The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-12-25
MUNICH l..
Administrators Isaacson on the Tax
Rate for 1880.


| The abortion Of the bu lget for 1880 by The
City Council on Tuesday without moetlng nny
opposition by oRal process. or from any ~ thr
Administrators themselves. prevented IN the
lgtt 81 aaea any nStended expression Of ouinIp,
| 81 tho subject Nv the members of The City Cpuu-
| OIL DEMOCRAT reporter yesterday Inter.
Vowed Administering Isaarson on this I'm
| portant question: tho result of which was th,
following statement made by tho Adminlstra
traitor nj our reporter q request:
Mr.. IsAAoRoN's STATEMENT.
4 Acknowledging mysaf 70 b, the servant o.
| the public. sud accountable 10 u for my action
l ~ all mnttnra connected with tho duties of my
| official position. | deem 1T highly proper antl
tirep hit should comply with your request.
| CUES ion. VIII you then give your iepsVna
NJ lenRfh for voting for tho - per cent ins fer
Mr. Isaaeson ! will. In the ilrat place my
| official oath hin,ia mo 10 obey okla Ing Inwa
rat har than those that Rro To take their plHen.
| and which depend IN certain formRiIiea for
their sanction not yet aolemnly dHolarel ~
| render them binding as such. Tharafara cur
plain legal duty IL to levy atnx of ib p"r cont
| In O, der to provide fer tho budget IT 1880 On
this point my individual conviction ts support
! ell and fortified Ivy the otluion ~ III. law ON
| GERS uf the oitv. and by the opinion also Of the
best Institutional lawyara In Tho Hate. | IN
dersand II 10 bn u aouni rnle Of interpretation
that the provisions Of u now law OF Gonatiu ut i'm
| has no retroactive fleet. that q law or oonsti
tuition can prnac, ibe only for the futura IT can
| have mo retroactive nnarHflpn. nor can II I'm
| pnr tho obligation nf contracts. Therefore. 4
| seems indiaputeble that tbn provision w tnn
| now constitution. which hHs not vet hanone tn"
4 paramount law, bannut repeal tho existing
| atatutn uninr which feel oompelled u axsi-
ciaa tho authority vRstni in the Council.
This question L. pacah beyond The posi-
hllty ot AL controversy. In my ouiniun. Wy thN
| arhnHnle ut tho constitution. which apoaraa
that If H. shall apuanr. after tha counting ot
70 votes. that the majority % Ht' votes ~ ~
| t,ean frr the constitution. then II shall be tn"
duty " the q vernon tn ntak q Immediate nror-
| donation Of tho fan'. ani Henrfto,N thia opn
| siitutinn ahRll hn ord tinnd and As ah iaHnd as
| The ronAl tuition Of tho stat" of L,uistnun AMI
| tho General Assembly elegtnI Ia tsTa shall
| thnrnupon In hiaanlyad." 'lf Tho constitution
In rats led II shall In tho duty If tho to ranry
| Or Hiata ~ axanina md compile tho r.turna
| 81 pnhlah the Result of the alafion " I'm cars
thof"in ordalnet. ani in III" manner provided
| by existing lnwa Nothing nc this Kind hne
| vat baan promulgated. hut III otaor to diapsl
all doubt. article 2Fp If tho pehaduIa provides.
In order that NJ Inc ,uvauiancs may result To-
tho pnhlic service from ihe taking Tert uf lhia
cons tuition, no Office ahnll ha anpnrat dnd
thereby. but the lave Of the state relative - the
dutea If tho ovsral officers. executives judicial
| and military. shall rnmjn IN fnll force though
tho same may be contrary ~ this constitutions
and tho several duttoa ehall be- pelinrmad b,
the pncfi vn officers at tho State according 10
axisinG Laws. until the organization ri the gov
eminent under this constitution aud the enter
ing into ON Of no now flaafs to lbs appoint
I'd pr elected under said government" III II he
| anewerai hat tho above article appiNa oxen-
svoly ~ State officials re-. " thu tho pDirt or
VI SHOWS flNHfiy inRt Ia trainers AppfHhnndPI
u such effect On tho char cred rights and priv
tleges Of tho city when they limited its future
right 10 exceed ~ mills Rflar IT. adoption
Tho will Of tho people Of t,outaiauR hna d.
rlared tho constitution shall have force nnl II
fnat only after IL prplannt ton of ratification
over tho agnnture q tho Governor and Score
tary Of State.
