The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1874-07-22
TAXATION AND THE RAILROAD.

| We follow up, as promised in our
last, our remarks in regard to the
Proposition of F. W. Kellogg, which
was submitted to the Police Jury, at
its late session, and will at once dive
into figures and taxation, two impor-
tant items, which never lie, and must
be considered, and considered seri-
ously and calmly in order to arrive
at the gist of the important Propo-
sition, which now agitates this pros
trate Parish.
There is much apprehension as to
the amount of taxes we will have to
pay, if the Parish accepts the propo-
sition of the Central Railway Compa-
ny, and we think there need be none.
Whatever may be the merits of the
question, its comprehension, even
from the dullest intellect, is free from
difficulty.
The assessed value Of the taxable
property in this Parish is about 49,
100000. The 10Th Section of the
Rail Road Charter provides that the
portion of the Road through each
Parish, shall be assessed in the res
pective Parishes, in proportion to it's
entire length, including it's rolling
stock. The length of the Road
through this Parish will be IS miles
and cost about $1,30O,0O0. 1t will,
therefore, constitute, if the present
value property remains unchanged,
fully one third of the taxable prop
erty, and consequently will have to
pay one third of the taxes. 1t will
have to pay $1,000 Of the $4,000 of
the annual interest to be paid by the
Parish. But this is not all; it will
have to pay also the one third of the
ordinary Parish tax, and taking the
present status of things as the basis
of our Illustration, we have the fol-
lowing solution of the problem Of
Railroad taxation for the next TWEEN
ty years. The present Parish tax is
about $24, 900, but to simplify our il
lustration, we will put it down at $751;
900, the same as the annual interest
on the donation viz: $4,000, the
one third of which must be paid by
the Rail Road. The problem then
may be stated thus in figures:
R. r. Tax. 1921 900
Ordinary Parish Tax. 81 900
Whole Amount of Taxes. .$42 900
Third paid by Rail Road. ..-. $4,000
Amount paid by Citizeus. sos, 900
This amount of $4,000 would be
but $1,000 more than our present tax
alton, indeed it is but $4,000 more.
The people of Bayou Beuf pay four
times that amount every year for ex-
ira expense in getting their crops to
market and return supplies. When
the Road is built the rent Of the
stores and buildings in Alexandria,
now vacant, to say nothing of the in
creased rent Of those now occupied,
will pay fully three times as much.
But we do not propose to discuss
the merits of the question, nor do we
propose to discuss at present the
payment of the 100000 due twenty
years from now; by that time the
Railroad, and our posterity will have
$4,000, 900 Of taxable property with
which to pay, and a tax of six mills
on the dollar will pay the whole at
one payment, or if they desire they
can get 20 years longer; but that will
be their business, not ours. BY that
time they will in all probability have
given million more to Railroads
from Fulton, from Monroe, Natchez,
crossing at the Falls, and others to
Nacogdoches and San Augustine,
Texas, and then really feel the taxes
light, smile at the cautious blunder-
ing of their ancestors who hesitated
about paying $4,000 or even $1,000
per annum for the salvation of them
all.
--~o-~-~-~~-sAS---u---
EE- We publish, in our present
Issue, the business card Of one of the