The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-01-28

This "a q fragrant fact. The lss
saws Il shall be assessed at Its cash value, ant
, i'm snse masses Of property could not TO
morrow be sold for cash for the amount al
,vhich the assessment Is fixed. OF course
auoh assessments are vlolative Of law, and
when law Is violated there should be rem
edy In this case we know Of nons; and even
II there were one 10 is the already burdened
property-holder who would have to seek 10
have II applied. and this Is only to add 10 his
burden.
In other communities taking even the
debt-ridden city OF New York for exampe)
property Is assessed for taxation only GER
tain proportion OF It's cash value. Here It Is
assessed the full cash value, In theory-far
more, In fact.
| And worse than all, the past Legislature
was guilty OF the madness of fixing the as
sessments we have for four pears. Come
veal or come woe, here we stand manaeled
by the dcta of assessors who have not oven
| carried out the behests Of the law properly,
and for four years A piece OF property may
Increase In value four-fold, or may sink In
value 30 per cent land many we'll informed
city residents know the fuctratlng character
OF city property values). but there IL stands
fixed In value for taxation We can safely
say that all our city property has deprecated
In value during the past year, yet tho assess
rnent Is flxedl What system can be more
absurd2 What system better calculated TO
strike at the root OF eontentmsnt In every
household, Of every owner of real estate. from
the cottage to the palace2
Nor Is the money aspect the only one for
our legislators TO regard. Such a system is
but psrt of bad government: bad govern
ment makes unhappy people, and where
people ARE unhappy they seek for change.
Two years ago the Democratic party went into
power promising reform, and the overshadow-
Ing lecture OF the grand reform needed by
the people was reduction-iarge reduction
OF taxetion. A little Of reduction has been
affected, but not sufficient TO make tho people
feel thft the remedy they applied Is working
for gre 1t good; not, by far, as much as II was
readily In the power of the party TO effect
We know the constitution stands In the way
OF radical reformation, but much more could
have been done than has been done, and we
warn the representatives that alienation is ut
work.
The whole people are taxed too much, but
the people OF New Orleans are especially over
taxed. and the relief Of New Orleans is the
relief Of the State. New Orleans could not
flourish II the agriculture Of the State were
annlhilated. The country cannot flourish II
the values Of New Orleans are annihilated
The assessments Of New Orleans must be
heartily raced. viii the bondholder COM
plajn2 Point him to the man-aye, TO tho
widow and the orphan whose store rented
for $4,000 per annum, and now rents for $1,000
Tell him plainly over again the nursery story
OF the killing Of the goose that laid the golden
egg.
Gentlemen Of the Legislature, there ID no
work you can do that will avail much until
you reduce taxation, and that arbitrarily.
Name certain amount Of money that the
people can pay, and nork down 10 ii. Then
prosperity will begin.