Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1873-03-08
ONT lay TIE TAXLS."

That paper lays:
Don't pay the taxes" we under
stand. j. the VOICE coming up from
the parishes This policy is not
original with Us, or Gov. McEnery.
or Gen. Sheridan. in his strong add
stirring speech, delivered al Lafayette
Square. 1t was he policy Of our an
cestors, after The war of 1915. At
the close Of his was-a seven years
war-,he creditors of The country, in
s;i'u'ed suits and obtained execution
against ;he debtors, and the Cove n !
mentS of the different States laid taxes .
to meet the exigences Of their Gov I
ernments. But the people we're I'M
able 10 pay heir debts. or The taxes /
laid bv their Governments. They
very Justly required time to meet
their obligations, after 50 rninous a
war. To defend themselves from the
cxactions of heir creditors. and The
demands Of their Governments, they
met in their diirrent Districts and
! Parishes, and resolved that no prop
er,v should be sold ell her for the paw
mcnt of debts or taxes. And To carry
out this determination, they appoint
ed Committees. whose duty it was To
attend all coerced sales; and, by
speeches and "Reminiscences, prevent
any one from bidding or purchasing
any property advertised for sale =; and
in case any one should either bid or
purchase a, such sales, their names
were entered in book, kept for that
purpose. as enemies of the country.
with Il description of he properly bid
cff by the purchaser This policy e.
fectualiy arrested all coerced sales Of
properly, and gave the people time TO
recover from the prOs;ration Of the
war 1t proved to he " Use policy
Debts were paid which othcrwi new
er could have been paid, and the
whole country revived on, in career
Of prosperity, harmony and peace.
Now. the debts and taxes, thus ar.
rested from collection, We're undisput.
ed, honest debts, and taxes laid by
Governments of their choice, ed
from the domination Of British rulers
But how j. it now with the faxes i'm
posed on the people of Louisiana, b,
. the Kellogg Government? Are THEN
, taxes imposed by their legal repre,cn
, taiiv,s? Are they not ra ter, lik,
the taxes imposed by the british Par
lament, where our ancestors wcr,
not represented, and which they re
p fused To pay ami when an atienp
was made 10 collect them. resisted b,
violence and broke asundcr from
; British rule, raj Der than pay. Nj
was there any charge Of dishonest,
or oppIes>ion, against her British
-, ru,ers The Tax laid was most inslx
" Eihcanr nr.I "as imposed to pay the
' expenses incurred for their dcicn>e. in
the war of 1856, with France. How
I is it with our carpet-bag rulers p
Their Government, is a Government
0 Of fraud, uSurparion and violence
: They consist of lawleSS adventures
, tyranis and thieves. They represent
i nobody but themselves, or non-prop
{ erty holders, who, seek to seize, b,
: the forms of law, the property Of 9th
erS, to be appropriated by themselves
e Any respect to law or conscience i,
: unknown amongst them; whilst the,
: ha e and fear the people they plundcl
and Cypress 4 viler or more hayi
tious despoiism does not exist on
earth, than they have uSurped Over
the people of Louisiana. They hav,
made political liberty a mOckery; an,
free government beaStly farce. No
only. every principal of justice; bu
d, of selfrespcct, and Of selfdeftnse. for
: bids, cooperation. by the paymen
: OF taxes, in the operations of such
government IL has no strength il
i morals. It's administrators kno,
:. that they are despiscd, and that a
v their strength is in force. But if th
v people of Louisiana stand toge' hel
l. aud their Governor and their Leyi-
d lature, in enforcing The policy of pay
r ing no taxes, they cannot be collected
j. We doubt if they can obtain tax co
s. lcciors to go out into the country I
collect them, or sheriffs TO enIurc
them by sales, or purchasers of prop
erty sold to satisfy them. No go,
eminent which the people unitedl
3 repudiatc, can stand. The scorn all
IS hate it cngenders, only money ca
g tempt any one 70 endure aud if thi
4. will not be obtained, il is paralyzet
Ia a, The fountain-head Of all government
But then, for success, there must b
i. union-union amongst the people
! and union amongst their Legislative
! aud executive of officers. a parli;
:, combination, or an abandonment ,
y the whole, makes victims of tbOS
:, who are faithful to its policy and the
:, country.
There, We think, as we have argue
before, is a quiet, effective means
=, carried out by our ancestors befor
|, us-of arresting the Government {
n the usurpers the plumber of til
" plunderers. The credit of the Stat
- will hardly be available IT, raise mon
!; ey, by a Government already discreC
:, tied, which the taxpayers of th
IF country refuse to recognize, or to SUI
= port, by the payment of taxes. If
is to continue in existence, The Go,
: eminent Of the United States, whic