The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1869-11-20
A Plain State NH mt

portion oft, which refers to the uncollect-
able taxes. On this subject the report
says:
There remains unccllected, of taxes lev
led for the years 1865, 1855 and 1867, q
sum exceeding $89, s4I OF, of which the
Police Jury has RENTED as uncollectable,
wrongly assessed, &C,
To DR.. j. NJ. Thompson. 49,. .S13,6s7 ~
To Mr.. Ebert CAN'T. ....... e,4l2 60
To Mr.. John c. Barry.".." lG,64o %
From the previous reports, from the man.
ner in which the statements are made, and
from the general tenor of the resolutions,
tables, and comments, during the "protract-
ted labors" of more than six month, it is
obvious that the parochial authorities are
charged with cul Fable negligence or fraud,
in ,rediting the accounts of the tax collec-
tors with the amounts above stated. This
point has been made with more plausibility
than any other by the accusers, from the
simple fact that they have suppressed every
thing which could throw any light upon
the subject. The books OF the Police Jury,
which they examined, furnished the mate.
rails necessary to enlighten those who did
not already understand the subject. Refer
ing to the same books whence the above
statement was derived, We find that this
suppression offacts was not accidental. In
order to illustrate our meaning we take the
account of Mr.. Barry, which is credited as
as stated above, with $l6,640, the largest
credit given to either of the collectors.
The amount is large, and the committee
should have stated the reason thereof.
The only reason they could assign, is that
the taxes were "uncollccta lie, wrongly
assessed &C." What the &c. means is ex-
planned by the books, and by ference to
them We propose to supply the omission
Of the committee, in order that the tax-pay-
ers who are interested may understand
that portion Of the report.
The parish tax roll, it will be remcm-
bcred, is, from motives of economy, always
made from the roll of the State Assessor.
For the first year or two after the war,
owing to the unsettled condition of the
country, the assessment lists were very i'm.
perfect. Many persons were enormously
assessed. They figured on the list as tax
payers, when they were not and many
who should have been included were
omitted. These errors necessarily found
their way into the parish rolls. The tax
payers of the incorporated towns, who
were exempt from parish taxation, figured
nevertheless on the parish list. Under
these circumstances, Mr.. Barry being the
lowest bidder, after thirty days public notice,
was apr ointed collector for the taxes Of
1866, the roll amounting to about fifty
thousand dollars. The collections were
made on this roll during the. year 1867.
He reported from time to time to the Police
Jury, and received the proper credits,
which were entered on the books.
1t would appear from the above extract,
that his uncollectable list was chiefly ow-
ing to wrong assessments. Not SO. These
constituted the smallest item.
In consequence of the impoverished ON
dition Of the country, and the great Losses
to planters from the great overflow Of the
Mississippi, the Legislature, by act ap-
proved March %, 1867, provided that the
collection of all State, parish or municipal
taxes, for the years 1866 and 1866, due
by owners of Plantations which had been
%ovehowed, &c, should be suspended until
the year 1858, and the collectors were in.
structed to suspend collections in such
cases. In the eastern portion of St. Lam
dry, many of the largest taxpayers were
exempt from taxation, under this law. Out
Of the fifty thousand dollars on Mr.. Barry's
roll, there were between four and five
thousand dollars due by persons owning
overlooked lands. We take the minimum
statement, and say that his account was
properly credited by four thousand dollars,
due by persons exempt under the above
law. 1t would have been easy for the CON-
mittee to have made this explanation, par
ticularly when the credit was so obviously
correct, considering the large amount of
taxable property embraced by the act Of
the Legislature.
Until this year, owing to the defective
State legislation, it has been impossible to
enforce the collection of taxes due by non
residents. No provision was made to have
them represented. The law however has
recently been changed, and the parish and
state will not hereafter lose the revenue
deriyable from this source. There are in
his par ish: many valuable lands owned by
non-residents. The taxes on these lands,
appears from the books examined by
the committee, in the year 1866, amounted
to more than six thousand dollars, but We
adopt this sum in round numbers. as sufi-
for our present purpose. Mr. Barry
therefore properly credited with this
amount. of which nothing is said in the
report These two items alone, make the
sum of ten thousand dollars, and it is patent
that it was uncollectable. Add to this
about one thousand dollars levied upon
residing within the incorporated
and therefore not collectable by the
and we have eleven thousand Dbl.
lars (sl1,ooo.) to be deducted from the
of the committee. This leaves
only five thousand six hundred and forty
dallars (5,64o.) of uncollectable taxes, from
erroneous assessment, and oil other causes,
or about ten per cent. of the entire roll of
fifty thousand dollars, which is about the
usual loss. So far as non residents, owners
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