St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1879-02-15

IN. o. DcmOcrat.]

Prof. LuSher is In daily receipt or let
tels from country officials asking lntor-
nation about the poll tax and its dis
tribution. One OF these letters asks
" whether the tax of $500 dollars col
lectcd in-parish is wholly. to the
credit of the parish, and if so the Pro
fessor is requested to forward voncher
for that amount The writer lahored
under a. misunderstanding, as by the
law. the poll tax is divided between the
Charity Hospital, the public schools and
the University. The schools receive
their pro rata of the Whole amount col
lected in the State, and the parish OF
-is entitled to its share, that is, to
$21 60.
The remarks of superintendent LuSher
in his annual report on the subject OF
the poll tax would prove OF interest in
connection with the above. He says
The amount OF poll tax paid into the
State treasury during the year 1873 has
aggregated only s14,G 60, showing con-
ciusively that only few of call male
inhabitants of the State" have been re-
uuired to contribute this tax; and OF
this amount the free public schools have
been allowed to receive only one. tourH,
under article al of the constitution,
though the proriso in section q OF the
school act explicitly declares chat az the
poll tar collected IN any. porishn shat De
gppropriated to sa;dpnrish.' The equity
Of the school lazy is destroyed by the
supremacy of the constitution. The
people of the respective parishes, how
ever. insist that such tax is admissible
0alu to aid IN the education of their chill
di,en, ami, accordingly, they respectfully
urge the General Assembly to amend
the constitution, so that it may be con-
sistent with the justice and equity OF
| the more enlightened school law.
| Article 11S of the constitution, it Is
respectfully suggested, requires all taxa
ton to be eQunl and uniform throughout
the STATE, aud imposes On bhe honorable
General Assembly the Allegation to levy
| poll tax on all male inhabitants OF the
State over twenty one years old "-au-
thorizing it at the same time to raise
this capitation tax to one dollar and
fifty cents per amman. Legislation is
therefore, needed, in obedience to the
mandate of the constitution, !. tHeo,e,
poymeut ot The poll tar By every male II!
Aa6itdnt, SO that it may not continnA t. t.
De palu oy property owners alone, who
are required to pay other taxes also fo'
the support of the government and thu
schools. The poll, or eapitation, tax il
the most uniform and eQUala tax thai
can be imposed on the inhabitants o
the State; and the honorable Genera
Assembly may feel assured that suct
tax will he cheertully paid by ever,
citizen in the respective parishes, il tn
tax collector can and will but guaran
tee that it will be held sacred for tn
free education of the children of sucl
For good or evil-but largely, let it b
hoped, for good~the boon Of American
citizenship has been accorded, alike, t
the white and the colored races in tn
exists between them, which is, at once
a harbinger Of friendly relations, and
claim in behalf Of American civiliza
ton. The same obligations, therefore
should rest upon the two races, aciM n
uneqa.al burden of .:arati0n upon either.
No right is dearer to a citizen tina
that Of his citizenship, and no obliga
ton is more potent than that OF salts
, fying the poll-tax for the promotion c
: education, which shows to the citizel
Whether White or black, that he occupie
a position nobler than that OF any sui
ject of the proudest or the most despot1
monarchy in Europe.
Let the citizen but believe this, an
lie will surely feel that a small sum pal
J upon proper demand, by him will ;
, once sil engthen his claims Of citizenshi
|, and insure for his children the advar
tages of system, which is as strong
. love as it is devoid of prejudlces: TIL
Z future is as full of light as it is full {
l doubt. Let our Legislature trust to tn
! former, aud dispel the latter. Tt
world is full Of change. And change
J. the worlds history has always prove
{ to be progress, when taken rightly, an
e moved by strong and wide-awake LEI
l islatiOn.