New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-05-05
A TALE ABOUT TAXES.

An ounce of prevention is worth q
pound Of cure A confding Iaborer in
the Sixth District, who bought lot and
put up a house about two years ago, was
persuaded that he could save twelve dol
lars by resisting the payment of his taxes.
He was told that he could, and this advice
suiting his inclination, led him to make
the attempt The matter moved along
smoothly for several weeks, the city being
in no hurry, and the delinquent congrat-
ulated himself that he was the winner in
his little game Of resistance. One day
there came a citation announcing that he
was sued. This is what he had expected
at first but since it had been delayed he
thought he had escaped the contest. His
lawyers, for when he determined to resist
he east his lot with an association that
had hired two or three Of these gentle
men, had been paid to attend to the suit,
and he trusted them to bring him out, as
they were collecting a pro rata tax of
one dollar from each delinquent He
attended at the trial, according to
the citation, and thus lost a days
work. The proceedings were as strange
to him as if they had been conducted
in a foreign language. Judgment
was delivered after two days advisement,
and it condemned the delinquent to pay
the tax and all the costs. Still unsatisfed,
the resisting taxpayer lost another day at
tempting to obtain an appeal or some
such thing that he did not understand
and went home at night tearing mad and
thoroughly drunk. Expense three dol
lars. The Judgment was made final, ex-
ecution was issued, seizure had, pub
LEGATION given, sale enforced, and now the
confding laborer is without home. He
says the Radical party has robbed him.
He says the taxes have consumed his prop
erty. He says he has been beggared by
the government. No such thing He had
dishonest disposition in the first place,
and this made him attempt to cheat the |
State. He fell among fools and knaves in |
the second place. They urged him to do
that which was dishonest, and they offered |
to keep him company. They made him
drunk. They got drunk themselves. Both |
lost time and were maddened at being en-
tangled in a trouble they could not find
their way out of The lawyers palavered
them, and the officers made them
impatient. Costs of court eat them up
Their own folly produced the disaster
throughout And yet there are scores of
men who refuse to learn wisdom from
what has occurred before their own eyes.
They rush into law business as moths rush
into the flame Of a candle, and when they
come out burnt and sore, they lay the
blame upon an innocent party. Most of
the men who are holding back their taxes
will find themselves all the worse off in the
end We know the assessment is great
burden, but the way to end it is not
through the courts, but through the Legis-
lature. The lawyers and the petty officers
laugh when they can agitate the communi-
ty until it rushes pell-melI into a law suit
This feeds the attorney, the clerks, the
sherifs, the constables, the printer, the
appraiser, the auctioneer the notary, the
Of deeds, the conveyancer, and so
on. Behold, resisting taxpayer that when
you get out of the hands of the collector,
you fall into the hands of all these parties,
each Of whom must have his wages. And
then remember that a man in the Sixth
District, who hoped to escape twelve dol
lars, lost by his dishonest folly one thou
sand. This true tale, as we live.