safer to i'm
ose just and reasonable poll tax. though
might create dissatisfaction among tho me-
10 voters, than to directly, through the Moi
it register. attack the business and interests
trough the arbitrary license system half Of
lie other votes in the States.
Now. great deal has been said in and out
the Legislature about "the official organ"
I'd we propose to say something on the sub g
ct ourselves, The official Journal of the I
late Ia not The organ of the Leglsla- 9
ire, though it generally is and always
,ght to be the organ OF the dominant {
srty An honest and Independent party or I
,n will be necessarily the organ OF the Legis- G
ture to the extent which the Legislature q
presents the party and carries out the c
,liey Of the party; but no further.
The DEMOCRAT. since its creation, has been
e organ Of the DemcSratic partyoof Louis
IA. and the printing contract in no way
auged its political relations 1t is now. "a :.
always has been, the representative of Dem
ratio principleso and no amount of patron :
= can make 1t the apologist of measures and ;,
'ices Of legislation which we know are
It Democratic and which are condemned by
G whole party. We represent the Dem
racy of Louisiana, and we have no desire to
present any body organization or set Of t
en- who are not fully in accord with the t
lutinleS vi patty. 10 represent the =
al principles Of a great political or "
we hold to be the highest mission II
public journal, and we regard that mis- t
m as entirely irreconclablc with a waiting &
ION legislatures. politicians and rings. t
The present Legislature will of course pass y
bill calculated TO deprive tho DEMOCRAT of
q State printing. The vote on Mr. Hills 9
ncndment leaves no doubt Of that, As we II
we said, we have no protest to enter. We
lculated the cost when We made the issue. d
ID we shall accept the consequences. We u
IL assure the majority of that body, how W
er. that we can stand tho blow. The a
ntract AT present prices does not fl
lord the paper profit of over a
e thousand dollars, and certainly If the IL
depended upon that for its exist p
ce it would not run six weeks Whatever Il
Dry the Legislature may obtain from the Il
rformance of its herculean labors at re- "
through a new printing bill it is d
'lcome to. Fighting the press and protect u