The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1874-10-03
The State Debt.

Kellogg is 4 firm believer in tle
truth of the adage, that q lie we'll
stuck to is almost as good as the truth,
and hence he never loses an opportu.
nifty Of reiteratiDs the falschood that
under his wise and benignant admin.
istration the State debt and taxatio,
have been reduced. He has said
written and telegraphed it SO often.
that it is fair to presume he must have
almost come to believe it himself
however much he knew it to be false
at the beginning.
In order, therefore, to lisahuse his
mind as well as the minds of the i'm.
'lividuals who may possibly have been
deludcd by his persistent assertions.
we propose to show, briefly, what the
debt has been from 1861 to 1874, in.
elusive, and who are responsible for
its enormous increase.
We do this the more cheerfully a.
Kellogg and his Camp street mouth
piece are fond of asserting that the
Democrats are largely responsible for
the millions that have been added to
the debt since the war, and that the
Radicals have legislatcd with view
to reducing the burdens of the people.
Let us see how the matter stands.
In 1861 the State debt was SOLO,
SS2 IL, with a tax of % cents on tho
500, to meet the payment Of inter-
est, and for other expenses. In 1866
the State debt was gil, lo2,377 II,
with II tax Of Tt cents on the 800
this embraced two years of military
rule, the remainder of the time being
under Hahn and Wells as governors.
In 1868 the debt increased to $685.
tis2 IL; but it must be borne in mind
that Of this amount S5,OW,OOO were
expended for building and repairing
the levees, which had been destroyed
or injured during tho war by the
Federal troops, and which it was inl-
perative to reconstruct at once in Or
der to save the State from inunda-
ton.
Unc year only of this period was
untler Democratic rule, the remain
ing year the military had entire con-
troll. The tax in 1863 was 522a.c on the
800. In 1870, what is known as tho
Warmoth lRadicaD regime was in
power and The debt leaped up in two
years to the amazing sum Of SO, 1885,
7a4 40, and the rate of taxation. was
correspondingly increased, being fix
ed at 9(G on the 500. Would any
other people in the wide world have
remained quiet while twenty- three and
a halt millions Of dollars were piled
upon them in tho shape of an addi-
tional debt in the short space of two
yearsi
Would any of the affluent and more
fortunate States of the Union have
submitted without revolution to this
enormous burden
In 1871 the debt was $4l, l9l, ALB
81, with a tax of las cents on the
hundred dollars. In le72-still under
the Warmoth reign-the bonds issued
previously to the New Orleans, Baton
Rouge and Vicksburg Railroad,
amounting to $6,2'D,OW, were an.
nulled, and this brought down the
debt to S35, 7s3,Oo@ 81, but the tax
of 2l5 cents on the one hundred dol.
lars still remained.
In 1873, under the Kellogg Govern.
meni, 1894 600 in bonds were issued
to Ray and Lutleling's North Louis
lana Railroad, increasing the debt by
that amount. The rate of taxation
remained the same, 2l5 cents on tho
one hundred dollars.
In the second year Of the Kellogg
dynasty (l574) the debt, absolute and
contingent, is given in the report Of
the immaculate Auditor Of the nsur-
patton, Of January LIST, page 50, as
3lO,779,752 81.
There may be an error in this state.
ment of Clinton's of some half million
or more, and there probably is, as We
have pointed out many glaring errors
made by this slipshod and unreliable
accountant, but his report is official,
and must be accepted as correct I'M
til officially proven to be erroneous.
The rate of taxation, after repudia-
ting all the old bonds and the whole
Of the interest except that accruing
upon the issue of new bonds, is fixed
at LIS cents on the one hundred dol
lars. IS
Thus, under Mr.. Kellogg's boosted
regime, and according to the state
ment of his own auditorial pet, the
debt of the State increased S5,OOO,-
600. The reduction of which he
makes so much ado was nothing more
nor less than o bare-faced attempt to
repudiate the legal bonds and obi
cations of the State for the benefit Of
the spurious claims and bonds, the
majority of which were held BY him.
self and the ring of which he is the
head.-N. O. Bulletin.