The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1872-10-19
Parish Debt--Ton bridges,
Mr.. EDITOR. OpELonsAs IorrnSl

Mr.. EDITOR, OPELoUsAs JoURNA.
/ wish to call your attention IN evil
which has become almost Qrable
to q large portion of the resid Of this
parish, and to respectfully SUI a rem
edy.
The toll bridge, on Bayq aaron, at
Washington, particularly, nd also the
n over the Courtableaq 9at the same
place, in q less degree, e4 It and collect
a heavier tax upon the people of the
parish than all their OFF, taxes, State,
Parish and MuniciRS put together.
This tax, in all its shaH and consequent
ces, falls heaviest II on the poor, the
the men of smallA Bital and the con-
sumner generally. The toll upon the
merchant, butchA Ngr0cer, ETC., ETC., is
paid by the COZ mers-the pOOr-the
freight bills and 6arges of steamboats,,
warehouses, etA are all taxed to the
poor mans ba1&pA Of -four, his pork, SUI
gar and cOffg deducted from his
bale of cottoI 9ais chickens, eggs, ETC.,
when sold llEISSee town, or sent to the
city. Many gor persons are deferred
from visiting fthc only convenient port
of the parislESO transact their business,
or for the purposes of trade, by this in
exOrable tax upon their small means.
This tax or toll is a monopoly, produ-
ces no general good, and only benefits a
few men who do not need Utmost of
theM-and can live luxuriOus1y without
it. Every mOuthful of bread they take
from the poor man is registered against
| them.
Now for the remedy.-Let the parish
purchase these bridges at a fair estima-
ton, payable in bonds running five, ten
on twenty years bearing eight per cent.
INTEREST," moderate portion payable
annually, and the interest s~eMi-annual-
ly-fund all the debts due and owed up
to January LIST, 1879, by the parish-get
an act passed for the purpose-giVet these
bonds in payment for the Bridges, etc,
to those owners who will accept them in
payment-seIl the balance at par and
pay the others in money. BY thus fund
ing all the debts Of the parish, her credit
will be at once benefited, Parish war
rants instead of being at fifty Or sixty
cents OH the dollar will be at par-all
public works car be done for half or
and this will actually tend to reduce
the taxes for the reason that the current
expenses will be reduced by forty per
cent. being added to the value Of her
warrants. This fact will prevent spccu-
lation and shaving of these warrants,
which has always been the cause of their
h%uctuatiOn, for then q dOllarin warrants
will be equal to a dollar in greenbacks.
Penalties should be attached to parish
officials for specializing in them.
For the payment of interest and grad
ual (annuaD redemption of these bonds
q special tax should be levied upon the
assessed value of all property, equal to
said interest at eight per cent. per an
mum, payable at the Treasurer's Office
semi-annually, and such part of the gen.
eral debt (principal) as maybe necessary
to cancel the whole in easy payments in
five, ten or twenty years. These bonds
would become a fine investment fol-
capitalists, and from par value would
soon bring a premium-prOvided the
coupons andinterest were promptly paid
as set forth above.
That this plan would be of infinite
benefit to the Taxpayers of the parish,
no one can reasonably doubt-and tC
prove it-let the Police Jury pass an or.
dinance at once, putting the proposition
to a vote of the people at the approach
ing election. Let special tickets be pre-
pared "fOr" Dr. against" "the funding
of Che Parish Debt" and the purchase OF
the bridges by Parish Bonds running
twenty years. These bonds should be
sold at par, be free of taxation, and war
rants from January list, 1873, should be
declared forever at par. with penalties
against specializing in them for the pur.
pose of degrading their par value.
OBSERVER.