The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-04-19
The Tax Resistegs' Meeting.

"a :
very few persons came in to attend it.
We did not see a single one from Big
Cane. A horse race, which did not
come off, vas announced to take place
at OpelOusas, on that day; and a great
many more persons came in to attend it
than to attend the tax resisters' meet
ing. The meeting was a failure, as far
as actual participants are concerned,
both in point of numbers and the
amount of taxes represented. Of course
the object of such a meeting was q flu
tile one. The larger part of those present
were disappointed visitors of the race
course and other spectators who at
tended as dcTnier resort of seeing some
fun. The meeting itself was sui generis,
being composed principally of a few
old professional gentlemen, some of
whom do not figure on the tax rolls at
all and who had already paid their IL
censes. We publish the proceedings of
the meeting, but they nomore represent
what actually TRANSFERRED than the dust
of the earth represents the actions of q
living spirit that once inhabited it when
it was flesh and blood. It would have
required two first class reporters to do
full justice to this meeting-one short
hand reporter to take down, Gerbntim ct
iteratim, everything thatwas said; and
another to saunter about among the
spectators and i'll the tax collectors
office adjoining, and pick up the obser-
v~atiOns and remarks that were contin-
ually dropping.
The tax collector occupies a room in
the Courthouse, and a door of his office
opens into the Court room where the
meeting was held. On this occasion,
with the door open between them, a
lively rivalry was kept up between
two opposing powers; but on this day
more taxes-frOm peopleand more
in amount were collected than on any
previous day since the present collector
opened his office. During the meeting,
when an individual had paid his taxes
and p0cketed his receipt, he would re-
mark: "Well, now I'm safe, I believe
III go in and join the tax resisters. ;
This was intended as a sly cut at those
of the meeting who had already paid
their licenses or had no taxes to pay.
When this reporter entered, the chair
man had already taken his seat. He
addressed the meeting, not very hope
fully, it seemed, as to success in it's OBJ
ject, and closed by stating that he had
no resolutions to offer or suggestions to
make as to what the meeting should
do. After a pause, as ifeach one was
waiting on the other, a motion was
made to appoint a committee to draft
resolutions. Some one, it seemed,
thought it would not be proper for him
to serve on this committee, because he
had already paid his license to the Kel-
logg collector. This seemed to rub and
excite some one else who had gone and
donelikewise. But he did it because
he was compelled to do it. He could
not practice his profession unless he
paid this license. He had put it off to
the last moment before paying it. But
licenses were not taxes and this speaker
was evidently opposed to paying taxes
if he had paid his license. The tax col
1ector, who stood in the door of his
Office, listening remarked, sotte qoce,
she is not on the tax rolls and has nc
taxes to pay" Another of the crowd
who is on the tax roll, held forth about
thus: ooh, yes it is an easy matter
for one who has no taxes to pay, to pay
his license, and then resist paying
taxes. But if q man who owns no prop
erty can notresist paying for a license
how can aemsn who has property resist
paying taxes? II q professional man
who has no property to be seized, can
not resist paying license, how can he
consistently advise o poor man who
owns a little property that may be
seized, and sold for taxes, to resist pay
ing taxes? Tt is true, hat q lawyer
cannot practice without paying his Ii
cense, because the Judge, viii not let
him but that same Judge, under the
same law, will let my property be seized
and sold for taxes unless / too pay uL
as he, under the law, requires the lawyer
to pay up; and if I am a delinquent tax
payer, though / am he resister but may
be simply unable to pay, | can not bring
a civil suit or sue ont a writ of injHnc.
ton, without having first paid my taxes
But with the Doctor it is different. He
can practice arithout a license, and trusi
to the honor and honesty of his patients
" this people" to pay him. If he pays
the Kellogg government for a license
in order to have the privilege Of suing
his patients, who fail to pay him, before
the Judges who recognize Kellogg anG
enforce Kellogg's laws, and who draw
their pay from Kellogg's treasury, why
the Doctor who does this himself recog.
nizes Kellogg; and "this people, wht
won't pay him for his services withou'
resorting to Kellogg's courts Ire NJ
honester than they ought to be, ant
they ought to be made topayt their taxes
if they are not willing to pay the Doc
tor who kept them from dying ant
brought them to health. But It strikes
me as rather curious that a man wht
has paid his license tells me not to pay
my taxes. A license is simply a tar OF
a trade, profession, or other business
and a tax or taxes, popularly speaking