The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-06-12

1879, and bi-annually thereafter, or
the first Monday in January, unless 6
different day be appointed by law, and
their sessions shall be held at the seal
Of government.
The first effect of the adoption Of
this amendment will be to lessen the
expenses of the State very material.
ly, and as there is really no necessity
for the Legislature to meet more
frequently than every two years, we
presume that it will meet with gene
raj favor. 1t is in accordance with
the spirit of our motto that "The
world is governed too much" and it
is proposed in it to follow the prac.
tice of many of the other States
which have only biennial sessions OF
their Legislatures, and in all OF
which the plan seems to work ADM.
irably. 1t speaks for itself, and
makes any extended comment on our
part unnecessary" as g Er" -aa:1
.!a AMENDMENT NUMBER TWO. Ii
After the year 1873, the General As
semby shall not have power to levy in
any one year for all State purposes
more than one per centam taxation,
nor shall any collection of more than
one per centum taxation be made in
any one year, on the actual cash value
of all real and personal properly liable
to taxation, except in case of foreign
invasion, or domestic instruction,
and in that event any additional taxa
ton shall only be Tor the immediate
purpose of repelling invasion or sup
pressing, Instruction. The city of
New Orleans shall not levy or collect
in any one year more than one and
one-balf per eentum taxation on the
actual cash value of all the real and
personal property liable to taxation
within it's limits. No Parish or munic-
ipal corporation, except the city Of
New Orleans, shall levy or collect in
any one year more than one per cent
am Taxation upon the actual cash
.valne of all the real and personal
property liable to taxation within its
limits. The General Assembly shall
not have power to issue any bond or
pledge the faith of the State for any
purpose, nor shall it authorize any
Parish or municipal corporation to 10.
sue any bond or create any debt, F;
provided, that this shall not prohibit
the Issue of new bonds in exchange for
old bonds, where the debt or rate OF
interest is not increased. ISL
This amendment has two objects,
to limit the rate of the State and Pa
rish taxation and to provide that
neither the State nor the Parishes
shall create any additional debts. -
The necessity for the Limitation in
both respects is apparent and the
adoption of the amendment will ma
terially tighten the burdens of the
people. Itseems to US that the max
lmum rate Of taxation allowed is
generous and ample for all the re.
quirements Of an honest administra.
ton of the State and Parochial gov.
ernments. five have any cause OF
complaint with it at all it is that the
rate is too large. Compared, how.
ever, with the twenty and one hall
mills we used TO pay under the Rad.
ical regime or even with the present
rate Of thirteen mills, it proposes
such reduction that we have no
doubt but that it will be adopted by
the people. s.I,- ......
The second clause prohibiting the
State and the Parishes from incur
ring any debts is an absolute neces.
sity, with State debt of twelve mil.
hons of dollars, and the majority OF
the Parishes already heavily in debt.
II follows too logically from the first
clause, because it would be useless
to limit the rate Of taxation if the
State and the Parishes could create
debts at their pleasure. The limita.
ton will also have the effect of bring.
ing the rate Of taxation below the
maximum allowed after we have
paid tie debts we already owe, as We
do not believe that it will be neces.
sary to collect one per cent each to
run the State and the Parishes. II
used to be done for two and one bali
or a quarter of one per cent before
the war. 1t is true that slave prop.
erty then paid taxes, and that rate
yielded probably as much as the ten
mills now do. Whatever may be
the fate of the other Amendments
we take it for granted that these two
will be adopted without opposition,
and as reform measures we have eve.
ry reason to thank the Legislature
for them, and we commend them as
such to the croakers.
Ea Z --~-~~~-~~--@-->~~>~~
The Court House at Colfax, in
Grant Parish, on the night of Sun.
day, June 2, was burned; the entire
records were destroved and mt tho