St. Landry democrat., 1878-02-16
Parish Taxes---Parisll ExpeM.
SPSs


t,,. early days % the present session by
Senator Rol,erts"i., entitled, An actto
,,,..,d and re-enAct act No. "a of 1870,
cn,;t!. 4 An act 10 redistrict and perma-
,,,,t,, to define the boundaries of the
= lice Jury wards of the parish of St.
landry, aud the number of members +"
h,s pIerted in said parish, approved
u.ueh 10Th. 1856 - allowing the Police
forv to levy aud ai,sess tax for certain
nur,,oses, and restricting their power
axc,.pt by consent OF the voters, to an
anpnal tax of fourteen and half a mills,
was etped by Gov. Nichols on the 9th
The veto is based principally ON the
fact thnt the body of the act, fails to
correspond with the title.
short time since, we gave resume
Of the expenses OF our parish, during
nine months of the year just passed ;
sboviur thai of the taxes collected Ill
1877 about $1s,OOO00 went to payment
,f .xp, ,nses saddled on us by the State
and for which our Police Jurors were in
~ ways responsible. People NATURAL,
look upou anything, which snlacks OF
;ucra ssiua taxes, with suspicicn, ans
rI,ous,h the act in question WAS really
Intended as a limitation on the right OF
,ur Poice Jury to impose taxes, 1t was
misunderstood, and led to a good deal
If comment, and we believe some de-
,une;utiop. No one ia more anxiouS
than We to see taxes reduced, but tM
question: presents itself how can this OF
done with the present burthen saddle"
on us Ery the State +? Certain works "'
internal improvement are necessary
New hrifiges have to be built old Onrs
must be- repaired our public roads de
mand yearly the expenditure of con
Siderable amounts. There is an ont
standing Indebtedness, part OF whlel
| we believe has been reduced f0 Juns-
ments, which must be paid. Even J.
we desired to do sO we couldn't repn-
diate, it. Then the Parish Attorney
Parrish Physician, members of the Police
Jury, and either Parish Officers are Il
he paid. AS tile law now stands thS
wear, expe nses imposed on us by stat'
laws, will amount to about $4,000. A
tax x,f one per cent. on assessed value
of property will amount to a little over
1921 900. Deduct IS Of this for dellnQuen'
and uncollectsble taxes and we have
$4,000 remaining, or enough to pay
only about three fourths of the expen'
SEES the State has saddled on rs. im'
rate of taxation would leave abou'
$4,000 unpaid on ttisaecount alone; ane
nothing for works of internal improve
ments, outstanding Indebtedness pay I"
officers OF other contingent expenses
We have already spent, large sums II
internal improvements, r,ridge building
&c. Unrepairesi, in few years thes'
will go to ruin aud be lost ana VII
have by some hncus- poeus or otht 7 II
be rebuilt again, because they are no
only public cnnyeniences, but usage ha'
rendered tllern public necessities.
Again we cnll attention of our oena
tors and Repi Ysentaeives to this matter
1t demands action ON their part, at once
because as things now stand it ls a sim
pie ahsurditj to attempt to run thl
parish on a. tax of one per cent. 1
can't be done and to attempt tn do a.
will prove simply penny wise AM
4 found foolish experiment. In the lon'
run it will prove TO he anything else bu
a wise economy, and it will take but
brief experience to demonstrate it.