New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-08-30

1913.
police jury because it had no control of it.
1t is owned by the Democrats RefOrmers.
SO, when the meeting took place the oner-
GUS tax on the people was the four per cent
one to pay Judgment creditors, all of whom,
with a very few exceptions, were members
of this meeting. In fact, the meeting rep
resented the onerous tax. The parish taxes
being reduced, and for which the Repub
lican police jury was not responsible for its
levy, the meeting organized, and, as usual,
denounced the Republican party as causing
high taxation, and branded each prOmi-
nent member as robber, rascal, etc, the
usual allegation. They forgot to tell the
people that for years they had been specu-
lating upon their necessities; that $93OOO
had been drawn from them in currency ana
$66,000 more was to come. They forgot to
tell them that they bought parishswarrants
at twenty-five cents on the dollar, and that
they, the people. should pay them dollar
for dollar. They never offered to reduce
the forty mill tax until the people hogan to
see little into matters, and then they
only reduced it to twenty mills, to be paid
in currency, while the one per cent
parish tax could be paid in November, IN
paper, which can be bought from twenty TO
thirty cents on the dollar. The Republl-
cans did not assess this forty mill tax. AS
I stated before, the board of assessors are
two Democrats, one Republican. They
justify their action on the ground that they
have the money, and have the right to
buy parish warrants. True, but can such
q principle be reconciled with the fact that
at the same time they know the people are
unable to pay their chances OF speculation,
and that it is drawing the hte's blood out
e Il, nd %Eaip for na n
their greed for speculation. Their excuse
is both fimsy and unsatisfactory. Their
right to buy does not include their right t.
grind the people down to pay four per cent
in currency to sustain this unwarranted,
unchalltabTe speculative propensity. They
say the people can not pay the taxes
Then why demand the "bond in tulP'-
their pound of flesh. There is no excuse
but the love of sordid gain.
In 1873 the Democratic police jury con.
ceived the idea that the tax collector had
been specuIating in the public money, In,
sttuted suit against him, and instead OF
using the services of the parish attorney,
who has fixed salary, they ignored HIM
and employed counsel outside, which cost
some $1,000, which was paid In warrants, a
part of which judgment was rendered on,
and the balance remain in the market or
transferred for Indebtedness. In this suit
the tax collector was enjoined from collect
ing parish taxes, and when he sold property
to satisfy the State tax for delinquents in
lS69-70, the property was sold for account
OF the State, and the parish lost some SS0o0.
The tax collector, being enjoined, could not
collect ID. This is reformation with ven
geance. In this suit the Supreme Court
sustained the collector; the charges were
not sustained.
In conclusion take it for granted that
these specuIatOrs had right to buy up the
parish paper; the responsibility rests on the
police juries who issued this paper. con-
tend, and it can not be successfully contra
dicted, that from 1867 up to January 1919,
| eight -tenths of the parish paper issued IN
| the parish OF NatchitOches was issued by
| Democratic police juries. Most of these
| Judgment creditors contend that the people
| do not wish q reduction of taxes, but that
| they only want time to pay. This is
| mistake The people not only want time
| but reduc tion-the other proposition is to
| the advantage of the judgment creditors II
attention of the people from the onerous tax,
| they, the most of the judgment creditors,
| get up an imaginary impression and tell
| the people that the Republican party was
imposing heavy tax upon them, and
called a tax meeting, which was not
responded to by many conservative men,
and seeing that they would fail in
their movement, afterward brought men 10
| from the parishes of Sabine, Winn, Rapides,
Grant and Red River to the parish OF
| Natchitoches, to murder the Republican
officials who did not resign. One official
| had to leave his sick bed and the bedside OF
/ dying child and dying father, both of
| whom since died, or be murdered at their
side by mob, who yelled like Indians
| through the streets of the city of Natchi-
| toches. A more disgraceful scene never oc-
! .iy
| ay,,ne says the Republican officials were re-
| uuested to resign. Yes, requested, as the
| highwayman requests the traveller to deliver
! his purse, with implements OF death and
| threat to murder the request was made.
| This excitement was gotten up to hide the
! load the Judgment creditors have to carry,
and which the people must find out sooner
or later, and make them repent it.
| contend that out of ninety Judgments
against the parish of Natchitoches, which
| demands tax of four per cent to pay,
| eighty-eight of them are held and owned
| bV Democrats, or White Leaguers, as they
are called there, and if denied, can give
| the name of each one, with respective
amount.
The tax collector, only after being
threatened with death, and at the entreatles
of his daughters, resigned, but the warriors
of this brilliant victory would not dare TO
meet this gray-haired old gentleman face
to face, man to man, and demand his reslS-
nation. oo
1t was a glorious victory-5OO or GOO
armed men demanding the resignation of
one Republican, an old man, urged on by
ambitious Office seekers, aud personal enc
mics, who could not face him singlerhanded
to correct their grievances.
The amount Of special tax, N currency.
to pay the judgment creditors up to April L,
1873 is as follows:
On tax roll Of 1853 OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES $g93o9 %
On tax roll of 1870. 0..............."... 5IOIo 6i
I'm tay roll of 1871 .....,...,,. 80 24O 40
On tax roll Of 1871 7l..,.............. 1920 IS
Total Sl47 1856 81
Ra,ance due on roll ll......,,...... 5l535 33