The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1877-06-08


raise the parish tax above eight mills.
During five years of that time no debt
was created, warrants were virtually
at par, and Il debt was discharged
which had been bequeathed to the par
ish by the Jury which tempered with
it's affairs in 1866 and 1867. 1t was on
Is during the last three years of Racii-
cal rule, when extravaganza was UNI
checked, lnalaPpropriation unmatched,
and the taxes but partially collected,
that the parish Indebtedness was in
Cured, and even then, the indebted
ness exceeds but little the amount of
delinquent taxes. ..sI
We blamed the Radicals chiefly for
exorbitant taxation and corrupt extrav-
agance. Now, it's said, expenses have
been cut down; the Sheriff7s fees, crimi-
nal fees Of Justices of the Peace, the
collectors and the salaries Of all paro-
chial officers have been materially di-
minished, and many needless and
wasteful expenditures and illegal per-
quisites entirely abolished. Surely,
there ought to be some saving in all
facts, Police Jury, composed Of res
pectable, substantial citizens, all Of
whose heads have grown grey in the
pursuit of honest callings, at its first
regular session raises the parish tax to
ten mills! Is not this reform and re-
frov, ~,
we not right to expect a diminution
and not an augmentation of forced con-
tributions? Was it not reasonable to
hope that the substitution of states
manship, wisdom and integrity for cor
ruption, fraud and Ignorance, in the adj
ministration of public affairs, would re-
dound to the benefit Of toiling tax pay
ers and not to the advantage of specl-
lators in parish warrants? The gentle
men who compose the Police Jury are
not prodigal. They are not dis
honest. They are not faithless
nor self-seeking, but they were terribly
beguiled and bamboozled when they
consented in the interest Of Il few, to
impose new burdens on this taxed-to-
death people. Who is able to loose
the seals of this great mystery:
Perhaps not the worst feature in this
matter is the illegality of the ordinance
increasing the taxes and the expensive
litigation in which the enforcement
thereof will involve the parish.
There is another thing which de-
mands comment. The law wisely
forbids man to place himself in a po-
sition where his duty and interest
must necessarily conflict. But of
such is not the Police Jury. Notwith-
has personal and professional interests
adverse to those of the parish, the
Police Jury have promoted him to the
high position of Parish Attorney,
where he can help to execute the laws
which he helped to enact. The Parish
Attorney is the legal adviser of the
parish and must act as counsel for the
State whenever the District Attorney
is absent. f. p. Stubs is one of the
individuals known to history as "Lude
ling & Associates" who owe the State
of Louisiana 81, ~, 600 which they OBJ
tanned by n1ortgaging and afterwards
selling to the State property which
never belonged to them-and owe,
moreover, a large amount to the State
and parish for delinquent taxes. The
question of their liability is one OF law,
and Mr.. Stubs is certainly incapaci-
tated to give the Police Jury or tax
collector legal advice on that subject.
Then, again, F. p. Stubs is attorney
of record for the succession of B. H.
Dinkgrave on the inventory of which
is this item: "s3974.77 parish war
ants" It needs no argument to show
that anybody who represents a large
amount of old parish warrants has in
| terests opposed to those of the parish.
This succession also owes a large bal
ance to the State which was not settled
by the generous donation of the Pack
| ard legislature. How in the name OF
| common sense can Stubs represent the
| parish or State in these matters? But
it is sagely said that the Police Jury
can hire special counsel in all these