The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1875-06-16

company to improve bayous B~ul
and Crocodile was authorized to re.
ceive $4,000, u sum asserted to be
preposterously beyond the value Of
, the service. The Mexican gull
Canal Company drew $4,000 ia
bonds from tho State in aid of it's
enterprise, then aban doned it and
merged with an othor comprny for h
different purpose got control of the
drainage; fellinto tho hands Of Que
man and he, in the name of the
company, is now doing a necessary
work of drainage at oost hundred
per cent. higher than responsible
citizens stand ready to do it for.
Even the purchase by the State of
the St. Louis Hotel, to be used as q
State House, was swindling trans.
action. Several members of the
Legislature and others were cha. ter,
ed as tho Louisiana National Build.
ing Association. They got from the
owners of the st. Louis Hotel all
agreement to sell that building at q
act price, aud, this done, made a loase
of 1T to the State for nineteen years
at 500, 200 year and entire exemp-
tion from taxation. They ovcrsh OF
their mark, and tho outcry raised
aginst this oct Of extortion compelled
the anpulling of the lease. There.
upon the Citizens' Bank bought the
building outright for $4,000. The
Louisiana Building Association had
been onjoine'i, and could not act un
der that title. They changed the
compapy's name to the New Orleans
National Building Association, bought
the hotel for $4,000 and tho Hahn
Legislature, which met after the dis
persion of the Wiltz body, in the
spring of Of this year, gave $25O,O0O
for the building. These fguros and
other figures above are authentic.
1t ID not always easy for men to cover
up their tracks, aud these men have
not been careful to do so. q, -,,,s.s
so severe has been the pressure of
taxation, and so greatly has business
been plostrated in the State by the
long continued misrulo, that, accord
ing to an official report, in throc years,
1877 47,49l tax seizures were
made in tho oity Of New Orleans by
the SHERIFF. Mr. Mordhoff has seen
parish newspapers, three Of whoso
sides were filled with advertisonents
of tax salcs-this not in parishes
which prudently refused to pay taxes,
as q fow remote ones have dono and
he has seen u statement certified BY
he Recorder showing that from the
10Th of November, 1871 to, tho 18th
of November, 1873, 82l tracts of land
and plantations in the parish of St.
Martin were actually sold by. the tax
collector for State and parish taxes.
Yet, in spite Of their exorbitapt oom.
missions, the official report of the
State Auditor for 1871 contains list
of defaultiug tax collectors, contuing
twenty names, who are reported to
be in default to the amount Of over
100000. ....s. u.. ,... d.. = =.
Nor can it he said that the valna.
tions, arc low, for in Now O.leaDs the
assessors receive by law live cent.
for their work, and the assessmon is
made annually. In tho parishes the
tax collectors, who have more or less
to 40 with the assessments, received
ten per cent. Of their collections, and
in many cases it has been proved
that they received taxes III green backs
and turned them in in depr eciated
scrip. The city of New Orleans,
being largely Democratic, has been
afflicted with set of double sot of
assessors and ovllectors-one for the
State, ths other for city. The States
annual assessment Of property in New
Orleans cost, in 1871, 100000.
Lust year the assessment aud colleo-
tion Of the State tax for New Orleans
COST $l75,o00. The result of all this
Is that property in New Orleans is
almost worthless and totally unsala.
bio. Nobody likes to be taxpayer.
a hou e and lot, assessed for $36, 900
was sold last oath Zee $1,000.
Good residence property has fallen,
since 1868, more than fifty per cent
in value. Rents produce very small
net iLcome Several years ago tho
Legisl lturey was persuaded to. pass o
law that the parish tax should not
exceed the State and member of
the New Orleans ring showed Mr..
Nordhoff this law to prove that the
complaints Of exorbitant taxation 10
tho country g parishes, must be with
out foundation. He forgot, however
to tell him of another law which al
lows the holder of parish scrip to sue
the parish, and direo the Judg8, In
case of such su,t, to lay special tax
on the parish for the payment Of the
scrip. This is continually done, aud
the bufiness Of buying up deprecated
parish scrip, witb the object 6fforcing
tho parish to pay it is by getting q
Judgment against it, so common that
several tax collectors have admitted
that they didiit. IL is 7aii porfsctly J
safe speculation. satao ~ ~ 81 Do1ll
!, An annopym9us, !. fashion = ,%Srite,
describes ono Of thessweot boony Of
| the season as follows: '".TbeS coming oTli
[bou net is TO, have a. huyricano ,decl
Laid 3 bell tower, and VIII alsoo b ay,
. signal lighe, birds of paradise