Tee power Of taxaiinn granted by the Bfato To-
this city nan b. axefots"a only oDes a Yenr. and
must. ~ the law comm lndR. bn xareaed on or
ABOUT the second Tuesday la December, Tint
limo has arr iA"d and We are bound IL obey tho
law. what law INV now n force and ef
feet. or law haranttnr to come Into nrnu2
Plainly. We nra bound by the law as II Is and
not ~ It may he hereafter.
Questioned haa bean argued TINT tho ordI
nance leyyiRg q tax for iRai might not b. paee cd
until after the constitution shall have beenm"
the organic law OF the State.
Mr. Isaneson-YeR know II haa heen plaIsi
bly, suggested that wa should deter lsvying any
taxes until after tho constitution IL pronnl-
gntot, IN other wotds. we eaakod 10 violate
the charter aud tho Law when makes II oar
duty To levy taxes In ID n"mbr. In order tllat
We may avoid enforcing tho law M II now OK
ista ia 10 he rae or The TAX 10 10 loviod. III
the second pnns, there nra many ransona Of
duty and propriety which impf ltd M to vot 9
for this INK authorized Nv existing Inv and
tho yigoneios of the 6ity'4 linRucaR.
l. Things have progressed To SUI u point an
to demonstrate r. all Intelligent persona thai |
neither TIL" city Of New ORGANS nor any aubsli-
tuta therefor Gun hr kept In existence on II per
cent tax levied even upon much larger lsaeps
mnnt than any We ara lik"ty 10 hnve fer twenty
Ave years 70 come. 10 overwhelmingly II this
slature which meets In january will submit ~ |
the people, ut tho congr"saiona al election to DO
held "a tho fill. 2 constitutional amendment 70
storing the Limitation to y per cent
a. Tho city Is required under the now conati |
tuition 70 maintain for snven months Of 1870 all
the extensive machinery of notwithstanding go
tce provided for under tho conrtltu Ion of 1861 |
q The city IL bound by various contrneta
such ms those with the fro department, for
md which could not be obtained untrrthe levy
Of per cent. Those parties could DO tho work
sue bio city and comUel the levy of tho extra
QUE half of per cent to pay them. their con
tracts being protected by the constitution OF tho
state. AMI that Of thu United i ates ard oven by
article 25s 81 the now constitution. Too rate Of
made form part and parcel thereof. and are
not reducible to their prejudice. This princt-
ple has been already adludicMed agains' tho
city by our present Supreme Court VI Loulsi-
ann.
I. r. would DO Impossible under Dor cent
tax 70 provide for the nece- slry ailmony Of the
government. ard for the payment Of
the interest on the BOMBED debt Neither Of tho
ems could DO omitted from the budget The
city must be lighted polieed drai"ed tho
streets cleaned. the garbage removed tho chari-
t Bile Institutions supported. the public proper,
matters should absorb all the. revenue from
Ter cent tax. then the hondhold r. VIII hay /, Il
solemn contract ~ to the limitation Of tax alton
could and would compel the levy by mundam-
US q the other i per cent TO pay them.
Il. The levy o. per cent tax would have do
stroyed the public school system Of the city. rs
made t'r its support. This. TO NAV mind,
wouli b. ono Of the grea est caamities that
could bafall us. The maintenance Of Il system
u public education Is not only u geeat public
inty. but Is the only safeguard OF liberty and
he protection Of property. Heaven knows we
nave Ignorance and pauperi4m enough among
~. both moral and material. to excite Que
ycavest apprehensions aud TO arouse uur sym
DHhies and earnest energies to tfface such a
, OF from tho states e-eu cheon a state where
he latest statistics, am Informed, disclose the 1
lumtltafiuR fact that there is a maj fity of suf
ragans who are unable TO rea' and write How
an the city Of New Ore ms afford to have any
y its educational facilities destroyed or ak
med? faar II was from such n constituency
hat came certain members of the convention
Who attempted to crippla the city IF N W Or
Aans In its resources. and that they were un
mindful of the essfngs Of pub ic education
" b has been foster 90 here 80 bene6cialy for
lfty years.
For these reasons am firmly convinced that
was dischargfBg my duty by voting for tax
u III per cont for the year 1880.
CITY HALL BREvITIEs.
The revenues Of the city markets will again {
2 offered for sale on Saturday next. this time