The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1875-07-14
COMMUNICATION.
EDiToR DEMocRAT-

EDiToR DEMOCRAT
The open letter Of "Tax Payer to
the Police Jury in the Democrat of
week before last has provoked this
Iinquirysince the Police Jury can
not impose a tax exceeding one hun
dred per centum Of the State Tax,
how are the Parish Warrants which
now amount to over thirty thousand
dollars to beTedeemed?
The answer is obvious. They
never win be redeemed. So long as
| they are received in payment of Pa
rish taxes, they will have q certain
value in the market, or rather an nm
certain value, but the day Is fast
coming when the whole issue will be
worthless. It requires but q mo-
ment's reflection to perceive this.
1t is apparent, that the quantity Of
this scripts annually increasing, ttat
is to say, more new scrip is issued
each year than the taxesf for that year
absorb. It must be equally apparent
that this uniformly constant issue
must come to an end sometime. Be
fore the official term Of the present
Jury expires, twill be seen that the
Parish cannot get along with such a
system Of finance, or more properly
speaking, such a violation Of all the
laws of finance, and necessity will
compel them to adapt some such Or
dinance as this;
l. Be it Ordained, That from and
after the present year, the Collector
of Parish Taxes shall receive in pay
ment thereof only national currency,
commonly called Greenbacks.
2. Be it further Ordained, That
1.-THE President of the Police Jury shall
not hereafter draw any, warrant on
the Parish Treasurer unless there are
funds in hand in national currency
to meet the same, nor shall he under
any circumstances sign any certiii-
cate Of Indebtedness.
8. Be it further Ordained, That
this Ordinance shall take effect on
the first day Of January 1877 and on
I " those warrants that are drawn af-
ter that date shall be paid in nation
al currency.
The passage and execution of that
Ordinance viii solve the problem,
and those who have had the misfor-
tune or the hardihood to hold on to
their Parish warrants can lay them
beside the heaps Of Confederate mon
ey that suffered the same fate. It
may be Thought the holders Of Par
ish warrants will resort TO other
means to enforce the payment of
them. Then they Will signally faik
They cannot require a tax to be lev
led for their payment, because that
can only be done after a popular vote,
or to pay indebtedness prior to the
Act of187O, and not piece Of scrip
is out dated before that Act. fthey
isue, no Court can render a Judgment
on the warrants. The Supreme
Court have lately held that any tax
payer can make himself party to a
suit against the Parish and resist
Judgment. The Police Jury Of St.
James Parish were sued on seven
thousand dollars Of Parish warrants,
and the Judge and District Attorney
coiluded with the plaintiff. The first
gave Judgment against the Parish,
and the second refused to appeal the
case. Several property owners car
RED the case up, and the Supreme
Court, on their appeal, reversed the
Judgment.
Il is not d question Of reputation
nor of faithlessness. The Courts
have simply and CURLY said the pa
per is worthless, and no action o
one of the authorities Of Parish
shall fasten the Issue Of such papel
as debt on the property owners, ane
to ensure the protection of the tax
payers, each one Of them NAV inter
fere to prevent it.
TAX RESIsTER,
I - ---~~.>~>---sDe-->>->o, 49,
A RARE CHANCE. The Programm,
of the rules, regulations and schedule
Of the Rapides Agricultural Fair As
ISOLATION, for their Third Grand Fair
commencing Tuesday, October 9Th
; 1875, and to continue five days, i
now in the hands Of the printers 0
J the Democrat, and will be in bool