The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-05-24
Tax Resistance.
Communication in Coushatta Times.

helIOSg government as soon as TIT
hard times will allow me to get tho
money, and I advise all others to dc
likewise for these reasons, to wit:
list. It appears that the Tax Resist.
ers are not moved in their resistance
as it at present exists, but from the de,
sire to pay to McEnery rather than t.
Kellogg, which, Notwithstanding The
dogmaS Of TIE "Citizen,n is only a poll,
teal consideration, and will tend tC
prOlOng the political dissensions of the
State. What the State most needs noV
is the burial of the excitement and dis,
sension which has already resulted ii
blOodshed IN certain quarters, and tho
nearest legal and constitutional way tC
reach that end is the best way.
End. McEnery himself deems the
law constitutional if we accept bis
proclamation of April 10th, 1878, urging
his appOintees to collect the taxes al
once, as Judgment upon the validity OF
the Revenue Act. It is not, therefore,
the equity of the proceeding and the
manner of accomplishing it which vcxes
the Tax-Resisters; but they cry out,
cit is our Bull that is being gOred.'
They do not pretend to conceal that it
is the sp0lS they are after instead of
the immediate subsistence of popular
pickering and ill-feeling.
3rd. The Kellogg administration be-
ing and having been for many months
the de fdctO government, so recognized
by the Federal Executive and Cabinet,
a receipt for taxes paid to the assessor
and collector OF Kellogg by the tax
payer in good faith, or under coercion,
will be valid against any coming or to
come State administration. If such
taxes are not paid to the Kellogg gov
eminent when due and demanded, it is
as certain as death that the taxpayer
will be forced to pay by irresistible
power, not only his taxes proper, but
one hundred per cent. additional and all
costs. The payment of such will be en-
forced by all Of the military power of
the State if necessary, aided by that of
the United States if demanded by Gey-
ernor Kellogg. Is MFR. McEnery pre-
pared to deliver his supporting tax
payers from these unpleasant cOnse-
q~uences?
4th. The hope that Congress next
December will recognize McEnery and
expel Kellogg as the head of the Gov
eminent of Louisiana is the merest of
dreams: if Congress would not turn out
Mr.. Kellogg. and put i'll Mr.. McEnery
last February when everything was
new and fresh before it, and when all
the public zeal and clamOr which it was
possible to bring to bear in favor of
McEnery was brought to bear, it will
be a thousand times more certain not
to do so next winter when McEnery's
cause has weakened by the fOwof time,
and KellOgg's has grown stronger and
firmer by 70 months of actual possession
and exercise Of power; by the known
predictions Of Gen. Grant in his IA
vor by the foolish riot in New Orleans
in March gotten up to capture the gov
eminent for McEnery and by the in
creasing determination Of the Republi-
can party to exterminate the seeds of
the late rebellion which they conceive
to be nursed and fed by this very Nc
Emery movement.
5th. Blythe time Congress meets the
Republican party Of Louisiana viii be
prepared to prove by the members of
the Fusion party itself that at least 30
600 legal cOlored voters were prevented
from voting for Mr.. Kellogg by an
elaborate system of deception and
fraud; for instance, in the Parish of
NatchitOches at least 1900 blacks we're
kept from voting by being misled as to
the location of the election precincts on
election day and other decisions of a
kindred nature. AS the editor Of the
"Citizen" says, We want law, and we
want facts" Now, i the. Louisiana in
yestigation is revived by a committee
OF Congress next winter, the Republican
party will summon to the witness stand
many prominent witnesses from the
Fusion party in Natchitoches, in De
Soto, CaddO, Bossier, Webster, jackson
and many other parishes to prove such
facts as the above and they ,ciU be
proved! If it is claw and facts" that
are needed to decide this political qhes-
ton which the United States Supreme
Court have refused to touch because
it is political, what will become of Nc
Enery's chances with such new "facts''
established before Congress-, q large
majority Of which is friendly to his an
ttagonist? What. will, become of his
chances while butting against the Con-
fgressiOnal election law with these facts
tyelping at his heels?
9Th. The proposed resistance to the
collection of the Tax will be in effect
q resistance to the State Government
which President Grant has ordered his
troops to maintain. 1t will therefore be
also a resistance to the authority of the
United States. VIII the United States.
suffer such ~resistance9 .l+'". "' '
18th. Surprising that McEnery, for
arguments sake Will succeed in his de-
sires before Congress next winter, how
will the taxpayers prevent Gov. KEEL
lOgg from collecting the Taxes in the
meantime, and after it once passes into
kenOgg's administration treasury, how
VIII tie Taxpayer get it, out again ?
No man is SO foolish as to resist by force
Of arms. Then, the only method of re-
sistance is before the courts by 1njunc-
ton. Under the Revenue laws Of the
State, courts are required to proceed in
a summary way. to try such suits; as the
tax Resisters would bring in preference
to all other suits. The State courts are
generally In accord with the views of
Gov. Kellogg, especially the Supreme
Court; and they will be morally certain
to sustain the collection Of the taxes
under him. Hence, in nearly every in
stance, the. legal proceedings would be
at an end, and the taxes, penalties and
all costs would be collected and turned
into the treasury for the use of. The. Kel-
logg administration long before, Con-
gress could possibly hand over to Nc
Emery his long coveted prize. These
are strongly put views, but I believe
they are just and mcOntrovertible. To
my mind as an humble Taxpayer,
there is no comfort or relief to be OBJ
tanned by an attempt to resist the COZ
lection of the Taxes. On the other
hand there is more sorrow and disaster
if the attempt is made, in store for tile
unfortunate people Of this State, who
for fifteen. years haye s1rrenderedthe
selves bodily and financially to a sat of
unscrupulous demagogues. IT. Is full
time fnr +he naOn1a IN nTa nn~oinafhfhan4I
selves from the ,direful counsels and
lead Of such men. Our taxes are oner-
Gus but we must pay them. It is ineYi-