The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-03-15
TAX RESISTING ASSOCIATION.

We like to see people succeed in good
enterprises, but we do not like to see
them involve the ignorant and unsus-
pecting in enterprises doubtful as to the
accomplishment Of good in cas- of suc-
cess, and more than doubtful as to- any
success atall, especially when the prime
movers dodge the evil consequences
which fall entirely upon their dupes, as
was the case in the late politicians wal
in New Orleans. Because certain gen.
tlemen, whether justly or unjustly, have
been deprived of holdingfa offices, that
is no reason why others should be melted
to mob violence and resistance to on
stituted authority.
If the McEnery government has failed
and no II will deny that-the people
owe no allegiance to it. There is 10Y
no such thingin existence. The Kellogg
government is the only State gov
eminent we have, and is and has been
from the start the only one recognized
by the federal government. Many per-
sons are opposed to this government, but
that does not alter the case; it is q gov
eminent still, and has the power, both
State and federal, to enforce its author
ity. Many of our citizens are opposed
to the United States government, but
such opposition does not destroy it. The
Kellogg government is an accomplished
fact, and if we owe allegiance to any
State government it is to it. Whether
we owe it or not we arc bound to pay it,
and there is no use in trying to resist the
inevitable.
The McEnc1y goVernmenthavingf fail
ed, some Of the disappointed ones have
held a meeting for the purpose of taking
steps to organize a State tax resisting
association, by appointing acentral COM
mittee Of five, with head quarters in New
Orleans, and this committee to appoint
one from each parish, who shall be a
member of the central committee, with
the duty of organizing the taxpayers of
his parish into a tax resisting association.
The object is to prevent the payment of
taxes to the tax collectors appointed by
Gov. Kellogg.
If the people will pay the amount of
their tax bills to the McEnery collectors,
it is all right. In that case there must
be no resisting. But until the McEnery
legislature accounts for the $4,000 or
$4,000 which the citizens have already
turned OVer to them, we think the tax
payers had better not pay any more
money to officers holding their commits
sions from that body and for the reason
that they will also have to pay taxes to
the Kellogg collectors, they had better
not pay to the McEnery collectors at all.
Paying two collectors is a piece of ex-
travagance that the taxpayers are not
at present able to stand; and from the
well known dislike humankind generally
to pay taxes, we do not believe that our
citizens will be in a hurry to pay double
taxes. They will have to pay II tax
collector, and their faces will not be
wreathed in smiles when they do it,
whether he be a McEnery collector or a
Kellogg one.
So long as there could be Il doubt as to
which State government would succeed,
our counsel would have been for tax
payers to pay neither; but now the ques-
ton is practically settled, and taxes paid
to a collector appointed by Gov. Kellogg.
will not have to be paid a second time,
There are three, courses for our tax
payers to pursue: to pay the Kellogg
collectors, topaythe McEnery collectors
OF to not pay at all. In the first case oul
views are already delivered. Likewise
in the second case, and one thing is sig,
nifcant: the McEnery collectors do not
even pretend to collect taxes. They
could not if they would, even though the
people were willing to pay them, for the
McEnery legislature passed an act tx
postpone the collection of taxes indefi.
nitely, and we have never heard that i
was repealed. The McEnery tax col
lectorfor this parish, though he was com
missiOned, and it was announced in thu
Courier q month agothat he chad quail
fed by taking the oath and furnishing
his bond" has not even claimed the Office
which contains all the records, or as
sumed to act as such. He has given IN
public notice to the taxpayers that h,
had been appointed. In the third case
of resistance, we have but little to say
That is a right, about the exercise o
which every taxpayer can judge for him
self. 1t will be seer from articles pub
lished in this paper, that the Democratic
Fusion government of New Orleans sup
ports or acknowledges the authority O
the Kellogg government; and the ia,
resisting there will be something like th
tighting-which was left to the fool
while the wise politicians stood back ant
awaited the result. While the fool
were fighting, the politicians--those tina
wanted ofiee-Were making all sorts o
propositions for compromise to support
ers of the Kellogg government, whicl
simply meant that they wanted Office
aud if they didnot geti it they were goinI
to make their fools fight for it, but i
they got what they wanted they woul
send their fools home and there woul
be no fighting. Their demands wer
not complied with, and the fight too
place, They We're defeated, but only tn
fools and innocentparties got hurt. NOV
they say, if you do not give us what W
want, we will make our fools, 9 our PEG