The Opelousas courier., 1872-10-05

the heat and burden of the CALLING yoke, and,
having keenly felt it, determined to throw it off
This Parish ill point of Representation is the
largest i'll the State except that of Orleans.
She has four Representatives. in the Lower
House, and corjuEctiyely with the Parishes of
Lafayette, Calcasieu and Cameron, has two
Senators.
The first practical lesson under the new re
gime i'll the early session of the first Legisla-
ture after the adoption of the present Consti-
tntion, was that 8, OF the legally elected Re
representatives. were unseated by the House, and
3 others, more pliable, with minority of votes
were foisted upon usTs representatives. Both
the 3 latter and the member retained are all
with Senator Offutt, who drew the short term.
retired to private life, leaving Senator Andcr-
son, the long term of four years, now about
to expire. Of the four representatives elected
in 1870, two have declined again to become
candidates for reelection leaving the remain
ing two in the field, whose claims to the fur
ther confidence of their late constituency we
leave to their better judgment.
Before proceeding to notice the claims of
Senator Anderson, most prominent for his long
service, tact and ability, it has been obviously
noticeable, that in the number of those di-
rectly charged with the interests of this pco-
pie during the last long and suffering years.
not one manly and Outspoken protest or other
resistance, otherwise than by occasional dyes
or Nages was made against the accumulated
oppression aud exactions persistentIy inflicted
upon us.
On the 10Th of March 1856, Act No. 13.
entitled an "Act to re-Gistrict aud perma-
nentiy define. the boundaries of the Police
Jury Wards of the Parish of st. Landry and
the number of members to be elected in said
Parish page la of the Act OF 1856.
....- AN RCr "5.
To re-dstiict and permanently define the
boundaries OF the Police Jury Wards of
the Parish of St. Landry. and the number
OF members to be elected i'll said Pitrish
Sec. 10. lie it further enacted &c, That the
said Police Jury shall not hereafter have the
power 10 levy or assess Il tax Oh said Parish TO
exceed sevehty-tirc per cent. on the State tax
OF said Parish sInless it becomes necessary to
do so for the purpose of erecting or rULstruct-
ing some necessary work or public improve
Incet, they then shall have the power TO levy
n special tax and specify the amount and for
and collected. ....-...
Approved March 18th, 1856.
Here was sensible and juticious limit and
barrier provided against the unlicensed taxa
tion imposed at even that day of prosperity
L was not until the close of the War in 1865,
that the Police Jury resumed their ante-bei-
lum system of taxation oblyious of the res
trictions of the Act of 1856 upon population
then on the verge of want. 1t was persisted
in, regardless OF the feeling appeals of IL thc,,
Impoverished and over taxed population,
when in 1868, forbearance ceased to be virtue,
and the tax payers of the Parish organized i'm
a solemn inquest, for the investigation of their
parocliial affairs,-hy the appointment Of their
President and the employment, at their OWN
expense of two competent accountants. This
iuvestig igatiau under every obstacle, the ieers
AID taunts of the official ring, when it closed
in July 1863, the result showed that $i95 67i 49,
had been assessed upon the Parish for the last
four years, amounts annually largely in excess
| of the limits fixed by the act of 1856. .-.
| 1t was ut this distressed coudi4ion of affairs
| that Senator AndersoI, then Treasurer of th<
| Parish aud coguizant of the condition of Lis
! people. and of their opposition TO the inordi
| nate rate of taxation levied upon them, in hi,
! place iii the Senate on the 2sth of March, 1870
! introduced an act in effect to repeal the sait
| 10th section of the act of 1885, thus in the fu
! ture removing all restrictions TO the right O
the Police Jury to assess and levy taxes al
| their discretion.
/ Journal Of the Senate. 1870. Page 81.
] Intrutuceti-By MIR. Andersun-Of a bill t.
| he entitled IAN Act to amend the tenth sec
| tioa OF an act to re- district and permanent, /,
! to define the boundaries of the Police jury
| Wards of the Parish OF St. Landry, and thu
number of members TO he elected in said Par
| ish. approves, March 18th, 1856" Which pass
ell its first reading. The constitutional rGl'
| was then suspended, by four-fifts atfirtn;t
tive vote, the bill read secoisS time, and con
| sidered engrossed for a third realizing.
The constitutional rule was further suspend
ed i,y q four-fifths affirmative vote, the bill
read its third and last tiise, and finally a,dol,
ted with its title.
Acts of the Legislature, 1870. Page sc; No
Il 81 -
ANsAcT
To amend the tenth section of IAN act to re
district and permanently to define the bound
aries Of the Police jury Wards of the Parisl
of St. Landry aud the number OF members t
be elected in said Parish" approved Marcl
I 18th, 1856.
SEC. Be Il enacted By The Senate aad Hoass 0
i Representatives Of Tie Stale Of Louisiana Il
Gcnsrai assembly conpeaed, That the tent
section of lie act entitled 'su act to re-tlstric
/ aud permanently define the boundaries of tli
| Police Jury Wards of the Parish of st. Landry
i and the number 0f inemifers to he elected il
sail Parisli,g approved March 18th. 1856, b
and the same is hereby amended aud re-enact
/ ed. SO as to read as follows; viz: That tn
said Police jury shall have the power to in
j pose, levy and assess annually on said Paris
the necessary tax for the general ;isiministra
tian of said Parish. for the payment of il
debts and its necessary internal Improvement
I and for tiefrayiag the expenses of cFiniins
] prosecutions within said Parish. Approve
4 Feb, 25th. 1870. !.
/ E At the great pow-wow held in st. Lar
1 dry on tho 23d ult, the Hon. WIN, Montor
whose name appears on the Fusion Ticket a
] the nominee lLiberall for Congress from thi
4 District, informed the public there assemble